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The elderberry not only likes to grow near people, it has also been used for food and healing purposes since time immemorial. Both its bright, shining white flowers and its dark black berries have their place in the kitchen and medicine cabinet. Many fairy tales and songs are about the shrub of Holle and reveal a little about its former magical powers.
Utilisation
The black elder has a long tradition as a medicinal plant. Even in ancient times, it was considered a universally applicable medicinal plant. Centuries later, elder was used to treat fever and respiratory infections.
Elderberry was considered the "poor man's pharmacy" due to its many uses for illnesses and as an important source of vitamin C.
In folklore and mythology, elder was regarded as a "sacred tree of the ancestors" and a kind of "gateway to the other world" and was not allowed to be felled. The Germanic goddess Hel or Holle, to whom it was dedicated, later became "Frau Holle" in the Grimm fairy tale. Elder is just as ambiguous as its goddess, it is both a healer and poisonous, blooms bright white but has dark berries.
Cultivated elder has been used in Austria since the 1970s. The main variety, Haschberg, was selected at the Klosterneuburg Research Centre, one of our gene banks.
Despite its importance in traditional medicine, only a few scientific studies are available. In laboratory tests, an aqueous extract of elderflower showed evidence of an immunomodulatory effect, while ingredients in the fruit have antiviral effects.
The pharmaceutical drug that is commercially available today consists of the dried flowers of Sambucus nigra L. and is used as a diaphoretic for colds.
In addition to essential oil, the flowers contain flavonoids, triterpenes, triterpene acids, minerals, tannins and mucilage. The inflorescences have always been used to make elderberry pancakes or sweet elderflower syrup or dried as a tea for the cold season.
The berries were an important source of vitamins during the harsh winter months. They were and are made into syrup or often boiled down together with other fruits to make elderberry jam and marmalade. The cooking process neutralises indigestible substances that can lead to digestive problems and nausea. The fresh fruit is not suitable for consumption.
Botany
Of the nine elder species worldwide, three are found in Europe and Austria. Two of them are inedible or even poisonous. Only the black elder is partially edible for humans, and is even medicinal. The shrub, rarely a tree, belongs to the Viburnaceae family and grows up to 7 metres high.
The leaves of the elderberry are opposite, pinnate, pointed and serrated at the edges.
In June, the elder develops a sweet odour with its creamy white, yellowish, flat umbels. The black-purple fruits ripen from August to October.
Distribution
As a nitrogen-loving plant, the elderberry bush has always been a faithful companion to humans. It can be found from Europe to Asia in fresh to moist deciduous forests, especially in riparian forests, in bushes, on forest edges, water banks, clearings, in gardens and other ruderal areas (places shaped by humans).
The elder therefore prefers moist, loamy soils with a high humus and lime content, but also copes well with other soils. The elder is a self-pollinating and cross-pollinating species. Birds spread the fine seeds for kilometres in the wild with their droppings.
Service
The preservation of diversity is very important to us, which is why we store around 5,400 samples of seeds and plants in our gene bank. With the gene bank for agricultural crops, medicinal and aromatic plants, we are making a significant contribution to the preservation of biodiversity.
Last updated: 28.08.2025
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