Poisonous, except for the berries without seeds
Effect:
diaphoretic, decongestant, pain-relieving
Areas of application:
Fever, colds, as an emetic and laxative, boils, abscesses, skin infections
Plant parts used:
Berries without seeds
Collection time:
Summer
To find:
Along rivers and in forests.
Ingredients:
Carotenoids, vitamin C, fatty oil, toxins (cyanide)
Miscellaneous:
Scarlet elderberry is a deciduous shrub and grows up to 6 meters tall. The branches are often wide and tend to curve outward from the center of the plant. The branches are soft and flexible to the touch, have a pithy core and an uneven, jointed surface. The oval, compound green leaves are found in groups of 3 to 7 leaflets per group on the branches and grow outwards from the base. The leaflets are toothed and lanceolate. The Scarlet Elderberry's growing season begins in early spring and, after flowering, produces numerous tiny, cream-colored flowers in pyramid-shaped clusters throughout the spring and summer months. The fleshy drupes are bright red and occasionally purple during these months. The foliage has a strong odor, which has earned the shrub the nickname “Smelly Elderberry.”
🛑 Scarlet elderberry berries are poisonous raw and can cause stomach upset and indigestion, but are safe and edible when cooked and deseeded. The leaves, shoots and roots are considered poisonous and should not be eaten, even after cooking.
In the kitchen, the berries can be eaten cooked if the stones are removed! The poison of the seeds cannot be rendered harmless even by cooking!!! The berries can then be used in jellies, jam, syrup and cakes. Cooked red elderberries have a bitter taste and a pungent smell. The dried flowers are used to make wine. The flowers should definitely be dried before cooking. No other parts should be eaten as the plant contains toxins produced by cyanide.
The red elderberry is easy to distinguish from the black elderberry when it shoots, as its leaves are initially bronze to red and only then turn green. In addition, its fruit sets appear as soon as the leaves emerge. They are conical and rounded and not plate-shaped and flat like the black elderberry.