Slightly poisonous!
Effect:
antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, astringent, wound healing, cleansing
Areas of application:
Gargle for mumps or mouth rot, sore throat, angina, fever, pneumonia, pleurisy, wounds
Internal use of this plant should be avoided as it can cause allergic symptoms. Please only use externally!
Plant parts used:
Flowers, leaves, berries
Collection time:
June to September
To find:
At the edges of forests or in clearings, as undergrowth, otherwise in gardens
Ingredients:
Bitter substances, tannins, resins, dyes, ligulin, ligustrine
Other:
The common privet grows as a deciduous or semi-evergreen shrub that reaches heights of 1.5 to 4.5 metres. In mild climates, such as those found in southern Europe, the leaves do not fall off until the leaves sprout the following spring. The common privet grows as a richly branched shrub. It has upright, flexible branches; its short shoots are often arranged in whorls. Young branches have olive-green-brown bark that may be bare or finely hairy towards the tip. The grey-brown, bare bark of older branches is covered with light lenticels. The leaves are arranged opposite each other (rarely in whorls of three) and have short stalks (1 to 3 mm). The simple, slightly leathery and glabrous, entire-edged, pointed to blunt, sometimes finely spined leaf blade is 2.5 to 8 cm long and 0.8 to 2 cm wide, lanceolate to elliptical or narrowly ovate to obovate. The widest point of the leaf is approximately in the middle - in contrast to the oval-leaved privet, where it is much closer to the base of the blade. In autumn, the usually dark green leaf colouring often turns violet. The flowers are in elongated, pyramidal, paniculate inflorescences at the tips of the new shoots. The fragrant, hermaphrodite flowers have four petals with a double perianth. The four sepals are up to 2 mm long and fused to form a cup with tiny calyx lobes. The four white to cream-colored petals are fused to form a corolla tube up to 2 mm long, which ends in four protruding corolla lobes about 3 mm long. The two stamens have about 2 mm long filaments, protrude slightly from the corolla tube and top the two-lobed stigma. Two carpels are fused to form a superior ovary with a relatively short style. The flowering period begins in May and lasts until July. Nectar is secreted at the ovary. The fertilized flowers grow into egg-shaped to spherical, shiny black, one- to four-seeded, berry-like drupes. The intense black color of the fruits on the outside is due to a high concentration of anthocyanins. (Wikipedia)
🛑 An adult can tolerate up to 5 berries without experiencing symptoms of poisoning. I still wouldn't try it. You should dose carefully, because less is more. The berries of the privet are poisonous, and eating them can lead to nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and stomach pain. The effect is certain when a large amount is eaten. The leaves contain the glucoside syringin, which makes them poisonous too. Skin contact when cutting the plant can lead to skin irritation, known as privet eczema.
Anyone who is allergic to pollen should stay away from privet. Some people react with asthma-like symptoms when the plants bloom. The only thing that can help is to cut the flowers off before they really start to bloom.
An eau de toilette is made from the fragrant flowers. An oil extract relieves sunburn and is pleasant for dry skin. The branches can be woven into baskets and the smooth, hard and solid wood can be used for turning and carving. Because of their violet-black-blue dyes, the berries are used for dyeing wool, mixing color pigments, painting maps and in book illumination.
This shrub species, like several Japanese Ligustrum species, is cultivated in gardens to create hedges. Wintergreen varieties such as 'Atrovirens' are usually used for this purpose. Privet is very hardy when cut and is therefore often used for shaped hedges.
A total of 20 species of birds have been observed eating privet berries, including blackbirds, song thrushes and bullfinches. The black berries are often only eaten in late winter and then excreted, thus spreading. The germination of the seeds is promoted by frost. A number of rodents also eat the fruit.
Hildegard von Bingen: Privet is like a weed and is not suitable for medicinal purposes. Because if a person ate its seeds or fruit, it would be like poison to them.