96. _The COMMON ELDER_ (Sambucus nigra) _is a wild English shrub,
distinguishable by its winged leaves, with serrated and somewhat oval
leaflets, its clusters of small white flowers divided into five principal
branches, and the small black or purple berries by which these are
succeeded._
The uses of the elder are more numerous than those of most other shrubs.
There is scarcely any part of this shrub which has not been advantageously
employed in some way or other. The _wood_ is yellow, and, in old trees,
becomes so hard that it will take a polish almost as bright as that of box
(232); and, indeed, it is often used as a substitute for box-wood. Its
toughness also is such that it is made into skewers for butchers, tops for
fishing rods, and needles for the weaving of nets. It is likewise employed
by turners.
Sir J. E. Smith has remarked that this tree is, as it were, a whole
magazine of physic to rustic practitioners, and that it is not quite
neglected even by professional men. Ointments have been made of the green
_inner bark_, and of the _leaves_. The dried _flowers_, infused in water,
are used in fomentations, or as tea: and, mixed with butter-milk, they are
sometimes employed as a wash for the face; and the clusters of flowers,
before they open, may be made into a delicious pickle, to eat with boiled
mutton. The _berries_ are boiled into a rob, which is useful in sore
throats, colds, and hoarsenesses. In addition to their medicinal services,
the leaves are sometimes thrown into the subterraneous paths of moles,
under an impression that their smell will drive away those noxious animals.
If turnips, cabbages, fruit trees, or corn, all of which are subject to
blight from various kinds of insects, be strongly whipped with the green
leaves and branches of elder, insects will not attack them; and an infusion
of the leaves is sometimes sprinkled by gardeners over the buds of such
flowers as they wish to preserve from the devastation of caterpillars.
Elder flowers have an agreeable flavour, which they impart, in
distillation, to water: they are likewise used to give a flavour to
vinegar. The berries are poisonous to poultry, but their juice, properly
fermented, makes a pleasant and wholesome wine; and, in Germany, a very
pure and strong spirit is distilled from them. The juice of elder berries
is sometimes employed to give a red colour to raisin or other sweet wine.
The _young shoots_ of this shrub are filled with an exceedingly light
_pith_, which is cut into balls for electrical experiments; and is also
made into toys for the amusement of children.
The elder will grow and thrive in almost any soil and situation; but, as
every part of this shrub has an unpleasant narcotic smell, people ought to
be cautious not to sleep under its shade, as, in such case, it might prove
of serious injury to them.