Intro to Sambucus nigra, Elder, Saúco blanco
Sambucus nigra also known as Elder is a powerful plant ally for many. Elder is very well know for it’s medicinal properties which aid and nurture the human body. However, many often neglect the plant spirit medicine aspect of plants. If you have connected with elder before, can you recall some of the energetic promptings you received after working with their medicine? Take a moment and close your eyes. Sit within and call in the spirit of Elder, what do you hear, feel, sense?
If you have never connected with Elder before and are looking to educate yourself more on it, strap in my friend. Want to learn more about Puerto Rican Herbalism? Join me for a Puerto Rican Herbalism Plant Tour at the Queens Botanical Garden Saturday November 23, 2024. Click the link to sign up: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/puerto-rican-herbalism-tour-with-maggie-rivera-tickets-1049603280667
Sambucus nigra: An Elder for Those Without
In my own experience, Elder’s energetics were much like an ideal grandmother. She nurtures your body with home-made delicacies passed on by the ancestors. She nourishes your spirit with ancient stories and hymns that have been passed on and on through the lineage. The protects you from harm and yet shows you the nature of death with honesty. In my own life, I didn’t get to have this. I didn’t have the kind and nurturing grandmother full of life and wisdom to share with me. I never really got to form a relationship with either of my abuelitas. Neither did they really embrace being Puerto Rican, it was always about assimilation.
My abuelas were both immigrants from the island of Puerto Rico, who came to New York City for something more. Who knows the prejudice they faced for their sun loving skin and Spanish speaking tongues. A language that wasn’t even their own but given to them by the Spanish colonizers. As a result, I have never had any semblance of what it meant to be Puerto Rican and even I began to disassociate to the label. I don’t know when my Taino ancestors lost their native language in my lineage, all I know is that I choose to take the responsibility to reclaim my Boricua roots. Certainly, this is no easy task but one I will do in the honoring and reconnecting of my ancestors from the island.
Plant Medicine: The Hymns and Folklore Remnants of Culture
It is true that nothing has brought me closer to my ancestry than herbalism. I have tried many things to reconnect but nothing quite fit. The Puerto Rican roots that I had longed for, were quite literally found in the roots of plants. The Earth carries the stories of our ancestors when our ancestors aren’t around to share them anymore. These stories live on in every new seed, every new flower and every new berry. Concurrently much like us humans, we too are seeds in the wombs of our mothers, and the stories of our ancestors spread.
Sambucus nigra is known an Saúco or Saúco blanco in Puerto Rico. In Borikén, the entire tree is used medicinally. There is caution in accordance with that. You must be a skilled herbalist or educated by someone who does have the experience using the whole of Elder. Using the leaves, stems, bark, roots unripe berries and seeds of Saúco blanco can cause a host of ailments. For example, nausea, vomiting, diarrhea and depression of the central nervous and respiratory systems are all side effects to misusing elder medicine. The risk is amplified if the plant material is fresh as it’s dried and cooked counterparts reduce the harmful cyanogenic glycosides.
Preparation of el saúco in Borikén
The preparation of el saúco is used for respiratory health in Puerto Rican herbalism. Curanderas would smash the stems of their elder bush to extract the juice. Maria Benedetti interviewed Petra Angleró from Mayagüez who shared her recipe of “…for every two tablespoons of juice, mix a teaspoon of olive oil and a pinch of salt”. At this point, taking it several times a day for any cough, asthmatic symptoms and lung congestion. Other recipes would include using the flowers as teas for colds and as a lovely warming, pleasurable drink. The types of Sambucus used in Puerto Rican include: S. nigra, S. candenesis and S. mexicana.
Sambucus nigra: The Science Behind The Magic
Elder has a host of medicinal properties to it that improve the livelihood of many. As can be seen, many studies have shown how certain bioactive compounds in elder have healthful applications. For example, elder contains (poly)phenolic and terpenoid compounds. Polyphenolic compounds are known for their potent antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. At length, supporting us with protection from chronic disease, improved digestion, anti-aging effects, improved cognitive function, reduced inflammation, lowering blood sugar levels and weight management. Terpenoid compounds also known as terpenes are often known for their aromatic and flavorful qualities. Terpenes support us with anti-inflammatory properties, pain relief, antioxidant activity, anti-cancer effects, anti-anxiety/anti-depression effects, and anti-microbial properties. Elder has a host of medicinal properties including: “…antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, anticancer, anti-influenza, antimicrobial, anti-diabetic, cardiovascular protective, and neuro-protective activities, and their potential molecular mechanisms are associated with regulating some key signaling pathways and molecular targets”.
The Stories Continue With Our Voice
El Saúco has been a messenger of rebirth. The plant spirit embodies the firm reminder of the life-death-life nature. What once felt like a disintegration of culture and self, now is reborn as the reclamation of ancestral ways. Earth medicine is calling for us all to remember the ways our ancestors worked with the land. When we can finally live again in a symbiotic relationship with Mother Earth, may this world begin to find itself rooted back into peace and purpose.
Works Cited:
https://pubs.acs.org/doi/abs/10.1021/acs.jafc.2c00010
https://daily.jstor.org/plant-of-the-month-elderberry/
“Earth and Spirit: Medicinal Plants and Healing Lore from Puerto Rico“. Benedetti, M., BotaniCultura: 2019.
The Herbal Academy’s: The Herbarium: Puerto Rican Plants for the Northern Hemisphere by Lara Pacheco of Seed and Thistle Apothecary.