Blue Elderberry Flower and Making a Three-Herb Tea/Infusion with Elder, Yarrow, and Mint

In this video I identify blue elderberry Sambucus cerulea, describe some of the edible and medicinal uses for its blossoms, and I make a tea/infusion with elder blossoms, yarrow blossoms, and mint leaves. Elderberry - Sambucus spp. is famous for its use to shorten the duration of colds and flus, and blue elderberry - Sambucus cerulea is also useful for this. It is safe and gentle including for young children and elderly. Many people are aware of things like elderberry syrup being made from the berries of the elderberry plant, and there are more elderberry benefits than that!
A Warning About Elderberry
The stems, leaves, bark and roots contain poisonous cyanide producing glycosides which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The sees also contain hydrocyanic acid. Some people can eat lots of the berries raw without any ill effect, but cooking or drying the berries destroys the toxic compounds.
Identification of Blue Elderberry
The new stalks of blue elderberry emerge from the base of the bush and are purplish green. The older stems become reddish and warty. Old bark becomes grey with linear ridges. The leaves of blue elderberry are compound leaves divided into 5 to 9 leaflets. The leaflets are lance-shaped, pointed, sharply toothed, usually smooth and hairless and they smell nutty when rubbed or crushed. The flowers are small and white to creamy coloured. They smell sweet and I think a little musty and grow in flat-topped clusters.
Elderberry Blossoms Are Edible
The flowers can be cooked and eaten by dipping them in batter and frying them or by taking them off their stems and mixing them in batter like pancake batter. They can also be used to make drinks like elderberry cordials.
Elderberry Blossoms Have Medicinal Uses
The elderberry blossoms have been used to stimulate urination and bowel movements and have been used in diet pills and laxatives. The flowers have also been used to make washes for treating sores, blisters, hemorrhoids, rheumatism and arthritis. For colds and flus, an infusion with elderberry blossoms, yarrow blossoms, and mint leaves can be used.
Tea or Infusion with Elderberry Blossoms, Yarrow Blossoms, and Mint Leaves
In the video a tea/infusion is made with elderberry blossoms, yarrow blossoms, and mint leaves. I used equal parts by weight of all three and steeped them in boiling water for fifteen minutes. This could also be done for 20 to 30 minutes as desired.
I found the elder, yarrow and mint infusion to be fairly bitter and strongly aromatic. I normally like the taste of yarrow tea, but this was more bitter than I am used to. I added maple syrup which helped improve the flavour. It tasted strongly like medicine to me which I think is understandable because I was using it like medicine!
Blue Elderberry - Sambucus cerulea
Yarrow - Achillea millefolium
mint possibly Mentha spp.
Here's my Facebook page
/ okanagangardenerandfor...
Here is my Instagram page
/ okanagan_gardenerandfo...
Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!
References
Fike, Jimmy W. Edible Plants: A Photographic Survey of the Wild Edible Botanicals of North America. Red Lightning Books. 2022
Gray, Beverley. The Boreal Herbal: Wild Food and Medicine Plants of the North. Aroma Borealis Press. 2011.
Grogan, Barbara. Recipes for Natural Living: Healing Herbs Handbook. Sterling Publishing Co., Inc. 2018.
Kloos, Scott. Pacific Northwest Medicinal Plants. Timber Press, Inc. 2017
MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.
Meunick, Jim. Basic Essentials: Edible Wild Plants & Useful Herbs. The Globe Pequot Press. 1999.
Millard, Elizabeth. Backyard Pharmacy: Growing Medicinal Plants in Your Own Yard. Quarto Publishing Group USA Inc. 2015.
Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018
Pojar, Jim and MacKinnon, Andy. Plants of Coastal British Columbia including Washington, Oregon & Alaska. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2004.

[@moonsrising2774]

Another great video! Thanks for keeping them entertaining, the comedy is always appreciated!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

You're welcome and thank you, too! I'm glad some other people think they're funny. Sometimes I wonder if it's just me laughing at my own dorky jokes!

[@SpeenHaus]

Love the videos keep it up!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you! I will do that!

[@lrrerh8090]

Happy dads day to everyone

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you!

[@LH-zw7dg]

Love elderberry!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Thank you! Me too!

[@emmalee478]

Shoot thought for sure you saw the elf king!

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

Haha! Thank you!

[@Randor95]

Okanagan here! any idea where I might find some Elderberry around kamloops area?

[@OkanaganGardenerandForager]

No, I don't. Sorry, I haven't had the chance to do much scouting around Kamloops. They do like to grow near water, so I would try to look around rivers and ditches and things like that. Good luck!

[@Randor95]

@@OkanaganGardenerandForager thanks! I'm gonna try the Dallas-Barheartvale nature park. it's supposedly a restored wetland! also going to look for some Spikey lettuce in the process! so cool that I found your channel! I'm working towards maybe one day beign a cerified herbalist and such!