Pharmaceuticals
Echinaforce® Hot Drink, Concentrate
To boost the body’s own defences in cases of susceptibility to colds and in cases of colds accompanied by fever.
Black Elderberry
Sambucus nigra L.
The black elder is a common shrub or small tree with creamy-white flower clusters and dark purple to black berries.
For herbal preparations, the flowers are primarily used. Elderflowers are traditionally used to relieve the early symptoms of a cold.
Profile
- German name: Black Elderberry
- Botanical name: Sambucus nigra L.
- Family: Viburnaceae (Viburnum family)
- Plant type: Deciduous shrub or small tree
- Height: Usually 3 to 7 meters
- Flowering period: Usually May through July
- Fruit Harvest Season: Late summer through early fall
- Parts of the plant used: Flowers and ripe fruit
- Smell: Flowers with an intense, sweet, and aromatic scent
Black elder grows as a densely branched shrub or small tree. Young branches have a strikingly light-colored, soft pith.
The leaves in question are imparipinnate and usually consist of five to seven serrated leaflets.
The small, creamy-white flowers grow in large, flat umbels. They develop into numerous small, glossy fruits that turn dark purple to black when ripe.
Related health topics:
- The Immune System & the Common Cold
- Cough & Cold
- Cold