Elder Tincture & Alcohol-Free Extract

Elder (Sambucus nigra), the European or black elder, is a fast-growing deciduous shrub or small tree of the Viburnaceae family, formerly placed in Adoxaceae, native to hedgerows, woodland edges, and waste ground across Europe, North Africa, and western Asia, with a closely related American form across eastern North America. It grows 4 to 6 meters with corky, furrowed bark, brittle branches filled with soft white pith, and pinnate leaves of five to seven toothed leaflets. In early summer it carries flat, plate-sized clusters of tiny creamy-white flowers with a sweet muscat scent, followed by drooping bunches of small, glossy, purple-black berries. We extract the dried berry and flower separately.