Sambucus nigra.   Elder flower, Black elder, European elder   Family: Caprifoliaceae  
PART USED: Flowers- collected during early Summer. Also berries, leaves and bark are used.
Flowers: TASTE: Mucilaginous and faintly bitter ODOR: Slightly aromatic
Bark: TASTE: Sweetish then nauseous
ACTIONS
GROUP: Herbs for the upper respiratory tract.
1. Anticatarrhal.[1]
2. Diaphoretic.[1]
3. Astringent.
4. Alterative.[3]
5. Diuretic.[3]
6. Antiinflammatory.[3]
INDICATIONS- The flowers are used most frequently used as an infusion tea.
1. The common cold.[1] Influenza.[1] Chronic nasal catarrh with deafness.[1] Sinusitis.[1] Mouth and throat inflammations.
2. Rheumatic disorders. Arthritis. Inflammations.
3. Burns Erysipelas.
4. Fevers.
5. Eye inflammations.
SPECIFIC INDICATIONS: Common cold.[1]
COMBINATIONS
- Cold and influenza- use with Peppermint.
PREPARATIONS   3X /day
Dried Flowers  2-4 g,[1,2,3] or by infusion[1] 1:20.
Fluid Extract  1:1 25% alcohol[4]  2-4 ml .[1,2,3]
NOTE- The flowers and berries are used to make wine- the wine taken hot has been used for colds and influenza.[3]
    

HABITAT: Commonly growing in hedges and on waste ground.
DESCRIPTION: Elder is a small shrub with creamy yellow flowers. The flowers, appearing atend of Spring, are small, creamy white with yellow anthers, four- petalled, in flat topped umbel like clusters. The flowers are followed by small shiny purplish-black berries. Leaves: pinnate, leaflets broad with serrate margins. Bark; light grey, with wide fissures revealing the smooth white inner surface.
References
Constituents
Research
 The antiinflammatory action has been demonstrated in animals and is thought to be due to ursolic acid.[1]
References
[1] Franz, G. 1969) Planta Med. 17, 217

Sambucus nigra extracts inhibit infectious bronchitis virus at an early point during replication.
Chen C, Zuckerman DM, Brantley S, Sharpe M, Childress K, Hoiczyk E, Pendleton AR.
Abstract
BACKGROUND:
Infectious bronchitis virus (IBV) is a pathogenic chicken coronavirus. Currently, vaccination against IBV is only partially protective; therefore, better preventions and treatments are needed. Plants produce antimicrobial secondary compounds, which may be a source for novel anti-viral drugs. Non-cytotoxic, crude ethanol extracts of Rhodiola rosea roots, Nigella sativa seeds, and Sambucus nigra fruit were tested for anti-IBV activity, since these safe, widely used plant tissues contain polyphenol derivatives that inhibit other viruses.
RESULTS:
Dose-response cytotoxicity curves on Vero cells using trypan blue staining determined the highest non-cytotoxic concentrations of each plant extract. To screen for IBV inhibition, cells and virus were pretreated with extracts, followed by infection in the presence of extract. Viral cytopathic effect was assessed visually following an additional 24 h incubation with extract. Cells and supernatants were harvested separately and virus titers were quantified by plaque assay. Variations of this screening protocol determined the effects of a number of shortened S. nigra extract treatments. Finally, S. nigra extract-treated virions were visualized by transmission electron microscopy with negative staining.Virus titers from infected cells treated with R. rosea and N. sativa extracts were not substantially different from infected cells treated with solvent alone. However, treatment with S. nigra extracts reduced virus titers by four orders of magnitude at a multiplicity of infection (MOI) of 1 in a dose-responsive manner. Infection at a low MOI reduced viral titers by six orders of magnitude and pretreatment of virus was necessary, but not sufficient, for full virus inhibition. Electron microscopy of virions treated with S. nigra extract showed compromised envelopes and the presence of membrane vesicles, which suggested a mechanism of action.
CONCLUSIONS:
These results demonstrate that S. nigra extract can inhibit IBV at an early point in infection, probably by rendering the virus non-infectious. They also suggest that future studies using S. nigra extract to treat or prevent IBV or other coronaviruses are warranted.
PMID: 24433341 PMCID: PMC3899428 DOI: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-24  BMC Vet Res. 2014 Jan 16;10:24. doi: 10.1186/1746-6148-10-24. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

The traditional plant treatment, Sambucus nigra (elder), exhibits insulin-like and insulin-releasing actions in vitro.
Gray AM, Abdel-Wahab YH, Flatt PR.
Abstract
Sambucus nigra (elder) has been documented as a traditional treatment of diabetes. In the present study, an aqueous extract of elder (AEE, 1 g/L) significantly increased 2-deoxy-glucose transport, glucose oxidation and glycogenesis of mouse abdominal muscle in the absence of added insulin (2 x 2 factorial design). in acute 20-min tests, 0.25-1 g/L AEE evoked a stepwise stimulation of insulin secretion from clonal pancreatic beta-cells. The insulin releasing effect of AEE (0.5 g/L) was significantly potentiated by 16.7 mmol/L of glucose and significantly reduced by 0.5 mmol/L of diazoxide. AEE did not further enhance insulin secretion in cells stimulated by 10 mmol/L of L-alanine, 1 mmol/L of 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine or a depolarizing concentration of KCl (25 mmol/L). Prior exposure of clonal pancreatic beta-cells to AEE did not alter subsequent stimulation of insulin secretion induced by 10 mmol/L of L-alanine, thereby precluding a detrimental effect on cell viability. The insulinotropic action of AEE was partially dependent upon use of heat during extract preparation. Activity of AEE was heat-stable, acetone-insoluble and unaltered by prolonged exposure to acid/alkali (0.1 mol/L of HCl and NaOH). However, activity was significantly decreased 41% by dialysis to remove components with molecular mass <2000 Da. Sequential extraction with solvents revealed activity in both methanol and water fractions, indicating a cumulative effect of more than one extract constituent. Known constituents of elder, including lectin, rutin and the lipophilic triterpenoid (lupeol) and sterol (beta-sitosterol), did not stimulate insulin secretion. The results demonstrate the presence of insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity in the traditional antidiabetic plant, Sambucus nigra.
PMID: 10613759  J Nutr. 2000 Jan;130(1):15-20. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

Randomized study of the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry extract in the treatment of influenza A and B virus infections.
Zakay-Rones Z, Thom E, Wollan T, Wadstein J.
Abstract
Elderberry has been used in folk medicine for centuries to treat influenza, colds and sinusitis, and has been reported to have antiviral activity against influenza and herpes simplex. We investigated the efficacy and safety of oral elderberry syrup for treating influenza A and B infections. Sixty patients (aged 18-54 years) suffering from influenza-like symptoms for 48 h or less were enrolled in this randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled study during the influenza season of 1999-2000 in Norway. Patients received 15 ml of elderberry or placebo syrup four times a day for 5 days, and recorded their symptoms using a visual analogue scale. Symptoms were relieved on average 4 days earlier and use of rescue medication was significantly less in those receiving elderberry extract compared with placebo. Elderberry extract seems to offer an efficient, safe and cost-effective treatment for influenza. These findings need to be confirmed in a larger study.
PMID: 15080016 DOI: 10.1177/147323000403200205  J Int Med Res. 2004 Mar-Apr;32(2):132-40. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov