Sambucus mexicana may refer to the following North American black or blue elderberry species:

Overview

Description

Habitat Distribution

Uses

Traditional and Medicinal Uses

All preparations and uses of all parts (except the flowers) of Sambucus is with regards to the deadly amount of cyanide carried within the plant. With that aside, the medicinal benefits of this plant are immense and have carried its fortune from pre-colonial times until now. The flowers of Sambucus known as elder flowers can be picked and steeped into a tea for “colds, flu, fever, and clearing the skin”. No additional preparation is necessary. When harvesting the flowers of Sambucus take care to leave at least more than 80% of the flowers so that there will be enough for the berries to grow and for those berries to be used in the future. The bark of Sambucus is often used as “a cathartic, laxative, and diuretic”. The preparation of the bark involves aging for at least a year so that the cyanide has time to degrade. Sambucus and other western species of elderberry need more time than other elderberry species as they have larger amounts of cyanide. Indigenous to California, Sambucus is one of the largest elder tree carrier of cyanide.

Culinary

Relation to Indigenous Peoples

Related Species