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Linda Z Brown
In Doc’s elderberry video clip under plant monographs, he says he uses the leaf because it is stronger than the blossom or berry, but multiple other sites say that the leaf is poisonous. Are there parameters to using the leaf? Or are others just too cautious?
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Greg Boggs
It is only Red Elder (Sambucus racemosa) that you need to worry about being toxic, the others are fine
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Shauna Thomson
It is only Red Elder (Sambucus racemosa) that you need to worry about being toxic, the others are fine
So can you use it the same as you would Elderberry or elder flower?
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Yep! I think the leaf is the strongest, berry is tastiest, and flower is mildest
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Christa Renner
Elder leaf should not be given to small children, in my opinion. Research shows that the leaf is stronger, however, it also shows that it can hold more of the toxic characteristics. Research and Doc’s lessons state that only adults should use the leaf. The flowers are great for littles, the berries are safe for almost everyone, and the leaves are for adults only.
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Yeah I’d agree with that. The leaf has some small amounts of cyanide in them I believe, so it should be used with caution. I know of some people who refuse to use it internally at all, and that’s fine, there are plenty of herbs that do similar things
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Dr. Patrick Jones
Elder leaf should not be given to small children, in my opinion. Research shows that the leaf is stronger, however, it also shows that it can hold more of the toxic characteristics. Research and Doc’s lessons state that only adults should use the leaf. The flowers are great for littles, the berries are safe for almost everyone, and the leaves are for adults only.
Yup. This is the way to use the various parts of elder. I’ve used the leaf on adults for many years and never seen an issue. If there were an issue, it’d likely be a bellyache. I don’t use it in kids.
Many internet posts are cut and paste repetitions of things said by others who had no real world experience. For many years, everyone in the edible plant community has said that milkweed tastes nasty and makes you sick because Euell Gibbons said so in one of his edible plant books. Turns out Euell was eating dogbane, a mildly toxic look alike…oops. I don’t mean to disparage Euell, he was a huge beneficial influence on edible plants. My point is that folks have copied and pasted misinformation for decades because they read it somewhere. Herbal medicine is very subject to that sort of bias at times.
Also, there are lots of studies showing toxicity of this or that plant, but you have to really look at the studies to understand what’s really being said.
You might enjoy this video:
Don't use herbs or combine herbs with medications or use them during lactation or pregnancy without talking with your healthcare provider.
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