Elderberry, a deciduous shrub of the genus Sambucus, is found in provinces including Heilongjiang, Jilin, Liaoning, Hebei, Shanxi, Shaanxi, Gansu, Shandong, Jiangsu, Anhui, Zhejiang, Fujian, Henan, Hubei, Hunan, Guangdong, Guangxi, Sichuan, Guizhou, and Yunnan in China. Our editor will provide you with a detailed answer!
Elderberry is a deciduous shrub or tree that grows 4 to 8 meters tall. The stem is smooth and branches are numerous. The branches are grayish-brown and hairless. The leaves are odd-pinnately compound, opposite, and usually consist of 7 leaflets, sometimes 9 to 11. The leaflets are long oval or elliptic to lanceolate, measuring 4 to 12 centimeters in length and 2 to 4 centimeters in width. They have a gradually pointed tip and a slanting broad wedge-shaped base. The margins are serrated and both sides are hairless. The terminal inflorescence is oval to elongated ovate, measuring 6 to 9 centimeters in diameter. The flowers are white to pale yellow. The calyx is bell-shaped with 5 lobes, and the corolla is fused with 5 lobes in an inverted ovate shape. The stamens are 5 and are attached to the corolla, shorter than the corolla, and alternate with the lobes. The fruit is a berry-like drupe, nearly spherical, and black purple or red in color, with 3 to 5 seeds. The flowering period is from April to May, and the fruiting period is from July to September.
Elderberry is found on sunny slopes or cultivated in gardens. It is distributed in Northeast China, North China, Central China, East China, and as far west as Gansu, Sichuan, and Yunnan. It is mainly produced in Jiangsu. In addition, it is also found in Fujian, Sichuan, Guangxi, Zhejiang, and other places.
Elderberry stems and branches are dried and processed into obliquely transverse thin slices, which are long oval in shape, measuring 2 to 6 centimeters in length and about 3 millimeters in thickness. The bark is intact or peeling, and the outer appearance is greenish-brown with longitudinal stripes and brown-black dot-like protrusions. The wood is yellowish-white with clearly visible annual rings and fine white medullary rays that radiate outward. The texture is fine. The pith is usually brown, intact or hollowed out, spongy, and prone to cracking. It is light in weight and has a weak odor. The best quality is complete, yellowish-white, and free of impurities.
Pharmacological effects: An oral administration of 20 grams (raw herbs) of elderberry decoction has analgesic effects on mice (hot plate method), with a weaker intensity than morphine but stronger than antipyrine. Mice become quiet after taking the medicine. The water or alcohol extract of non-stalked elderberry, a related plant, has diuretic effects when injected into mice, which is not caused by the inorganic salts contained in it; diuresis often leads to diarrhea in mice.
Taste and nature: Sweet and bitter, neutral.
① "Tang Materia Medica": "Sweet and bitter, neutral, non-toxic."
② "Materia Medica Supplement": "Slightly toxic."
③ "Modern Practical Traditional Chinese Medicine": "Bitter, cold."
Dosage and administration: Oral administration: decoction, 9 to 15 grams; or in pill or powder form. External use: crushed and applied or used for fumigation and washing.
Contraindications: Not suitable for pregnant women.
"Pin Hui Jing Yao": "Taking it in large quantities can cause vomiting."
