Elderberry - Wild Edible Berry in the Pacific Northwest with Antiviral Properties

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Blue Elderberry - Sambucus caerulea
Blue Elderberry is a tree with edible and medicinal properties.

Many people are aware of things like elderberry syrup being made from the berries of the elderberry plant, and there are more elderberry benefits than that!

Leaves
Leaves are opposite pinnately divided compound leaves. There are 5-9 leaflets per compound leaf that are elliptic to ovate or lance shaped. Their appearance is similar to willow leaves. The leaflets are sharply toothed, pointed, and usually smooth and hairless.

Tree
Blue Elderberry is a deciduous tree or small shrub. It grows to a height of 2-4 m often with suckers from the base.

Fruit
Blue Elderberry fruit grow in clusters of juicy, round, powder-blue berry-like fruits.

Distribution
Blue Elderberry are found in moist sites in valley bottoms, mountain slopes, streambanks, field edges, and woodlands. It can be found in BC and Alberta in Canada, throughout the Pacific Northwest, along the west coast of the United States south as far as California.

This video is a description of Blue Elderberry. I describe how to identify it, where to find it, some nutritional benefits, and also talk about how it has antiviral properties which can help to reduce the length of colds and flus. You can find it in the Okanagan in the Interior of BC, in the Pacific Northwest, and as far south as California on the West Coast of North America.

Edible
Blue Elderberry is rich in vitamin A, vitamin C, calcium, potassium and iron. Traditionally it was used by indigenous groups dried, or stored for winter use. Some tribes ate the berries raw in large quantities. Today Blue Elderberry is used to make teas or cold drinks, elderberry jam, jellies, elderberry syrups, and other preserves. It is often combined with crab apples, which are high in pectin, to make a jam. Generally raw berries are considered inedible and cooked or dried berries edible.

Medicinal
Some sources indicate that Blue Elderberry berries are strongly antiviral and can significantly reduce the recovery time for a cold or flu. The bark, flowers and leaves have been used for various medicinal purposes not described in this short video. The sources below provide additional information.

Toxicity Warning
The stems, leaves, bark, and roots contain poisonous cyanide producing glycosides which can cause nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. The seeds contain toxins that are most concentrated in the red-fruited species. Many sources classify red elderberries as toxic and blue and black fruited species as edible. Cooking or drying the berries destroys the toxic compounds. Please consult a doctor or local expert!

Please consume wild plants at your own risk! Consult multiple reliable sources before consuming any wild plants! This video is for information and entertainment only!

References

MacKinnon, A. Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada. Lone Pine Media Productions (BC) Ltd. 2014.

Parish, R.; Coupe, R.; and Lloyd, D. Plants of the Inland Northwest and Southern Interior British Columbia. BC Ministry of Forests and Lone Pine Publishing. 2018