Aunt Martha: “For a gallon of elderberry wine, I take one teaspoon full of arsenic, then add half a teaspoon of strychnine, then a pinch of cyanide. When it’s in tea it has a distinct odor.” Arsenic and Old Lace
If you live in the Ozarks long enough, at one-point or another you will likely be offered a glass of homemade elderberry wine, though you may only take a sip. Some may find the taste more like medicine. There is growing interest in the health benefits, potential markets, and development of commercial supplies of small fruits. At this time of year, elderberries are ready for harvest. In the last 20 years considerable interest has emerged in the use of European elder (Sambucus nigra) as a preventative and treatment for colds and upper respiratory tract infections, and for general health benefits from its strong antioxidant effect.
Here in the Ozarks we have American elder (Sambucus canadensis), which is treated as a separate species or subspecies of the European elder, designated Sambucus nigra subspecies canadensis. Whatever botanists decided to call them, American elder is native to North America, and European elder grows in Europe.
Their chemistry shows much variation, especially when it comes to developing elderberry edibles. The fruits of both species contain compounds called anthocyanins (responsible for the fruit’s color) and polyphenolic compounds associated with potential antioxidant, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immune-system stimulating activity. The chemistry of American and European elderberry and elderflowers shows considerable variation.
American elder is being be championed for its potential to develop elder juice, juice concentrate, natural colorants, wine, as well as dietary supplements. Researchers at the USDA Small Fruit Research Center in Corvallis, Oregon have developed a breeding and selection program for American elder, in addition to research programs in Kansas, Missouri, and Ohio among other states. Commercial production has begun in Oregon. Most American elderberry in commercial trade is still wild-harvested.
I predict that 10 years from now, elderberry products will be familiar to every American and available wherever food products are sold. What is needed now are studies that sample the variability of the plant throughout its relatively widespread range in North America, and from that, select important traits for development of a commercial crop. That work has begun with a research team that includes scientists from Missouri Botanical Garden and the British Columbia Institute of Technology. They show as much as a 30-fold difference in compounds in wild populations, based on over 100 different field collections, with the highest levels from southern regions. If you think elderberry wine tastes like medicine, it is because this tradition food for the future is also medicine. Cheers!