June 2018
The Elder has been known for centuries as a Guardian, a Healer and Sacred.
When I 1st spotted an Elder on the West side of my Garden, I knew there was a reason she was there and irritated my husband to no end to leave it alone. Every year we would have a little "Tiff" regarding him brush hogging the Fence line. Ive rubbed off on him a little bit and trust me, that is worth celebrating! Its taken 15 years to get my way and have him leave the elder patch alone. YAY ME!! Not only was the Elder protecting my garden, she was also offering her berries for healing. What I Didn't know, until recently, was that her flowers are a bounty all on their own. From my studies, I've learned that the Elder flower is a wonderful skin nourishing hydrosol, an aromatic infusion in skin loving oils, a fragrant drink and has antiseptic as well as anti-inflammatory properties.
SO, too late to make a long story short, but im going to try. The Grandaughter and I thought it was time to make use of the huge bounty of elder flowers and try a distillation. Im super excited to report that this is wonderfully aromatic!!
Gathering of the flowers for distillation. We had a nosy visitor while we were de-stemming the flower heads.
The Elder Flower Hydrosol is noted for its calming presence. The aromatic virtues of this flower are intoxicating.
Every spring i walk along the fence line just breathing in the blossoms! I recently learned, through a Distillation group on Facebook specific to my area that Elder Flowers make an amazing hydrosol. As Ive delved into this area with the purchase of a small still, I was anxious to try this out ASAP. A few personal issues arose (in the form of my sister Crashing the crapola out of her car) ive not had the chance to actually distill the flowers! But I have had the opportunity to gather the flower heads and separate them from the stems for drying. Currently there are 3 jars filled with flowers. 1 is a combo of Jojoba and EVOO (extra virgin olive oil) another is Organic Jojoba and the last one is filled with 100 proof It needs noted that while the Elder flower itself is safe for consumption, the stems, twigs, leaves and roots are all toxic. All berries except the black elderberries are also toxic raw and must be cooked prior to eating.
***Side note - I FIRMLY Believe that GOD gives us what we need when we need it. All we need to do is to be open to our surroundings. This is my opinion, and for me its based in fact as I've had Numerous surprise plants appear as I'm dealing with a specific medical issue. I have become my own health advocate and I feel its extremely necessary to share with others my findings. I am not a DR, nor am i suggesting that you follow my usage of any herb or herbal remedy that I am sharing with you***
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