Elderflower
Sambucas spp.
shimmering stupor, chartreused dreams
dance into the world of fairies
as we enter May, lacey stars bloom in our line of sight.
doilies galore, exquisite pedestals for bee feet.
opening into sunshined ivory sprays.
an intoxication diffuses the air, invoked by mists of pollen, lime green and glittering.
be wary, a crone lives amongst these branches, who demands your reverence.
nymphs and maids giggle, inebriated by the dustings of juvenile summer.
careful to watch your feet and wistful eyes, the wood might sing you to your hearts content.
DS 2026
quote and artist: Cicely Mary Barker
botanical identification
flowers: creamy white clusters growing in a flat compound umbel inflorescence.
leaves: compound and pinnate with five or seven leaflets. leaflets are opposite to one another with a single leaflet at tip. the edges are toothed.
fresh harvest by eva and dylan in PA
mid process of making elderflower tincture
dried elderflower before garbling
up close of star flowers
their offerings
forms - tea, tincture, topical
ancient remedy for colds and flus
parts used: flowers (another post will be made for the berries)
energetics: warming and cooling, slightly drying, slightly sweet
✧ diaphoretic releasing heat from the body - lowering fevers
✧ soothing inflammation in the upper respiratory system
✧ allergic response management - flowers contain quercetin
✧ cooling hot and inflamed skin - poultice, liniment, infusion
(leaves can also be used topically for the skin)
✧ delightful champagne, wine, and liqueur
✧ eliciting childlike giddiness
pressing of fresh elderflower tincture in PA →
THE WITCH’S KINDRED
“I pledge you lifelong love: belladonna,
the dark Valencienne lace of the elderflower,
the crow, new moon, hemlock’s grey bell,
tobacco flowering in the night,
the toad, hyena, and the eagle owl.
I, a witch without a broomstick but with a burnt heart, lovesick
for some poor distant demon, gazing clear
into the world like a crystal ball,
I press you to my soul and love you all.
You are the witch’s kindred –
feared, beloved...”
(1928)
Maria Pawlikowska-Jasnorzewska