Black elderberry | A medicinal plant in the Akhdar encyclopedia

Plant name

black elderberry

Latin name

Elderberry black L

Common names

Black elderberry, elderberry

foreign names

Eng. Black elder, Fr. Sureau noir

The group

Adoxia

Habitat and Geographic Distribution

Syria is the original home of the onion plant, which is widespread in the eastern Mediterranean and southern Europe, and is cultivated extensively in many countries around the world. Syria and Egypt are among the largest producers of onions in the Arab world.

Botanical description

The roots are shallow, not deep.

The young shoots are green and covered with 6-sided (or tree) lobes, their height covered with gray lenticels, and the older twigs are pale brown to gray and fissured.

The leaves are compound pinnately petiolate, consisting of leaflets, dull on the upper surface and bluish-green on the underside.

The leaflet is ovate or oblong, pointed at the apex, toothed at the margin, glabrous, with a white stipule, gathered in terminal cymes, erect, flat, and broad.

The flowers are fragrant, yellowish, and have a yellowish tinge.

The calyx is very short, with fused sepals, five-cm or more, densely floretated, with 20 stamens.

The female is tricarpal, with an inferior ovary and a stigma with slender lobes.

The corolla is cyclic and five-lobed.

The male is brown and ovate.

The seeds—purple, containing red pith—are three in number. The fruit is a berry, black. Flowering occurs from April to May.

Used part

Onion Chemical Composition: Onions contain a volatile oil that includes several sulfur compounds similar to alliins, especially allyl alliin.

They also contain thiosulfinate (which decomposes to produce antibacterial compounds), thiopropionic aldehyde (responsible for watering the eyes), quercetin, prostaglandins, steroidal saponins, fructosanate polysaccharides (10-40%), sucrose, protein, and vitamins A and C, in addition to...

Mineral salts such as sodium, potassium, calcium, magnesium, cobalt, and phosphorus

chemical components

Flowers: sterols, tertiary compounds (alpha- and beta-amyrin), fatty acids and their esters, 0.1-0.3% volatile oil, in addition to cinnamic acid derivatives.

Nicotiflorin, nicotiflorin, astragalin, valvonoids such as astragalin.

Leaves: rubnazin and the enzyme rubnazin, cyanogenetic compounds, valvonoids, tertiary compounds, sterols, cyanogens, and some alkanes.

Prunasin: Fruits, valvonoids and anthocyanins, volatile oil, and cyanogenic glycosides, especially in the seeds with the enzyme rubnazin.

Organic acids, minerals (potassium, phosphorus, and calcium).

Seeds: lectins, fatty oils and lectins; husks, alcohol, ursolic acid and ursolic acid, betuline such as alpha-amyrin and betulin, triterpene compounds, tertiary terpenes, sterols, tannins and traces of volatile oil, lectins

Properties and medical uses

Thiosulfinate exhibits antibacterial properties, and various onion compounds help lower blood lipid levels, reduce atherosclerosis, and lower arterial blood pressure.

Studies have shown that increased onion consumption reduces the risk of stomach cancer, cholesterol, and triglycerides.

The sulfur compounds in onion volatile oil also reduce platelet aggregation.

Onions are used to treat laryngitis, bronchitis, sinusitis, and respiratory mucous membrane infections, and to eliminate harmful bacteria in the digestive system, especially Salmonella typhi and Bacillus subtilis.

Onions, or their juice, are used traditionally to treat coughs, asthma, angina, tonsillitis, and to stimulate bile secretion in cases of digestive disorders.

They are also used to lower blood sugar levels and to help eliminate intestinal worms.

Onion juice or its alcoholic tincture is used topically as an antiseptic for minor wounds and burns, and is beneficial in treating warts, boils, and abscesses. Additionally, it is used to strengthen hair.

pharmaceutical forms

Elderberry is available in the form of ointment, aqueous solutions of bark and leaves, oil, and alcoholic solutions, sold under names such as Elderflowers and Elderberry Power.

Side effects and precautions

Allergic reactions or drug interactions may occur; self-use should be avoided by pregnant and breastfeeding women, children, and patients with chronic diseases.

Other uses

Elderberry sap is used in hair dyeing and is an ingredient in perfumed ointments.

Toys are made from the hollow stems of the flute elderberry and other wind toys.

Elderberry can sometimes cause cyanide poisoning in some individuals.

Side effects, interactions, and precautions: Ingestion of elderberry berries or leaves can cause diarrhea and vomiting.

Products containing elderberry should be used with caution due to the potential for cyanide poisoning.

The leaves, stems, and green parts of the plant should not be eaten as they are toxic.

The plant should also be avoided by those with diabetes and those who are ill.

Elderberry should never be eaten raw due to the potential for cyanide poisoning.

the environment

Onions are cold-tolerant vegetables.

The ideal temperature for their growth is 18-26°C.

Onions require sufficient soil moisture, especially during seed germination, vegetative growth, and bulb formation.

They can tolerate drought during maturation, but excessive moisture delays this process.

Due to their weak root system, onions need fertile, loose, and well-draining soil.

The optimal pH is 6-7.

It is recommended to store the bulbs at a temperature below 2°C or above 26°C to prevent the flower stalks from appearing.

Agriculture and productivity

The plant is propagated by seeds and small bulbs (such as rhododendrons and rhododendrons).

Seeds are sown in 2x3 m beds or in rows in the autumn.

Bulb seeds germinate in 10-16 days under suitable humidity and temperature conditions, but they are characterized by a low germination rate.

Bulb growth is very slow in its early stages, with the first true leaf appearing 10-15 days after germination.

Leaf growth continues slowly until the plant has 4-5 true leaves.

A month after seedling emergence, rapid leaf growth begins, increasing in number during the vegetative growth stage.

The bulb begins to develop and form, with the leaf bases swelling and thickening.

The small bulbs are transplanted to the field in autumn or spring, planted in rows 25 cm apart.

They receive the necessary care, including irrigation, fertilization, and weeding, until they swell, dry in the soil, and their leaves wither above ground.

The bulbs are then harvested and dried.

Yield per dunam ranges from Common onions yield between 2-3 tons. (Allium sativum L., Porrum sativum L., Rchb., Allium sativum var. vulgare Döll)

History and Heritage

The scientific name of the genus Allium is the ancient Latin name for these species, most likely derived from the word all, meaning "pungent." The species name cepa is derived from the Latin cep or cepa, meaning "head," referring to the shape of the bulb.

Onions are among the food and ivory plants known for a long time, and were known to the oldest human civilizations.

The history of their wall paintings dates back to three thousand years BC.

The pharaohs used onions, and it is said that they held them in such high esteem that they would swear by them and wear them on their chests as a talisman against the evil eye.

Onions were a staple food for the pyramid builders, and they were also used to treat rheumatism and to strengthen the heart.

They were even included in the composition of embalming materials.

Onions also held a high place among the Greeks, whose physicians wrote about them and prescribed them to treat many diseases.

Dioscorides used them to purify the blood.

The Chinese used it as food and medicine.

Likewise, the Arabs knew many of the benefits of onions.

Ibn al-Baytar mentioned, "Onions stimulate the appetite, soothe, induce thirst, and soften the bowels.

If cooked, they become more diuretic.

The smell of onions is masked by roasted walnuts and fried cheese." Al-Antaki mentioned that onions "open blockages, cure jaundice, promote urination and menstruation, and break up kidney stones." Ibn Sina also recommended them to stimulate the appetite and to treat weakness and emaciation.

The current onion does not exist wild, and it is believed to have been cultivated in Iran or Afghanistan 4,000-6,000 years ago.

note

Parts of the plant except

Medical note

This information is for educational purposes only and does not constitute medical advice.

Poisonous or potent plants should only be used under the supervision of a qualified physician or pharmacist.

تنبيه صحي

هذه المعلومات للتثقيف ولا تمثل وصفة علاجية.

استشر طبيباً أو صيدلانياً قبل استخدام أي نبات طبي، خاصة أثناء الحمل أو الرضاعة أو عند تناول أدوية مزمنة.

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