Pagan Eye: Elderflower - A Celtic Healing Plant

Author Angela Paine sent in this photo of elderflower. Like me, she has an elder tree growing near where she lives. She said: “Elder was one of the sacred trees of the ancient Celts. Both the blossoms and the fruits are medicinal. I devoted a chapter to elder in my book – The Healing Power of Celtic Plants. I’m currently writing a second book about Celtic healing plants.”

Here is a short quote about elderberries, which appear on the tree in the autumn, from The Healing Power of Celtic Plants by Angela Paine:

Scientists in Austria and Germany have been carrying out research on the purple pigments (anthocyanins) in elderberries. Dr Gerhard Rechkemmer, director of Germany’s research centre for food, investigates dietary agents that protect cells. He, together with Dr Pool-Zobel and colleagues, found that the anthocyanin in elderberries are free radical scavengers that protect cells from damage and are more powerful antioxidants than vitamin C…Rechkemmer found that anthocyanins boost the immune system by stimulating it to produce immune system messengers (cytokines.)

My Pagan Eye posts show photos that I find interesting – seasonal images, pagan sites, events, or just pretty pictures. If you want to send me a photo for a Pagan Eye post, please email it to [email protected] Let me know what the photo shows and whether you want your name mentioned or not. For copyright reasons, the photo must be one you have taken yourself.

Links and previous related post
The Healing Power of Celtic Plants: Healing Herbs of the Ancient Celts and Their Druid Medicine Men
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2016/05/pagan-eye-elderflowers-in-bloom-in-my.html
http://www.badwitch.co.uk/2014/10/folklore-witchy-tale-of-rollright-stones.html

To read more posts like this visit A Bad Witch’s Blog at www.badwitch.co.uk