This medicine plant is sacred to the Druids and Indigenous peoples of Turtle Island but often seen as a 'weed' to conventional farmers and monoculture gardeners. Let us explore her many gifts.
Gavin, just wanted you to know I’ve shared part of your fantastic article on my blog, giving you credit of course! Not trying to piggyback on your work (um, yes I am!) but what’s the point of re-inventing the wheel?! Hehe, too good not to share. Thanks!! 🙏 here’s the link if you want to verify 😊
I am honored, piggy back away! I share this info in the hopes it will help people far and wide develop a closer relationship with the land, plants and animals that feed them, so thanks for helping me with that.
Mar 15, 2023·edited Mar 15, 2023Liked by Gavin Mounsey
In reading Anacalypsis by Godfrey Higgins, he writes about the old Irish alphabet and its associations, so the letter Ruis is associated with the Elder tree, like you wrote. Our elders are wise, like Rishis. Ruis correlates with the Hebrew Resh. Rishi backwards would correlate with sir, like an elevated knight. El of course means god, like Allah, Hallelujah, elohim, etc (el and elohim begin with aleph). So alder trees, alderman, etc. are also related. The Spanish Ruiz means red, like rosy, so this part is confusing to me, since red is associated with the lower base chakras. Ras, rasta, raschid/Rashad mean wise chief/head. Berashit, which begins the Torah, in its esoteric sense really means, 'by the active principle', or wisdom. Later I was listening to Michael Tsarion's Astrotheology book/pdf, and he has the same info on Irish letters.
Just planted a bunch of Adams and York varieties everywhere, fingers crossed.
Thank you for that very educational and enriching comment :)
I have not thought of Michael Tsarion for years, thanks for reminding me of him. I do not share all his views but I do think he has some potent insights to share.
Years ago (when people were making fun of me and calling me a tin foil hat person for speaking about covert geoengineering operations, electrogravitic propulsion tech and the psyop/false flag that was carried out on 911) I was guided to stumble across this clip.
Considering what we have experienced in the last three years, it seems that what Michael Tsarion spoke about in that clip was quite prescient indeed.
I will send good thoughts and nourishing vibrations to your new plantings in the hopes they thrive and provide you with many bountiful harvests and food for the soul.
thanks, yeah that clip is from his Architects of Control, I believe. B/c he tries to maintain his independence, there will be things we don't agree with all the time, I mean 100 people will have 100 worldviews- who's right? Or are we all right, or all wrong? This is in a way what I mentioned, that wisdom creates the world or things. The sheeple can't create and innovate, only innovators, the outliers do. I think Buddha and buddhi, other words for wisdom, are related to budding, like a tree bud, pushing out new creations. Budweiser literally means wise Buddha, which is repetitive. Sakyamuni is related to Sacae/Scythian/Saxon/Scuthae/Scots.
Another fantastic article! Queen of the Fairy! :) Of course our beloved Celtic ancestors would call her that! :) Such a wealth of information you've shared here, Gavin. When I was in Scotland I was blown away by all the Elderberry hedgerows. Since I moved to New Hampshire I've been searching for this plant to no avail. I bought two plants at a local nursery but they mistakenly got mowed down by my landlord at the end of the season before I could mark where they were planted. I'll be looking for them again in the spring. Also, some farmer friends I made at the farmer's market told me I could come gather some from their land. 💚
I used to make and sell Elderberry syrup but now I just mostly gift it to people. I've only ever been able to used the dried berries. I perked up when you said it was good for nerve damage - going to start drinking more of it for the carpal tunnel syndrome I'm dealing with. I usually add Astragalus, Cloves, Ginger, Rosehips, Cinnamon. I like the idea of adding White Pine! Going to do that in the next batch.
And, oh! Those flutes are magical!
Isn't Nature amazing? Looking forward to buying your book when it comes out!
Hi Barbara, I don’t know where you are in New Hampshire. I am in New Hampshire too. I have elderberries popping up all over my property. I’m hoping to consolidate them this year and have an elderberry grove. You would be welcome to come get some little starts. I actually think just about any piece of root would sprout. I’ve also heard that cutting a branch and sticking it in the dirt will start a plant, like willows. My website is thelilacdragonfly.wixsite.com/home and you can contact me there if you’d like.
Thank you! I'm in Sandwich which is at the foot of the White Mountains. Maybe in the spring I could come visit. An Elderberry grove would be amazing! I am savoring the winter months because the black flies and deer flies here are wicked bad as they say in New England!
I AGREE…. :) I like fall and winter. No black flies, deer flies, mosquitos, horse flies, ticks, mud, heat, humidity, dirt, long workdays…. I try to hold on to winter as long as possible. When someone says that they can’t wait ‘til spring, I remind them of all of those things. I think instead of complaining about winter, they should just move somewhere else so we can enjoy it without having to listen to them moaning. :)
I am somewhat envious you have been to the ancestral lands of my forebears. I had no idea Elderberries were so common there! Did you get to visit a place called the Isle of Skye? My Celtic roots have connections there and also in the Tara-Skryne Valley of Ireland.
I would be happy to send you some elderberry seeds if you would like to try starting some from scratch? Also, I have been meaning to ask if you knew that your inaugural annual subscription donation comes with the bonus sign up gift of 7 of my favorite heirloom seed varieties? If you would like the seeds just send me an email with your mailing address and i`ll send them out next time I am in town :)
That is a blessing you will be able to gather some from your friends property.
I enjoy the flavor of a syrup make with fresh berries a lot more than one made with dried, but both are great medicinally speaking. Though, the nutrient density of dried elderberries does vary depending on how they were dried.
Yes its anti-inflammatory effects are great for joints (especially if you added the pine, some echinacea root and tulsi as well). Have you ever tried eating pieces of raw fermented turmeric rhizome? I find combining eating a little piece of that with a spoon full of coconut or hemp oil and some black peppercorns to be the most powerful thing I have in our 'natural first aid kit' for mitigating inflammation, joint pain, stiffness and soreness of internal tissues.
I love the flutes too, after learning to play the handpan, flute is next on my list :)
I agree Mother Earth is amazing!
That's awesome! I will do an announcement post on here when the book is published.
I did not know that about the seeds! Yes, I will send you my address. Thx, Gavin!
I've been to Scotland three times and Ireland twice. Every time I returned I felt homesick. I wanted to move there. Lots of Scots ended up in your neck of Canada, right? My dad's family settled in Kentucky and I think maybe Virginia.
I use turmeric a lot in cooking but have never used it that way. Carpal Tunnel is a nerve issue and so I've been taking St. John's Wort and wearing a brace. Mostly, I need to cool it on the chopping wood, shoveling, typing, etc. It developed years ago from overzealously knitting. It will eventually heal again. I need to be patient. Thx for the tip!
I also just sometimes ferment the rhizome with ginger, pepper corns and hot peppers in a salt brine (1.5 tsp Celtic sea salt dissolved into each 250ml of water used to make brine) and that works out well too. The recipe linked above is designed specifically for Moroccan recipes, though it does offer the same medicinal benefits, the one potential downside is that lemons can slow down the fermentation process sometimes.
I want to learn how to knit and weave, its on my top five list. I have even read one can create fabric from Nettle fibers for weaving (which reminds me I should add that to my nettle article on here!).
You are very welcome, I hope the turmeric helps if you try it and will keep an eye out for your email.
Thanks, Gavin! I used to be able to get fresh Turmeric at the farmer's market in the city but don't know where I can get it here. Will have to search. Going to look for your email now... xo
P.S. Have you done any cording? I learned how to do that once and it was so satisfying! I forget what kind of stalks we used but I know there are many that do the trick. I LOVE to knit and miss it terribly.
ps - I just saw that your email ended up in my spam box (looks like those sneaky Microsoft/google people are at it again) so I do have your mailing address now and will send out the seeds next time I am in town :) I recently created a proton email account to try and avoid their shenanigans so I will reply to you from that account for future correspondence.
You are very welcome! :) Ah okay, I find it at our local small organic produce stores (and I think the big box stores carry it in the organic section too) but I also grow as much Turmeric as we can inside in pots as well.
I have not done any cording yet but I am excited to learn more about it.
I'm going to try and grow both Turmeric and Ginger in pots this year. Fingers crossed. I am actually able to buy organic Ginger in my local grocery store. I would be lost without fresh Ginger...
One more wonderful thing about elderberry… there are certain native bee species that will nest inside the dead hollow stems. Joe-pye weed (Eupatorum purpureum) is good for the same reason, and seems to like the same kind of places.
That is fantastic! That makes me want to try making a 'bee hotel' out of my prunings. :) I wonder if their are compounds in the wood that help increase the resilience of the bees (and/or fend off unwanted parasites/microorganisms etc) as it is with birds that make nests out of yarrow stalks.
Thanks for sharing that I will add it to the article above.
On Tuesday of this week, I spent a couple hours plowing out my driveways, then came in for a lunch break and spent some time inside. Mid-afternoon, I went out to return the tractor to its shed on another part of the property and walked home. When I came back in and sat down at the table, I realized I was suddenly all stuffed up, nose dripping and running. Something had come on very suddenly. That usually doesn’t happen to me in the late afternoon. It seems usually if I’m sick, it’s evident when I wake up in the morning.
Just a few days before, I had finally made a batch of elderberry syrup with some elderberry juice a cousin gave me back in early November. Usually I tend to under-dose when I take herbal supplements. I suppose it is my natural and inherited frugality, not wanting to waste things or use them up, but this time, I had plenty of freshly-made elderberry syrup so I got about half a cup and sipped it throughout the evening (in between blowing my nose). ;) I had also made a couple gallons of echinacea vinegar a while back. I had a large harvest of echinacea in 2021 and besides some tincture, I made lots of echinacea vinegar (I will mostly use it as salad dressing). So, every so often, I would take a swig of that - maybe 3-4 unmeasured “swigs” that evening. I have learned (thanks to Patrick Jones, veterinarian, naturopath, and herbalist) that to be effective, echinacea needs to be taken often and in sufficient doses. I went to bed still stuffed up and blowing my nose.
The next morning, I was still congested and blowing my nose. I sipped another half cup of elderberry syrup and took another 3-4 swigs of echinacea vinegar, and by mid-morning, I was completely clear. No more congestion. No more runny nose.
I have never had such a significant, quick, or obvious response to taking something. As I told my cousin, it COULD have just been a short episode, but in my experience, that is not a likely explanation.
The usual recommended doses for elderberry syrup seem to be in teaspoons, but it is just fruit juice and people drink other kinds of fruit juice all the time. I don’t see any reason not to take more, and it seems to have worked for me. So, that’s my “anecdotal experience.” :)
I made a big batch of syrup a few weeks ago with some frozen berries that were from our Elderberry patch and have been giving it to my wife one two ounce shot glass at a time. She says it really helps with her inflammation (she is still healing up from a bad ankle break) and I know it also helps with mending broken bones.
I highly suggest adding some pine or spruce needles into the pot when simmering an elderberry syrup, it adds such a powerful layer of healing properties to the end product.
Thanks again for sharing your herbal wisdom and experiences.
🙏
Gavin, just wanted you to know I’ve shared part of your fantastic article on my blog, giving you credit of course! Not trying to piggyback on your work (um, yes I am!) but what’s the point of re-inventing the wheel?! Hehe, too good not to share. Thanks!! 🙏 here’s the link if you want to verify 😊
https://kenshohomestead.org/2024/03/04/herbal-explorations-elderberry/
Awesome thanks for the link! :)
I am honored, piggy back away! I share this info in the hopes it will help people far and wide develop a closer relationship with the land, plants and animals that feed them, so thanks for helping me with that.
In reading Anacalypsis by Godfrey Higgins, he writes about the old Irish alphabet and its associations, so the letter Ruis is associated with the Elder tree, like you wrote. Our elders are wise, like Rishis. Ruis correlates with the Hebrew Resh. Rishi backwards would correlate with sir, like an elevated knight. El of course means god, like Allah, Hallelujah, elohim, etc (el and elohim begin with aleph). So alder trees, alderman, etc. are also related. The Spanish Ruiz means red, like rosy, so this part is confusing to me, since red is associated with the lower base chakras. Ras, rasta, raschid/Rashad mean wise chief/head. Berashit, which begins the Torah, in its esoteric sense really means, 'by the active principle', or wisdom. Later I was listening to Michael Tsarion's Astrotheology book/pdf, and he has the same info on Irish letters.
Just planted a bunch of Adams and York varieties everywhere, fingers crossed.
Thank you for that very educational and enriching comment :)
I have not thought of Michael Tsarion for years, thanks for reminding me of him. I do not share all his views but I do think he has some potent insights to share.
Years ago (when people were making fun of me and calling me a tin foil hat person for speaking about covert geoengineering operations, electrogravitic propulsion tech and the psyop/false flag that was carried out on 911) I was guided to stumble across this clip.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FnQdNyMmkkk&t
Considering what we have experienced in the last three years, it seems that what Michael Tsarion spoke about in that clip was quite prescient indeed.
I will send good thoughts and nourishing vibrations to your new plantings in the hopes they thrive and provide you with many bountiful harvests and food for the soul.
thanks, yeah that clip is from his Architects of Control, I believe. B/c he tries to maintain his independence, there will be things we don't agree with all the time, I mean 100 people will have 100 worldviews- who's right? Or are we all right, or all wrong? This is in a way what I mentioned, that wisdom creates the world or things. The sheeple can't create and innovate, only innovators, the outliers do. I think Buddha and buddhi, other words for wisdom, are related to budding, like a tree bud, pushing out new creations. Budweiser literally means wise Buddha, which is repetitive. Sakyamuni is related to Sacae/Scythian/Saxon/Scuthae/Scots.
Another fantastic article! Queen of the Fairy! :) Of course our beloved Celtic ancestors would call her that! :) Such a wealth of information you've shared here, Gavin. When I was in Scotland I was blown away by all the Elderberry hedgerows. Since I moved to New Hampshire I've been searching for this plant to no avail. I bought two plants at a local nursery but they mistakenly got mowed down by my landlord at the end of the season before I could mark where they were planted. I'll be looking for them again in the spring. Also, some farmer friends I made at the farmer's market told me I could come gather some from their land. 💚
I used to make and sell Elderberry syrup but now I just mostly gift it to people. I've only ever been able to used the dried berries. I perked up when you said it was good for nerve damage - going to start drinking more of it for the carpal tunnel syndrome I'm dealing with. I usually add Astragalus, Cloves, Ginger, Rosehips, Cinnamon. I like the idea of adding White Pine! Going to do that in the next batch.
And, oh! Those flutes are magical!
Isn't Nature amazing? Looking forward to buying your book when it comes out!
Hi Barbara, I don’t know where you are in New Hampshire. I am in New Hampshire too. I have elderberries popping up all over my property. I’m hoping to consolidate them this year and have an elderberry grove. You would be welcome to come get some little starts. I actually think just about any piece of root would sprout. I’ve also heard that cutting a branch and sticking it in the dirt will start a plant, like willows. My website is thelilacdragonfly.wixsite.com/home and you can contact me there if you’d like.
Thank you! I'm in Sandwich which is at the foot of the White Mountains. Maybe in the spring I could come visit. An Elderberry grove would be amazing! I am savoring the winter months because the black flies and deer flies here are wicked bad as they say in New England!
I AGREE…. :) I like fall and winter. No black flies, deer flies, mosquitos, horse flies, ticks, mud, heat, humidity, dirt, long workdays…. I try to hold on to winter as long as possible. When someone says that they can’t wait ‘til spring, I remind them of all of those things. I think instead of complaining about winter, they should just move somewhere else so we can enjoy it without having to listen to them moaning. :)
HAHAHA! Yay, Team Winter! ❄️❄️❄️
Thank You! :)
I am somewhat envious you have been to the ancestral lands of my forebears. I had no idea Elderberries were so common there! Did you get to visit a place called the Isle of Skye? My Celtic roots have connections there and also in the Tara-Skryne Valley of Ireland.
I would be happy to send you some elderberry seeds if you would like to try starting some from scratch? Also, I have been meaning to ask if you knew that your inaugural annual subscription donation comes with the bonus sign up gift of 7 of my favorite heirloom seed varieties? If you would like the seeds just send me an email with your mailing address and i`ll send them out next time I am in town :)
That is a blessing you will be able to gather some from your friends property.
I enjoy the flavor of a syrup make with fresh berries a lot more than one made with dried, but both are great medicinally speaking. Though, the nutrient density of dried elderberries does vary depending on how they were dried.
Yes its anti-inflammatory effects are great for joints (especially if you added the pine, some echinacea root and tulsi as well). Have you ever tried eating pieces of raw fermented turmeric rhizome? I find combining eating a little piece of that with a spoon full of coconut or hemp oil and some black peppercorns to be the most powerful thing I have in our 'natural first aid kit' for mitigating inflammation, joint pain, stiffness and soreness of internal tissues.
I love the flutes too, after learning to play the handpan, flute is next on my list :)
I agree Mother Earth is amazing!
That's awesome! I will do an announcement post on here when the book is published.
I did not know that about the seeds! Yes, I will send you my address. Thx, Gavin!
I've been to Scotland three times and Ireland twice. Every time I returned I felt homesick. I wanted to move there. Lots of Scots ended up in your neck of Canada, right? My dad's family settled in Kentucky and I think maybe Virginia.
I use turmeric a lot in cooking but have never used it that way. Carpal Tunnel is a nerve issue and so I've been taking St. John's Wort and wearing a brace. Mostly, I need to cool it on the chopping wood, shoveling, typing, etc. It developed years ago from overzealously knitting. It will eventually heal again. I need to be patient. Thx for the tip!
My pleasure! :)
I have put together a little package of my favorite varieties (and some Elderberry seeds from our patch) and am ready to send them your way.
Yes there are quite a few Scots here.
Turmeric is really powerful for that and when its fermented and eaten as a raw whole piece of rhizome the medicinal effect is potentiated significantly. Here is a link to where I share one of my recipes for fermenting Turmeric rhizome from my book https://www.facebook.com/recipesforreciprocity/posts/pfbid02xFKKZ3CtHVR1XFZ2xno4Y1FKo3D3WuwTKTFJSJvNqRkYf88wbvN8Zb8AWsAHeUPtl
I also just sometimes ferment the rhizome with ginger, pepper corns and hot peppers in a salt brine (1.5 tsp Celtic sea salt dissolved into each 250ml of water used to make brine) and that works out well too. The recipe linked above is designed specifically for Moroccan recipes, though it does offer the same medicinal benefits, the one potential downside is that lemons can slow down the fermentation process sometimes.
I want to learn how to knit and weave, its on my top five list. I have even read one can create fabric from Nettle fibers for weaving (which reminds me I should add that to my nettle article on here!).
You are very welcome, I hope the turmeric helps if you try it and will keep an eye out for your email.
P.S. I don't know how to find your email address!
Thanks, Gavin! I used to be able to get fresh Turmeric at the farmer's market in the city but don't know where I can get it here. Will have to search. Going to look for your email now... xo
P.S. Have you done any cording? I learned how to do that once and it was so satisfying! I forget what kind of stalks we used but I know there are many that do the trick. I LOVE to knit and miss it terribly.
ps - I just saw that your email ended up in my spam box (looks like those sneaky Microsoft/google people are at it again) so I do have your mailing address now and will send out the seeds next time I am in town :) I recently created a proton email account to try and avoid their shenanigans so I will reply to you from that account for future correspondence.
We are definitely on the same page. :) I'm loving Proton Mail. Thanks, Gavin, and no rush. You know I'm not thinking about Spring yet! :)
You are very welcome! :) Ah okay, I find it at our local small organic produce stores (and I think the big box stores carry it in the organic section too) but I also grow as much Turmeric as we can inside in pots as well.
I have not done any cording yet but I am excited to learn more about it.
You can email me at recipes4reciprocity@gmail.com :)
I'm going to try and grow both Turmeric and Ginger in pots this year. Fingers crossed. I am actually able to buy organic Ginger in my local grocery store. I would be lost without fresh Ginger...
One more wonderful thing about elderberry… there are certain native bee species that will nest inside the dead hollow stems. Joe-pye weed (Eupatorum purpureum) is good for the same reason, and seems to like the same kind of places.
That is fantastic! That makes me want to try making a 'bee hotel' out of my prunings. :) I wonder if their are compounds in the wood that help increase the resilience of the bees (and/or fend off unwanted parasites/microorganisms etc) as it is with birds that make nests out of yarrow stalks.
Thanks for sharing that I will add it to the article above.
On Tuesday of this week, I spent a couple hours plowing out my driveways, then came in for a lunch break and spent some time inside. Mid-afternoon, I went out to return the tractor to its shed on another part of the property and walked home. When I came back in and sat down at the table, I realized I was suddenly all stuffed up, nose dripping and running. Something had come on very suddenly. That usually doesn’t happen to me in the late afternoon. It seems usually if I’m sick, it’s evident when I wake up in the morning.
Just a few days before, I had finally made a batch of elderberry syrup with some elderberry juice a cousin gave me back in early November. Usually I tend to under-dose when I take herbal supplements. I suppose it is my natural and inherited frugality, not wanting to waste things or use them up, but this time, I had plenty of freshly-made elderberry syrup so I got about half a cup and sipped it throughout the evening (in between blowing my nose). ;) I had also made a couple gallons of echinacea vinegar a while back. I had a large harvest of echinacea in 2021 and besides some tincture, I made lots of echinacea vinegar (I will mostly use it as salad dressing). So, every so often, I would take a swig of that - maybe 3-4 unmeasured “swigs” that evening. I have learned (thanks to Patrick Jones, veterinarian, naturopath, and herbalist) that to be effective, echinacea needs to be taken often and in sufficient doses. I went to bed still stuffed up and blowing my nose.
The next morning, I was still congested and blowing my nose. I sipped another half cup of elderberry syrup and took another 3-4 swigs of echinacea vinegar, and by mid-morning, I was completely clear. No more congestion. No more runny nose.
I have never had such a significant, quick, or obvious response to taking something. As I told my cousin, it COULD have just been a short episode, but in my experience, that is not a likely explanation.
The usual recommended doses for elderberry syrup seem to be in teaspoons, but it is just fruit juice and people drink other kinds of fruit juice all the time. I don’t see any reason not to take more, and it seems to have worked for me. So, that’s my “anecdotal experience.” :)
Thank you very much for sharing that :)
I made a big batch of syrup a few weeks ago with some frozen berries that were from our Elderberry patch and have been giving it to my wife one two ounce shot glass at a time. She says it really helps with her inflammation (she is still healing up from a bad ankle break) and I know it also helps with mending broken bones.
I highly suggest adding some pine or spruce needles into the pot when simmering an elderberry syrup, it adds such a powerful layer of healing properties to the end product.
Thanks again for sharing your herbal wisdom and experiences.