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    Elderberry

    Uncommon · Sambucus nigra

    Healing · Alchemical · Magical · Psychoactive · Defensive

    Terrain Coast, Forest, Hills, Urban

    Description

    In forest clearings, you can often find a tall shrub with grayish-brown bark, opposite leaves, and small yellowish-green flowers gathered in large inflorescences—clusters— that bloom in mid-May. In August and September, clusters of small red berries appear where the flowers once were. This is the red elderberry. Its fruits remain on the bushes until late autumn and are spread by birds. Thanks to them, elderberry often settles on forest edges, wastelands, and old ruins. Almost every plant has its secrets, and elderberry is no exception. Its leaves have an unpleasant smell that's noticeable as soon as you take them in your hands and start rubbing them. Elderberry flowers, on the contrary, have a very pleasant aroma, and they're quite unusual. Elderberry blooms in the second half of spring; its flowers are very small—six greenish petals are barely discernible to the naked eye—and there are just as many tiny yellow stamens. It is the stamens that give the inflorescence a yellowish hue. And the most surprising thing is that elderberry flowers have absolutely no nectar; bees come here only for pollen! So where's the nectar? It turns out that in some plants, including elderberry, nectar is produced by the leaves. At the base of the petiole of the elderberry's compound leaf, you can notice a pair of stipules—short, narrow "sticks." These appendages have a remarkable feature: at the ends of many of them, a small transparent drop of sweet juice is secreted. Nectar on the elderberry's stipules is eagerly collected by some insects, including wasps. But what benefit the plant gains from this remains unknown.

    Location and Habitat

    The elderberry genus is small, with approximately 25 species, but it is widespread across the globe—mainly in the Northern Hemisphere, in temperate and subtropical zones, and occasionally found in the Southern Hemisphere. The homeland of red elderberry is Western Europe. In this region, it is cultivated near homes, and from there, spread by birds to nearby forests where it grows well, blooms, and bears fruit.

    Effects and Uses

    Black elderberry has long been popular in folk medicine. This plant has been known in Europe for ages. Its deep black-purple berries, according to our ancestors, helped prolong life. Among folk healers in Poland, elderberry was considered a good healer—it was a favorite home remedy for colds. In Bosnia and Herzegovina, elderberry leaves, heated in oil, and flowers, warmed in white wine, were used to treat leg pain. Many tales and legends have been told about the healing power of elderberry. In Hans Christian Andersen's fairy tale "The Elder-Tree Mother," it was believed that elderberry not only heals but also gives a person the ability to glimpse into their future, and thus it was regarded as a sacred tree. In medical practice, dried black elderberry flowers are most commonly used as an antiinflammatory agent.

    Harvesting & Preparation

    • Locating Elderberry.
      • Elderberry shrubs (especially Red Elderberry) often appear in forest clearings, alongside ruins, or near shady woodland edges where birds have spread its seeds.
      • A DC 10 Wisdom (Survival) check or Wisdom (Nature) check is sufficient to spot these tall shrubs with gray-brown bark, opposite leaves, and umbrellalike clusters of small yellowishgreen flowers turning to clusters of red berries (for Red Elderberry) or black-purple berries (for Black Elderberry).
    • Harvesting.
      • Flowers. Harvested in midspring to early summer. Requires a DC 12 Dexterity (Sleight of Hand) check or Wisdom (herbalism kit) check to carefully gather intact flower clusters.
      • Berries. Gathered in late summer. A DC 12 Wisdom (Survival) check or Wisdom (herbalism kit) check avoids damaging berries or inadvertently mixing them with red elderberry (which is less often used medicinally).

    Items & Effects

    • Elderberry Draught. A faintly sweet concoction brewed from dried elderberry flowers or black elderberries that, according to myths, helps develop clairvoyance.
      • Creation. Requires 1 hour of gentle simmering with 1—2 cups of elderberry blossoms or berries. A DC 13 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check produces 1d2 doses of Elderberry Draught.
      • Use (Ingested).
        • Clairvoyant Dreaming. For the next 8 hours, your dreams may carry hidden truths. Once within that time, you can gain advantage on one Wisdom (Insight) or Wisdom (Perception) check, representing sudden insights gleaned from your dream-state.
        • Nocturnal Whispers. If you take a long rest while under this effect, your GM may grant cryptic visions or clues about future events (akin to a brief commune (PHB, p. 224) or augury (PHB, p. 215) - like hint, at the GM’s discretion).
    • Pouch of 12 Dried Berries (Prophetic Sleep). Folklore asserts that placing 12 dried elderberries under a pillow opens your third eye while you slumber.
      • Creation/Setup. Takes minimal effort to procure and dry 12 elderberries over 2 days.
      • Use (Sleep/Ritual).
        • Lucid Dreams. You are more “aware” in your dreams, giving advantage on saving throws against illusions for the next 24 hours after you wake.
        • Oracular Moment. On one occasion in that 24-hour period, you can re-roll a failed Intelligence or Wisdom check, taking the new result.
    • Elder Staff (Witchwood Focus). Elder branches are thought to house potent magic, favored by witches and druids for wands and staves.
      • Creation. A druid, warlock, or wizard proficient with woodcarver’s tools can craft an Elder Staff from a carefully harvested branch (requiring a DC 14 Dexterity (woodcarver’s tools) check and 2 weeks’ work).
      • Effects.
        • Witchwood Conduit. This staff can serve as a spellcasting focus.
        • Eldritch Resilience. While holding this staff, you gain a +1 bonus to saving throws against effects that deal necrotic damage or attempts at possession (e.g., by ghosts, fiends).
        • Clairaudient Echo. Once per day, you may cast detect thoughts (PHB, p. 213) without expending a spell slot, using your spellcasting ability.
    • Elder Flower Tonic (Anti-Inflammatory / Healing Aid). Healers since antiquity have used elder flower extracts for reducing swelling or fighting ailments.
      • Creation. Requires 2 hours, fresh flowers, and a DC 12 Wisdom (herbalism kit) check. Each success produces 1—2 doses of Elder Flower Tonic.
      • Use (Ingested or Applied Topically).
        • Healing Boost. When you drink this tonic (or have it applied to a wound), you can roll one of your existing Hit Dice and regain that many additional hit points (no ability modifier added).
        • Soothe Inflamed. You have advantage on saving throws against the poisoned condition (PHB, p. 292) for 1 hour.

    Cultural & Mythic Ties

    • In many settings, elder is associated with a patron deity of death, winter, or transformation. Characters interacting with elder stands might experience omens or warnings about mortality.
    • Local superstition claims that an elder branch in every witch’s cottage wards off malevolent spirits. The presence of such a branch could negate certain dark curses or illusions cast within 5 feet.
    • Because elder is rumored to enhance psychic and dream-related abilities, fey courts or necromancers might covet elder leaves and berries for their rituals. A dream-hopping storyline or a quest to interpret cryptic nightmares could feature elder potions as keys.

    Lore

    Since pagan times, elderberry has been considered a magical plant; its branches and berries were used in witchcraft rituals. The trees were sacred to the Druids; they were not to be broken or cut down to avoid killing the spirit dwelling within.

    Elderberry symbolized the Elder Mother or the crone Cailleach, the ruler of the realm of the dead, Hel. In Scandinavian and Germanic mythology, elder was considered the abode of the Old Mother, from whom one had to seek permission before cutting branches or felling the tree. In Germanic languages, even the name of this plant reflects old age, seniority, and eldership, as seen in the English name for the elderberry—"elder."

    There's also a belief that every self-respecting witch must have an elder branch in her home. Magicians and warlocks often chose this plant to craft magic wands or protective staffs.

    From Witch’s Herbs 5E, p. 40 · Fern Flower Press