I have been using Elderflower Flower Essence for a long time in many of my preparations.  The beautiful white or yellow clusters of flowers not only emit a delightfully sweet fragrance, but also transfer this fragrance to a most exquisite taste when made into a flower essence. One of the known properties of the flower essence is said to instil a sense of youthfulness and vigour, as well as restorer of one's  inner strength.

Due to its known benefits as an eliminator of toxins; a balancer of energy and a fabulous detoxing agent, I was guided to include it in the following Ranges:-

• Balance
• Balance for Men
• Balance in Grief
• Bite Relief
• Magical Rejuvenation
• Super Detox
• Vaxx-Poison Eliminator

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It can also be used on its own, as part of a Bespoke Preparation, or in conjunction with other flower; gem  and herbal  elixirs that you feel drawn to.  For the full listing of the flower and herbal essences, click here, and for the full list of all Gem Essences available, click here, 

To access all of Emily Jane's Energy Sprays, Healing Creams and Drops, click here

Some More Information & Benefits of Elderflowers
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Elder as a plant is one of the most phenomenal healing plants, Its flowers, whether dried or as an Essence, are also known to be an “eliminator” of toxins from the body, encouraging the body to eliminate poisons from your system.

History
The healing power of elder has actually been know for several thousand years. The elder tree has also long been associated with magic and healing powers.  Grave stones originating from 2,000 BC were carved to resemble elder tree leaves and the tree’s ability to grow roots from damaged twigs was considered by the Druids a symbol of magic and regeneration.  The Anglo-Saxons believed the healing power of elder tree protected against witches and all evil . They also gave it the English name, elder – meaning fire or furnace as the elder tree branches spit sparks when lit.

Different Types of Elder
This attractive large shrub can grow 15 m in height and can live for 60 years. It has magnificent cream, sweet-smelling flowers in late May/early June and purple-black berries that follow in summer. It is native to the UK and grows commonly in our woods and hedgerows.

The elder plant is from the genus Sambucus with more than 2 dozen identified species around the world. Identification of species and common names often refers to the region in which these plants or found or the colour of their berries. A few elder species include: Sambucus nigra - Black Elder/European elder/Elderberry Sambucus mexicana - Mexican Elder Sambucus racemosa - European Red Elder Sambucus australasica - Yellow Elder Sambucus adnata - Asian Dwarf Elder.

Medicinal Benefits
The flowers have been used for medicine for thousands of years. Here are some of the reasons why:-

As an immune stimulator, elderflower tea can provide soothing relief for acute cold systems.  The blooms are a key component of a traditional tea blend taken to reduce fever. A concoction of elderflower, yarrow, and mint is a great fever fighter, and was often used historically for measles and chickenpox.

Blooms can also be used to treat conjunctivitis and soothe red itchy eyes, reduce pain and swelling in acute joint inflammation, and relieve toothaches. They are natural antihistamines, and when taken prior to the appearance of pollen, can ease symptoms of seasonal allergies.

As a nervous system support, it is said they have the capacity to heal deep grief, helping to open people’s eyes to the magic of the world.
In vitro studies have even suggested that these flowers may help to reduce inflammation and blood sugar levels, potentially useful for addressing type 2 diabetes.

The healing power of the Elder tree

The healing power of Elder receives a mention in the famous herbal of Nicholas Culpeper, the English botanist and herbalist of the 17th century who claimed it calmed down inflammation and cured ‘dropsy and piles’.

Today, the long tradition of elder’s healing powers continues. This is not surprising as the elderberries and the elderflowers are an excellent source of protein, amino acids, minerals and vitamins - in particular vitamins A and C, potassium, folate, and calcium .

They also contain polyphenols (they give the purple colour to the berries) and flavonoids, both with strong antioxidant properties. Antioxidants are natural scavengers and prevent disease by detecting and detoxifying harmful chemicals in our bodies. It is these antioxidants that take credit for the most impressive healing powers of the elder.

The healing power of elder includes both elderflowers and the elderberries, which are are anti-inflammatory; anti-bacterial and have anti-viral properties. In particular they are helpful in preventing and reducing the symptoms of:

• colds and flu
• elevated cholesterol

Further Health Benefits of Elderflower

Elderflower has been used in traditional medicine all over the world in many different cultures due to its antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties. The most common uses are for colds and flu, sinus infections, and other respiratory disturbances. As a supplement, elderflower also has diuretic and laxative properties and is helpful in relieving occasional constipation. Elderflower has antibacterial and antiviral properties and may also help alleviate some allergies and boost the functioning of the immune system. Topically, elderflower might help reduce pain and swelling in joints due to some forms of arthritis and is used to stop bleeding. As an oral rinse, elderflower can be used for its antiseptic properties as a mouthwash and gargle. Elderflower also reduces blood sugar levels, very similar to the way insulin works.

Elderflower against MSRA

Research in Ireland showed that elderflower extract was effective in killing many common hospital pathogens, including methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA)1. This study gave scientific proof of elderflower's antibacterial properties against most gram negative and gram positive bacteria tested that align with traditional medicine uses of the past. Further study of elderflower components showed the potential for antiviral and anti-inflammatory benefits as well.

Active Ingredients in Elderflower

Elderflower is rich in bioflavonoids, mostly flavones and flavonols, that are most commonly known for their antioxidant. anti-cancer, anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties. The most abundant flavonols in elderflower are quercetin, isoquercitrin and anthocyanins, which have antiviral properties as well. Elderflower also contains chlorogenic acids, such as cinnamic acid, which may help with allergies, regulate blood glucose levels and have a laxative effect on the body. Triterpenoids, especially β-amyrin, erythrodiol, and oleanolic acid, are also found in elderflower. These triterpenoids offer a variety of health benefits including analgesic, anti-inflammatory, and anti-cancer effects.
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How to Take Elderflower

Elderflower can be dried for later use or may be soaked or cooked down into a drink. While elderflower is typically found to be safe for consumption, the leaves, twigs, and roots are toxic and can lead to the build up of poisonous cyanide in the body. Note: All but the black elderberries are toxic when eaten raw, so should be cooked prior to use. However, even the black variety should be cooked prior to use due to the risk of nausea and other gastrointestinal complaints.

1. Tea
For relief from colds or flu, pour boiling water over fresh or dried flowers and steep in a covered container for 10 minutes. Mix in a spoonful of local honey and feel those pesky symptoms ease as you breathe in this steamy sweet beverage.  The cool tea can also be used as a mouthwash. Gargle and rinse to combat sore throats, toothaches, and abscesses.
2. Tincture
The flowers can be tinctured in alcohol for use as an herbal remedy for various ailments.
3. Salve for Inflammation Relief
Use a salve or lotion made from the blossoms to reduce inflammation and pain from sprains and strains.  (You can incorporate other healing herbs such as calendula, comfrey, or St. John’s wort for additional support).
4. Soothing Eye Wash
Make an eye wash for relief from itchy eyes, conjunctivitis, or hay fever. Just make a batch of elderflower tea, let cool, and rinse!  You can also try soaking a wash cloth in the cool tea and use as an eye compress.
6. Cosmetics
Back in the Victorian era, elderflower water was often used as a skin cleansing lotion, believed to keep the skin young and free of blemishes.  Use of elder blossoms in cosmetics is beginning to make a comeback, and can often be found in lotions, oils, and body butters that claim to reduce wrinkles, soften skin, and slow ageing.
7. Elderflower & Raspberry Cordial
A cordial is a type of sweet soft drink that is historically popular in Western Europe and has been brewed since the Roman era.  Delightfully fragrant and sweet, this concentrated syrup can be added to drinks or even mixed into recipes such as cakes and pancakes.  To use in drinks, pour one to three tablespoons into a glass and add water, seltzer, tonic water, sparking wine, vodka, or gin.
10. Cooking with Elderflower
Use the cordial and/or dried flowers in cakes, tarts, jams, pies, or pancakes!  The blossoms are great when balanced with tart fruits such as rhubarb. They are also delightful baked with strawberries and raspberries.  Light, floral, and delicious, these summer blossoms can really be incorporated in just about any dish.
11. Herbal Vinegar
Steep the crushed herb in vinegar for about a month. Use your vinegar of choice. Apple cider, white wine, or champagne are all great options. Strain and use in salad dressings or sauces.

In similar fashion, you can also infuse elderflowers in honey or cooking oil. 

Some other key elderflower health benefits include:

• Helping sinuses
• Healthy blood supply
• Used for fever
• Anti-inflammatory 
• Used topically for skin health

Sinuses
A key elderflower health benefit is that they are great for supporting healthy sinuses. This can help you if you catch the ills and chills as well as in the allergy season. Elderflower in particular helps to reduce and stop runny noses as it has anti catarrhal properties. It also helps to reduce that blocked up and ‘deafness’ you can get from too much mucus in your sinuses - really helpful for those that are prone to chronic sinusitis. 
Healthy blood supply
Another health benefit of elderflower is that it supports a healthy blood supply, so it can be used as a tonic. As a cold infusion it can help support the detoxification pathways and in particular help with constipation.
It is also helpful for those that are wanting to look after their skin. If waste products are not able to be eliminated via the bowel or kidneys they often try to go out via the skin. Bitters and elderflower can help support a better elimination process and healthier looking skin as elder also acts as a diuretic. 
Fever
Due to it's wide range of health benefits, elderflowers have been used traditionally to help manage fevers. They are often found in tea blends that support a healthy immune system alongside peppermint and thyme. The active properties within the flower induce sweating by working on sweat gland activity, which can help with promoting a fever.  The amazing thing about elderflowers is that when they are heated (like in a tea) they help to promote a fever and sweating but in a cold infusion they can cool you down. The plant adapts to your needs!
Anti-inflammatory 
A good thing to know about elderflower's health benefits is that both the leaves and the flowers help to impart anti-inflammatory properties. This can be helpful when you are feeling under the weather, suffering from seasonal allergies, or looking to reduce inflammation within your lifestyle (e.g. from processed foods or too much alcohol). The anti-inflammatory properties can be traced back to the presence of ursolic acid within the plant. Elder is also high in antioxidants and has nutritional health benefits also.
Skin
The health benefits of elderflowers mean they are high in antioxidants, anti-inflammatory and also helpful in supporting healthy skin healing and reducing skin irritations. This amazing flower is calming and can be used as a poultice on upset skin, or you could use a cooled elderflower infusion on the skin (or even add it to a bath).
Elderflower infusions have been traditionally used to support tired, itchy and irritated eyes as well. You could soak some cotton pads in an elderflower infusion and place them on your eyes to help calm them down or reduce irritation. Another idea could be to put the soaked cotton pads in the fridge before use to really cool and calm your eyes down! This is a great idea for those months with extra pollen and dust flying around!

Two Great Herbalists from History were big fans of Elderflower and the Elder Tree:-

It was greatly valued by the 17th Century Herbalist John Evelyn, who wrote in 1664 "If the medicinal properties of its leaves, bark, and berries were fully known, I cannot tell what our country men would ail for which he might not fetch a remedy from every hedge either for sickness or wounds." Its flowers whether dried or as an Essence are also known to be an “eliminator” of toxins from the body, encouraging the body to eliminate poisons from your system.

Who was John Evelyn? He was a very influential diarist who left quite a legacy. He was from a well-to-do family in South-East London, but being the second son, had no rights to the estate (unless his brother died without having a son himself). So, to make up for this he decided to become a scholar and travelled France and Italy in search of knowledge during the tumultuous time of the English Civil War. He wrote several books, witnessed the Great Fire of London, and was friends with Christopher Wren and Samuel Pepys. He lived during the reigns of Charles II, James II and William III and Mary II. He was talented landscaper, designing the gardens at Sayes Court, London. He became quite chummy with Charles II and was a founding member of the Royal Society. One of his books, called Sylvia, or a discourse of Forest Trees declared the tragedy befalling the country’s trees that were being felled for fuel to the glass factories. The book was responsible for the planting of millions of trees – quite the modern conservationist!}

Another, more famous herbalist who wrote about the tree in his book, The Complete herbal, was Nicholas Culpeper

Here’s an excerpt from Kew Gardens online about him:-
Nicholas Culpeper, the renowned herbalist, was a man known for his vices as much as for his virtues. He had many enemies, smoked plenty of tobacco, drank, and was known to have kept a loose hand on his 'purse'. Keeping true to his family name (one meaning of 'Culpeper' is 'mischief maker') he was an audacious character who held a strong dislike for the establishment and authority. You can even tell this from reading his publications on plants and their medicinal properties.

Culpeper's Complete Herbal
Written in informal, accessible language, it provided a handy index of ailments, making it easy to find the correct herb for a cure. The tone of the book added to its success and popularity: it was funny, rude, and full of anger. Also, it was very cheap compared to other herbals of the day; Culpeper's was priced at only three pence, the same amount it would have cost to buy a pound of almonds. The price made the text accessible to those with little money, who previously would have relied on the service of expensive physicians. When asked why rival herbals were sold at such a high price Nicholas answered:

"Because of the 'old threadbare Pleas, It would do people harm' to give them access to pharmaceutical information."
- Nicholas Culpeper cited in The herbalist: Nicholas Culpeper and the fight for medical freedom, by Benjamin Woolley, London: HarperCollins, 2004, p. 320.

Affordable, witty and highly practical, Culpeper's herbal went on to become one of the most popular and enduring books in publishing history, so much so that it is still in print today.

Link to full article on Kew Garden’s website:-

https://www.kew.org/read-and-watch/nicholas-culpeper-and-his-herbal

An Extract from The Complete Herbal on The Elder Tree and its cousin, the Dwarf Elder:-

THE ELDER TREE.
I hold it needless to write any description of this, since every boy that plays with a pop-gun will not mistake another tree instead of Elder: I shall therefore in this place only describe the Dwarf-Elder, called also Dead-wort, and Wall-wort.
On Dwarf Elder.] This is but an herb every year, dying with his stalks to the ground, and rising afresh every Spring, and is like unto the Elder both in form and quality, rising up with square, rough, hairy stalks, four feet high, or more sometimes. The winged leaves are somewhat narrower than the Elder, but else like them. The flowers are white with a dash of purple, standing in umbels, very like the Elder also, but more sweet is scent; after which come small blackish berries, full of juice while they are fresh, wherein is small hard kernels, or seed. The root doth creep under the upper crust of the ground, springing in divers places, being of the bigness of one’s finger or thumb sometimes.
Place.] The Elder-tree grows in hedges, being planted there to strengthen the fences and partitions of ground, and to hold the banks by ditches and water-courses.
The Dwarf Elder grows wild in many places of England, where being once gotten into a ground, it is not easily gotten forth again.
Time.] Most of the Elder Trees, flower in June, and their fruit is ripe for the most part in August. But the Dwarf Elder, or Wall-wort, flowers somewhat later, and his fruit is not ripe until September.
Government and virtues.] Both Elder and Dwarf Tree are under the dominion of Venus. The first shoots of the common Elder boiled like Asparagus, and the young leaves and stalks boiled in fat broth, doth mightily carry forth phlegm and choler. The middle or inward bark boiled in water, and given in drink, works much more violently; and the berries, either green or dry, expel the same humour, and are often given with good success to help the dropsy; the bark of the root boiled in wine, or the juice thereof drank, works the same effects, but more powerfully than either the leaves or fruit. The juice of the root taken, doth mightily procure vomitings, and purges the watery humours of the dropsy.
The decoction of the root taken, cures the biting of an adder, and biting of mad dogs. It mollifies the hardness of the mother, if women sit thereon, and opens their veins, and brings down their courses:
The berries boiled in wine perform the same effect; and the hair of the head washed therewith is made black.
The juice of the green leaves applied to the hot inflammations of the eyes, assuages them; the juice of the leaves snuffed up into the nostrils, purges the tunicles of the brain; the juice of the berries boiled with honey and dropped into the ears, helps the pains of them; the decoction of the berries in wine, being drank, provokes urine; the distilled water of the flowers is of much use to clean the skin from sun-burning, freckles, morphew, or the like; and takes away the head-ache, coming of a cold cause, the head being bathed therewith.
The leaves or flowers distilled in the month of May, and the legs often washed with the said distilled water, it takes away the ulcers and sores of them. The eyes washed therewith, it takes away the redness and bloodshot; and the hands washed morning and evening therewith, helps the palsy, and shaking of them.
The Dwarf Elder is more powerful than the common Elder in opening and purging choler, phlegm, and water; in helping the gout, piles, and women’s diseases, colours the hair black, helps the inflammations of the eyes, and pains in the ears, the biting of serpents, or mad dogs, burnings and scaldings, the wind cholic, cholic, and stone, the difficulty of urine, the cure of old sores and fistulous ulcers. Either leaves or bark of Elder, stripped upwards as you gather it, causes vomiting. Also, Dr. Butler, in a manuscript of his, commends Dwarf Elder to the sky of dropsies, viz. to drink it, being boiled in white wine; to drink the decoction I mean, not the Elder.

Full book available free online at
https://www.gutenberg.org/files/49513/49513-h/49513-h.htm