An old Austrian saying, "Tip your hat to the elder," expresses the respect with which Europeans have long regarded the elder tree (Sambucus nigra L. Caprifoliaceae) and its dark purple berries.
Elderberries have been employed in European folk medicine since antiquity for a plethora of maladies from arthritis and asthma to colds and constipation. In 400 B.C., Hippocrates referred to the elder tree as his "medicine chest."