Remnants have appeared in Stone Age sites and ancient herbalists, such as Hippocrates and Dioscorides espoused its medicinal uses, and the Druids used the flowers – and every other part of the elder tree - in healing and blessing rituals. In England, summer was thought to begin when the elder was in full bloom and ended when the berries were ripe. Native Americans used the elderflower for healing purposes for hundreds of years.
