Evidence supporting the use of: Elderberry
For the health condition: Sweat Baths (herbs for)

Links: Go back one page, Tool main page, Ingredients list, Health conditions list, Body systems list

Synopsis

Source of validity: Traditional
Rating (out of 5): 2

Elderberry (Sambucus nigra) has a long history of use in traditional herbal medicine, particularly in European and North American folk practices. For sweat baths—therapeutic baths designed to induce perspiration and promote detoxification—elderberry was sometimes included as one of several herbs believed to help the body "sweat out" illness. The flowers of the elder plant, rather than the berries, were most commonly used for this purpose. Traditional herbalists valued elder flowers for their diaphoretic properties, meaning they were thought to stimulate sweating and help reduce fevers, especially in the context of colds and flu. Historical herbal texts, such as those by Maud Grieve and Nicholas Culpeper, mention elder flowers as beneficial for fevers and as a remedy to encourage sweating. The use of elder flowers in sweat baths or hot infusions was believed to aid the body's natural healing processes by promoting perspiration and helping to "break" a fever. However, scientific validation for the diaphoretic effect of elderberry (or elder flowers) is limited. Most modern research on elderberry focuses on its antiviral properties and potential benefits for the immune system, rather than its use in sweat baths. Nonetheless, the traditional use of elder flowers in sweat-inducing therapies is well documented in herbal literature.

More about elderberry
More about Sweat Baths (herbs for)