The hollow branches made tubes to blow through for brightening up a dull fire. Young branches were made into musical pipes. The buds were made into pottage and small ale. The flowers have been distilled into perfume. Summer was traditionally marked from the flower of the Elder to the fruit.
Sheep cure themselves of foot-rot by eating the bark and shoots. .
Widely used for all manner of eye ailments, as well as those affecting the lining of the nose and throat. Also used for hayfever, colds, coughs, sore throats, bronchial cough, scrofula, catarrh, and weak memory. Thought to improve brain function. The flower's centre resembles the human eye.