Medical Dictionary
Main Entry:
sam·bu·cus Pronunciation:
sam-'b(y)ü-k&s Function:
noun 1 capitalized : a genus of trees or shrubs of thehoneysuckle family (Caprifoliaceae) that bear flat clusters of small white or pink flowers and that include the elderberries
2 : the dried flowers of either of two elderberries(
Sambucus canadensis or
S. nigra) formerly used especially in the form of an infusion as a mild stimulant, carminative, and diaphoretic but of little medicinal effect