Flowers You Can Eat And Their Benefits
Flowers are admired for their stunning colors, their sweet scent and varying facade. They bring superb impact in different special occasions when artistically arranged. It also symbolizes love, peace, and calmness. Some are easily cultivated, but some has special needs that favor their growth.
But the essence of flowers is beyond beauty. Many flowers are processed to extract their oils for health and well-being applications.
Check out various flower essences HERE
Moreover, there are flowers that you can eat. Edible flowers have gained popularity and are used in many cuisines. Before, many did not think that flowers can provide delightful flavors on different dishes. Some find it uncomfortable to see flower petals in main courses, salads, and other desserts. And some cannot imagine eating raw flowers.
Fear not! Edible flowers have become part of many traditional cooking including European, Asian and Middle Eastern back in thousand years. Now, many restaurant chefs incorporate flowers on many of their courses to add flavor — sweet, spicy or minty — style, and aesthetics. Some are made into floral syrup for use in cocktails, salads, or desserts.
Dos And Don’ts:
Flowers are lovely to look at but keep in mind that some are poisonous and there are things that you need to know about their edibility. Follow these general guidelines.
- Avoid those flowers sprayed with chemicals.
- Use a reference book on edible flowers and plants.
- It is best to grow your own flowers in your own garden.
- Do not harvest flowers growing by the roadside or in public parks.
- Carefully identify the edible parts of the flowers before eating.
- Take note of some allergens in the flowers that may harm you.
- Keep flowers fresh by placing them on moist paper towels and refrigerate in an airtight container. Some will last up to 10 days this way. Ice water can revitalize limp flowers.
- Take a small amount of each flower because eating large amount may upset your digestive system.
Common Edible Flowers With Health Benefits
- Rose – relieves arthritis, fever, constipation and urinary problems; petals are with several vitamins, antioxidants and are also brewed into tea for relaxation, stress relief and for headaches.
- Dandelion – diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative, anti-hyperglycemic, constipation and treats acne
- Clover – gives comforts against colds, cough and venous insufficiency
- Chamomile – brewed into tea to soothe stomach bloating
- Tree Peony – for high cholesterol or diabetes, with high phenolic compounds that may reduce cancer and heart disease
- Borage – known as “herb of gladness”, full of fatty acids and GLA for those with depression and hormonal problems
- Violet – for headache or cough
- Lavender – drinking lavender tea may help relieve insomnia
- Nasturtium – it is packed with Vitamin C
- Pansy – anti-inflammatory, treats some respiratory conditions as asthma, said to help stabilize blood vessel walls
Always remember that, like fruits and vegetables it is best to eat organically grown edible flowers. It is also recommended to pick flowers in the morning when their water content is high.