8 Popular Flowers for Healing
Flowers can have an uplifting effect on the human spirit with their colors, scent and beauty. However, there are many popular flowers which also have amazing natural health healing powers. Flowers can be used for physical health enhancement as well as for safely managing emotional issues caused by life’s pressure and challenges. These popular flowers have been used for centuries as healing herbal remedies.
Popular Flowers as Herbal Remedies
Below are 8 popular flowers for healing that are considered an excellent alternative to prescription tranquilizers and sedatives. These flowers and other healing herbs are effective herbal medicines.
While whole plants can be used, however the flowers are used for their phyto-chemical derivatives, which are beneficial for various health and healing purposes. The flower essences can prepared using these two methods, but please be sure to use organic flowers.
1) Boiling method
Various flower parts are boiled with natural spring water
2) Sun method
Heads of flowers are exposed to the sun while placed in spring water. This energetic essence can be ingested orally or mixed with cream and applied to the skin for healing purposes.
Flowers have a powerful effect on human psyche and are beneficial for their natural health benefits. Healing flowers not only improve physical ailments like hypertension, insomnia, allergies, asthma, eating disorders, migraines and bed wetting, but they also have a psychological component and can aid with stress, anxiety and depression.
Flowers are known to have a rebalancing effect on emotions like fear, stress and aggression; flower therapy is also useful in cognitive issues like combating memory loss, improving stuttering and dyslexia; and enhancing learning skills.
Benefit of Colors & Scent of Healing Flowers
The colors of flowers can symbolize different things as well as evoke different meanings and it is known that colors in general can stimulate the mind for different purposes.
The scent enjoyed by flowers can provide extraordinary benefits. While humans have five senses, our sense of smell is such a powerful memory enhancer, second only to vision. The scent of flowers can help improve our mood and provide uplifting feelings.
Here are the healing benefits of 8 commonly known flowers:
1. Dandelion
The edible Dandelion flowers are rich in minerals like iron, zinc and potassium; and vitamins A, B, C and D. This excellent nutritional composition makes dandelion flowers a tonic for overall well being.
Dandelion is often used to help with:
- Laxative
- Blood purification
- Anemia
- Digestion
- Liver concerns
- Gall bladder issues
Dandelion also helps in controlling blood sugar and cholesterol levels. You can boil some dried dandelion flowers for 2 minutes, strain it and enjoy this herbal tonic.
2. Lavender
Lavender is most well-known for its excellent soothing properties. Its calming effect on nervous system has multiple therapeutic benefits including:
- Relieving anxiety
- Depression booster
- Irritability
- Mental fatigue
- Panic attacks
- Menstrual cramps
- Hypertension
This restorative effect of lavender on your mind also ensures better quality sleep at night. Besides enhancing overall sense of well-being lavender has antiseptic and antibacterial properties, which help in skin ailments. You can boil some dried lavender flowers, strain and drink this medicinal tea.
3. Honeysuckle
Honeysuckle flowers have antiviral and antibiotic properties and are safe to eat. These flowers are effective in treating almost all inflammatory conditions from sore throat to arthritis. Make a gargle wash for treating sore throats or smother the paste of these flowers to treat any skin inflammation. Did you know this everyday ingredient can help with arthritis.
4. Hibiscus
Hibiscus flowers are rich in antioxidants and amino acids, which strengthens body’s systems to prevent the damaging effects of aging, diet, and environmental pollution. By reducing wrinkles and other signs of aging, hibiscus flowers support healthy looking skin and hair. Hibiscus flowers are often used for exfoliating, hydrating and tightening of skin.
The rejuvenating effect of hibiscus flowers also stimulates blood circulation in the scalp, which help in treating dandruff and other scalp-related conditions. These flowers can condition your hair and minimizing hair loss associated with use of harsh chemicals or due to natural aging process. Apply the puree of hibiscus flowers on your hair, leave it for half an hour and then wash off with plain water to revitalize your hair naturally.
5. Rose
The edible Rose flowers are rich in vitamin C, which makes them perfect to heal skin ailments and rejuvenate aging skin. These flowers also help in hydrating dull skin and revitalizing mature skin by increasing blood circulation. Rose flowers are often used as a mild laxative. The unique uplifting fragrance of these flowers also helps in enhancing overall sense of well-being and relieving depression. Make tea from rose petals or apply a paste of these flowers to revive your facial skin. Rose water and essential rose oil are also available as cosmetics in the market. This can also help increase your blood circulation
6. Lotus
Lotus flowers are considered sacred and are often used to enhance spiritual experience as it helps in deepening meditation and integrating higher insight with the lower chakras. This flower also has amazing healing properties, which are often used to reduce:
- Bleeding disorders
- Fever
- Diarrhea
- Bronchitis
The anti-oxidants rich lotus flower acts as natural toner, which helps in reducing wrinkles, tightens skin and soothes chapped dry skin. Make syrup from lotus flowers to get relief from bad coughs or smother a paste of these flowers to naturally condition your skin. This wonder drug might just surprise you!
7. Chamomile
Chamomile flowers have anti-fungal, anti-bacterial and analgesic properties. Use of Chamomile flowers after physical exertion helps with:
- Inflammation
- Tissue recovery,
- Muscular cramps relief
- Soothe digestive system
- Ease nausea, stomach cramps, menstrual cramp and discomfort.
The soothing effect of Chamomile flowers also helps in healing various skin ailments and enhances health of your skin. The sweet fragrance of Chamomile flowers has uplifting effect on human psyche, which helps in relieving stress and improving quality of sleep. Make herbal tea from dried chamomile to get the myriad benefits of these flowers.
8. Calendula
Bright yellow or orange Calendula flowers are known for their antibacterial, antiviral and anti fungal properties. These flowers are often used externally to ease inflammation and heal wounds, burns, rashes and injuries. Calendula flowers when taken internally stimulate blood circulation and speed up recovery from colds and fevers. You can make a tea from calendula flowers and use this anti-inflammatory herbal formula: as face wash to treat acne, eyewash to treat conjunctivitis, mouthwash to treat mouth sores and vaginal wash to treat yeast infections.
Flowers are Mother Nature’s amazing gift; start enjoying the healing powers of these flowers and other healing herbs and add them to your herbal medicine cabinet.
I have used natural remedies for years. But now I have CKD stage 3b. One cannot always use what one used to use when one has an immune disease. Taught nutrition as a certified vegetarian nutritionist for 25 years, as an outreach for the community. I am vegan, gluten sensitive, on top of the CKD. With 20+ million of us–there are few doctors even addressing diet within the constraints of CKD. Little help for those of us who are elderly. It is a very complex diet.
I loved your book Beating Cancer with Nutrition. I am an avid reader of wellness concepts and rely on such info for personal healing.
Catherine, It always makes make happy to know someone has enjoyed my Beating Cancer with Nutrition book. Thank You. Staying health and embracing wellness concepts is a journey for us all.
Great post!