MARIGOLD: These bright flowers grow easily add colour and festivity. The colour varies from yellow to golden brown and is used for religious and medical purposes. They tend to keep pests away, so they can be planted near flowers that are eaten by bugs, so act as natural pest control.
They cure headache, swelling, toothache, wounds and skin problems, coloring food and dying fabrics etc. When applied on skin, it reduces inflammation, redness, sensitivity, dryness and swelling. Flavonoids present in marigold exhibit cytotoxic, anti-inflammatory properties. They also help in detoxification of the body. Marigold essential oil, when applied on skin helps in reducing damage caused by UV radiations.
HIBISCUS: These colourful flowers can be as large as 6 inches and colours vary from red, pink, yellow, white or peach. The red flowers of Hibiscus sabdariffa variety are commonly cultivated for medicinal purposes and are available as dietary supplements also. Hibiscus tea is made from dried hibiscus flowers, leaves and dark colored calyces. Both the tea and plant extract help to lower blood pressure. They are very effective in making hair lustrous, silky and smooth, so it is used to make hair oil.
SADABAHAR (Vinca Rosea): Sadabahar is most commonly found evergreen shrub that looks ornamental and has many medicinal uses. Sadabahar flowers and leaves are used to control high blood sugar levels. One can make herbal tea from its flowers and leaves or just chew some 3-4 flowers and leaves to get the effective results. Also useful in sore throat and malaria.
SUNFLOWER: It is an edible medicinal plant. The tender leaf petioles, seeds and flowers are all edible and used in treatment of variety of ailments. Sunflower seeds contain high biological value proteins and eaten raw or roasted to improve strength and immunity. Leaves are expectorant, diuretic and astringent. The poultice of leaves is applied on sores, spider-insect bites and swellings.
Sunflower oil is very rich in vitamin E and contains lecithin, tocopherols, carotenoids and waxes. Sunflower seed oil is less warming than til oil so considered beneficial in high pitta body type. The decoction of flowers is used as a tranquillizer and helpful in high blood pressure and fevers. The seeds are very nutritive and used in cough, cold bronchial infections and urinary problems.
ROSES: Roses have medicinal properties, there are 3 main varieties that are grown for commercial use, particularly for production of essential oil, rose water. It has wide range of flavonoids, fruit sugars, wide range of amino acids and essential oils including citronellol, geraniol, eugenol, phenyl ethanol.
You will be surprised to know its nutritional value, it has Vitamin A, Thiamine, Riboflavin, nicotinic acid, niacin, folic acid, C, D, E and K. Minerals present are potassium, calcium, magnesium, iron, zinc, copper and chromium along with many enzymes which assist in digestion.
The desi varieties are used in sweet and savoury dishes and in confectionary or decoration. When using roses ensure they are not sprayed with toxic chemicals, so wash them well. Rose water is used as eye wash, for facial scrubs, gulkand (rose petal preserve) which helps to relieve constipation when taken with warm milk at night, used in paan and helps in urinary infections. Roses have astringent properties so they help in treating diarrhea, headache and also as a gargle for sore throat. If you use rose water in steam iron it will make your clothes and home full of soothing fragrance.
When you make rice kheer (pudding) add gulkand, it will make kheer all the more delicious while adding fiber to it.
PARIJAT: Night-flowering Jasmine famous known for its mesmerizing fragrance, soothes your nerves besides medicinal properties. The leaves have anti-malarial properties and cure fevers, arthritis and relieves constipation. Leaf extract when mixed with honey helps in treating dry cough as it has antihistaminic and antiallergic properties.
SHEWANTI (Godavari): The flowers are edible and can be daisy like, decorative or buttons, used to treat high blood pressure, fever, cold, headache, dizziness and swelling. All chrysanthemum flowers are edible, but the flavor varies widely from plant to plant from sweet to tangy to bitter or peppery. Chrysanthemum flower tea is good for itchy, red painful eyes and tastes good.
