Flowers the Healers

Flowers-The Healers

On a dew laden morning with the first breath of dawn go out to breathe with the flowers. Every bud is a symbol of creative energy. As every curling tendril blossoms to the light, it breathes out bursts of fragrance, and drips starry dew. Dip your eyes in a flower and rejuvenate.

Flowers herald harmony, healing, inner light and openness to experience. Since centuries their magic potions have healed. Flower teas and flower remedies are natural vibrational essences.

Flower Remedies

We have heard of Bach Flower remedies, of which the flowers may not be available in Indian plains. Try out common flowers with the age old sun method.

Method: - Take a glass bowl. Fill water and keep in Sun. Just before or at the first sun beam, very carefully harvest a few flowers with dew on it and float on the water bowl without disturbing the flowers. In the evening at sunset carefully decant the water in a glass jug or bottle. Drink a small wine glass of this remedy, twice a day or 10 drops on the tongue or mix 10 drops in a little water. After a day or two, store the remedy in fridge in air tight glass bottle.

Some Indian Flower Remedy Options:

1) Lotus – The Lotus is a symbol of harmony, universal love and enlightenment. The crown chakra is a thousand petals lotus. The heart chakra, is often likened to the Lotus.

The water of the lotus is a spiritual elixir helping in meditation or for balancing, cleansing or strength. Prepare as above.

2) Jasmine – Also has properties of harmony, balancing, cleansing, digestive, soothing, and relaxant or hair growth.

3) Neem – The flower remedy is an essence for the heart. Heightens intuition and generosity.

4) Curry leaf flowers – Digestive tonic, antacid and also relaxant.

5) Wild Mulberry Green Flowers – Increases positivity and harmony.

6) Red Hibiscus – Mental Harmony, compatibility and emotional well-being.

7) Passion Flower – Helps in insomnia and relaxant, soothing, clearing & calming.

8) Dandelion flowers- Kidney cleansing, sunshine remedy, clears negativity & promotes cheerfulness.

9) Drumstick Flowers- Lauded as a superfood, beneficial as a high nutrition food. The flower remedy of these flowers also impart good health at a vibrational level. Good for strength, alertness, deficiencies, arthritis & brain power.

Edible, Medicinal and External uses of some common flowers

Marigold (Tagetus) (Antiseptic)

Mouth ulcers – gargle

Prickly heat. Mix with few neem leaves, green coriander, mint leaves. Soak overnight in a bowl of water. Strain & have a bath.

Jasmine (Mogra)

Mouth ulcers- Rinse mouth with jasmine soaked in water. Add a little licorice powder (mulethi).

Headache- Soak for 1 hour in a glass of water. Add a small pinch of salt. Make a pack for forehead. Strain with fine cloth. Instill 2 drops in each nostril twice a day for few days (Chronic Headache).

Itching- On body or due to dandruff or lice in hair. Grind the jasmine root. Boil with a few of the leaves & flowers. Add a little lime juice to the cooled decoction. Can mix rose & marigold flowers. Have a bath. Also good for psoriasis & other skin ailments. Drink jasmine flower water or tea. Cooling, relaxing tonic.

Parijat (Harsinghar)

Make a paste of flowers & leaves. Mix with nirgundi leaves paste (equal quantities) optional- Castor leaves. Apply for joint pains & swelling.

Decoction of flowers. Good for skin & hair.

Benefits of drinking- Blood purifying, joint pains, tonic.

Sciatica- 7  leaves of parijat & 7 leaves of nirgundi. Boil in 2 glasses of water. Reduce to 1½ glass. Drink ½ glass thrice a day. For a minimum of 10-15 days to cure sciatica.

Son Champa

Headache - Very effective . Smell the flowers and soak in water. Put a old pack of same on forehead. Strain through fine cloth and use as eye drops.

Insomnia - Put the flowers in your room.

Hibiscus (Shoeflower)

Diabetes , menstrual problems , hormonal problems , heat in body and for immunity. Eat 3 fresh flowers every morning or make juice or syrup out of flowers.

Hair - Boil both leaves and flowers or one of those. Strain and apply as conditioner after shampoo. Good for hair growth also. Good for skin.

Nasturtiums:

Eat as a tonic in salads. Eat 3 flowers together to open blocked nose. Good for sinusitis, colds and coughs. Soak leaves and flowers . Wash face and have a bath for skin toning.

Tamarind (Imli)

Make a paste of flowers. Apply around eyes for swelling. For swelling around other parts of body make paste of flowers and leaves and apply. Internal pith and prickly heat - Eat chutney of flowers and a few of the leaves. Have bath with water of both.

Vasa /Adusa

Cough , cold, bronchitis, asthma and Immunity.

Make a gulcand out of the flowers in mud or honey is preferable . Make a paste of leaves and flowers and apply on chest for congestion.

Saute some flowers in ghee. Cool and apply on closed eyes. Leave for 15 mins. Cures swelling and internal eye problems. Also good as an antiseptic for bathing.

Aloe Vera flowers (Barbadensis/red flowers)

The internal pulp is useful as a base for mixing the flower paste. Can be used along with honey and lime juice to remove sunburn, pigmentation, scars and dark skin. Eat internally for blood purification , diabetes , cancer, thyroid , irritable bowel syndrome, joint pain, constipation and acidity.

External application for swelling, cuts , wounds , burns , boils, pimples , goitre (with Ajwain, borax and turmeric). Hair and eyes.

Palash (Tesu) Flame of the forest-

Reduces pith and cough. Past of flowers and leaves on bowls , swellings , fistula. Best for skin toning and hair conditioning. Urine retention , stomach problems - drink decoction of flowers and leaves. Apply.

Flower teas or sun warmed decoctions with spring flowers. 

Whole flowers or petals can be either boiled or kept in a glass or bowl of water in the sun for few hours. The resultant elixir is delicious in subtle flavours & highly nourishing & healing.

Rose, Calendula, Pansy, Field poppy red single, Carrot, Orange, Grapefruit, 

Lemon flowers, Vasa, Dandelion, Tulsi flowers, Clematis, Mustard flowers, Shatavari flowers,Hibiscus Single red, Chrysanthumums, Pansies, Mogra.

Use flowers of all the plants. According to availability four plants ‘flowers’ are also enough.

 Sun Warming flowers in a bowl of water

Boiling Flowers for tea

Edible Flower, Teas, Salads, Jams, Vinegar, Syrup: 

Exotic Begonias – The leaves, flowers, and stems are edible and nutritious. The colorful petals taste tangy and are a very good option in salads as a garnish. Stems can be cooked like a vegetable.

Precaution – High in Oxalic acid.

Contraindications- Gout, kidney stones, or rheumatism.

The Saffron robed Calendula/ Marigold - Recommended edible portion- Petals. As children we would rub the petals on ours and each other’s faces and watch with great delight, the saffron hue that would tint our skins. Scattering the petals over each other was a good game and the tangy fragrance was pleasant. We discovered accidentally that, doing all this would magically heal our numerous cuts and bruises after which we made it a point to rub a whole flower on such injuries and of course the healing was sure.  Calendula petals are the poor man’s saffron. Sprinkle on soups, pasta or rice dishes, herb butters, and salads.

 External Use- Boil flowers in oil or put out in the sun in a glass bottle. Anti- Inflammatory.

Carnations, Dianthus, the Dandy ladies- Carnations petals can be sprinkled on desserts, cakes, candy, or steeped in wine. Carnation petals are one of the secret ingredients that have been used to make Chartreuse, a French Liqueur, since the 17^th century.

The sunny Sunflower - Best eaten as bud, raw or steamed. For the open flower, the petals can be used as tea or blanched to sprinkle on salads.

Starry Jasmine – Jasmine flower tea is relished globally now. Good to toss in salads and garnish on foods and drinks. Relaxing and nourishing.

Colorful Chrysanthemums ,Leaves and flowers- Young buds or leaves can be used as tea. Ideal to blanch the petals in a little hot water or oil, before scattering on salad.

The playful Dog flowers/Antirrhinums/ barking flowers - Children love to play with them. They are also a nourishing, but slightly bitter addition to salads or flower teas.

Parijat flowers,Fire flies on starry nights- As if the sky had come down, is a Parijat shrub. The night air turns into wine and the morning is beautiful with a creamy carpet of fallen flowers. Very good for Arthritis or as a general tonic. Add to morning tea for fragrance and goodness.