Overview
Flower at a Glance
A flower is the plant's signal. Scent, colour, and nectar exist to bring a pollinator in, and nearly all of that chemistry is fragile.
It is also the most demanding harvest. Flowers are picked at full opening on a dry morning, once the dew has lifted but before the day's heat has taken the oils.
On a soft-stemmed herb the blossoms usually arrive inside the aerial-parts cut. A flower gets its own harvest when the blossom is distinct enough to pick clean of the leaf and stem.
Three groups cover most of it. Lavender and German chamomile carry volatile oils such as linalool and chamazulene; hibiscus and cornflower carry anthocyanins; hawthorn and linden carry flavonoids.
The actions follow the chemistry. Flower medicine is mostly nervine, anxiolytic, and sedative work on the nervous system, with calendula and arnica carrying the vulnerary side into oils rather than teas.
The daisy family is the standing caution. Chamomile, calendula, and arnica can all raise a contact rash, and coltsfoot carries pyrrolizidine alkaloids.
Working Notes
Pick mid-morning, dry, and at full opening. — Buds have not finished making their oils and spent blooms have already shed them, and flowers gathered wet will discolour on the rack before they dry.
Never boil a flower. — A recipe that simmers a blossom is either a mistake or is really after the tannins, since a lid and ten minutes gets you more of what you came for than any amount of heat.
Colour is your assay. — Vivid petals mean intact pigment and, usually, intact aromatics, so faded stock is stale stock whatever the label date says.
Respect the Asteraceae. — Daisy-family flowers are the commonest cause of contact dermatitis in a herb room, and coltsfoot in particular carries pyrrolizidine alkaloids that make it a short-course herb rather than a daily tea.
Preparation
How Flowers Are Prepared
Nearly every flower preparation is an exercise in restraint. The question is not how to extract harder but how to extract without driving the aromatics into the air.
01
Covered Infusion
The default. Pour water just off the boil over the flowers, cover immediately, and steep 5–10 minutes — longer draws tannin, not oil.
Roughly 1–2 tsp dried flowers per cup. The condensation on the underside of the lid is volatile oil; tip it back in.
02
Tincture
Fresh flowers are usually macerated at 1:2 in 90–95% alcohol to overcome their water content; dried at 1:5 in 40–60%. Resinous flowering tops want the high end.
Pack loosely — crushing bruises petals and browns the finished tincture.
03
Infused Oil
For the lipid-soluble fraction and for topical use. Wilt fresh flowers 12–24 hours first to shed water, then cover with oil and hold at 40–50 °C for 2–4 hours, or leave in a warm place for two weeks.
Any residual water in the jar means rancidity.
04
Drying
Spread in a single layer, out of direct light, at under 35 °C with steady airflow. Flowers should stay close to their living color; brown or gray petals have lost pigment and oil alike.
Store whole — crumbling releases the aroma into the jar’s headspace.
Flower Medicines
Herbs Used for Their Flowers
39 herbs are used for their flowers, the aromatic, pigmented, most easily spoiled end of the materia medica.
Arnica Arnica montana Arnica is a yellow-flowered mountain daisy of Europe whose flower heads are made into gels, ointments and tinctures for bruises, sprains and sore muscles. It is used on unbroken skin only, because its sesquiterpene lactones, including helenalin, are toxic when swallowed.
Babul Vachellia nilotica Babul is a thorny acacia tree of Africa, Arabia and South Asia whose tannin-rich bark is used as an astringent. It is a traditional gargle for bleeding gums, a wash for wounds and a remedy for loose stool, and its twigs are chewed as toothbrushes.
Bacopa Bacopa monnieri Bacopa (Bacopa monnieri), or brahmi, is a creeping wetland herb and a classic Ayurvedic brain tonic. Its extracts, rich in saponins called bacosides, are taken for memory, focus and stress.
Bay Bean Canavalia rosea Bay bean is a sprawling legume of tropical beaches whose root, leaf and seed are used in coastal folk medicine for rheumatism, wounds, colds and constipation. Its dried leaf is also smoked as a mild relaxant and tobacco substitute.
Blue Lotus Flower Nymphaea caerulea Blue lotus is an African water lily whose blue flowers were steeped in wine in ancient Egypt. It is taken as a tea or infusion for gentle relaxation and dreaming, and it contains the alkaloid nuciferine.
Blue Vervain Verbena hastata Blue vervain is a tall North American wetland wildflower with spikes of small violet-blue flowers. Its bitter aerial parts are used as a calming nervine and mild sedative, and they contain the iridoids verbenalin and hastatoside.
Broom Cytisus scoparius Broom is a European shrub of the pea family with bright yellow flowers, used in herbal medicine for the heart and for fluid retention. Its green tops contain the alkaloid sparteine, which slows the heart and makes the plant toxic in excess.
Calendula Calendula officinalis Calendula is a yellow-to-orange garden marigold whose dried flowers are made into oils, ointments, washes and teas for cuts, burns, rashes and a sore mouth or throat. Its anti-inflammatory action comes mainly from fat-soluble triterpenoids called faradiol esters.
Cannabis Cannabis sativa Cannabis is a resinous annual herb whose female flowers carry THC, CBD and more than a hundred related cannabinoids. It is used for pain, muscle spasm, nausea, sleep and anxiety, and purified CBD is a licensed medicine for rare forms of epilepsy.
Catnip Nepeta cataria Catnip is an aromatic perennial of the mint family, best known for its effect on cats. In people it is a gentle herbal tea for restlessness, indigestion and colic, and its essential oil, rich in nepetalactone, is used as an insect repellent.
Chinese Hibiscus Hibiscus rosa-sinensis Chinese hibiscus (Hibiscus rosa-sinensis) is a glossy evergreen shrub grown across the tropics for its large, showy flowers. Its flowers and leaves are used in folk medicine and hair care, and the red petals are rich in anthocyanins.
Chrysanthemum Chrysanthemum morifolium Chrysanthemum is a cultivated daisy-family flower whose dried heads are brewed as ju hua, a cooling tea in Chinese medicine for colds, headaches and tired eyes. Its flowers are rich in luteolin, apigenin and chlorogenic acid.
Clove Syzygium aromaticum Clove is the dried flower bud of a tropical evergreen tree, used worldwide as a spice. Its essential oil is rich in eugenol and is a traditional remedy for toothache and for numbing the mouth.
Coltsfoot Tussilago farfara Coltsfoot is a low, spring-flowering perennial of the daisy family whose leaves and flower buds are a traditional remedy for coughs and chest complaints. It also contains pyrrolizidine alkaloids that can damage the liver, and its internal use is now restricted.
Cornflower Centaurea cyanus Cornflower is a bright blue annual wildflower in the daisy family, grown as an ornamental and used as an edible flower and tea ingredient. Its flowers were long used in a cooled infusion to soothe inflamed eyes.
Dagga Leonotis nepetifolia Dagga (Leonotis nepetifolia) is a tall African mint-family herb with spiky whorls of orange flowers. Its leaves are a folk remedy for coughs and colds, and the dried plant is sold as klip dagga for smoking.
Damiana Turnera diffusa Damiana is an aromatic shrub of Mexico and Central America whose leaves are brewed as a tea and used to flavour liqueurs. It is a traditional aphrodisiac and nerve tonic, used for low libido, anxiety and low mood.
Elderberry Sambucus nigra Elder (Sambucus nigra) is a European shrub or small tree whose flowers and cooked berries are used for colds and influenza. Its dark berries are rich in anthocyanins, and a standardised berry extract has been tested in several influenza trials.
German Chamomile Matricaria chamomilla German chamomile is an annual daisy-family herb whose small flower heads make one of the most widely drunk herbal teas. It is used for sleep, anxiety, digestive upset and irritated skin, and its blue essential oil is rich in chamazulene and α-bisabolol.
Globe Artichoke Cynara scolymus Globe artichoke is a thistle grown for its edible flower buds, and its bitter leaf is a traditional remedy for digestion and the liver. The leaf extract, rich in cynarin and other caffeoylquinic acids, is used to lower cholesterol.
Goldenrod Solidago virgaurea European goldenrod is a yellow-flowered perennial of the daisy family whose flowering tops are a traditional European remedy for the urinary tract, taken as a tea to increase urine flow and ease bladder irritation. It is rich in flavonoids, the phenolic glycoside leiocarposide and triterpene saponins.
Hawthorn Crataegus oxyacantha Hawthorn is a thorny hedgerow shrub or small tree of the rose family whose leaves, flowers and berries are a traditional heart and circulation remedy. Its leaf-and-flower extracts, rich in procyanidins and flavonoids, have been tested for blood pressure and heart failure.
Honeysuckle Lonicera japonica Honeysuckle is a climbing vine whose unopened flower bud, jin yin hua, is one of the most widely used cooling herbs in Chinese medicine. It is taken for the early, feverish stage of colds and flu and for sore throats, and its bud is rich in chlorogenic acid.
Hops Humulus lupulus Hops are the dried female flower cones of the hop vine, best known for flavouring beer. Herbalists use them as a calming, sleep-promoting bitter, and they contain 8-prenylnaringenin, a potent plant estrogen studied for menopausal symptoms.
Hyssop Hyssopus officinalis Hyssop is an aromatic, semi-woody herb of the mint family, taken as a tea for coughs, colds and chest congestion and for sluggish digestion. Its essential oil is rich in the ketones pinocamphone and isopinocamphone.
Jasmine Jasminum officinale Common jasmine is a climbing shrub of the olive family, grown for its intensely fragrant white flowers. Jasmine scent is used in perfume, scented tea and aromatherapy, and its main aroma compounds include benzyl acetate, benzyl benzoate and linalool.
Lavender Lavandula angustifolia Lavender is an aromatic Mediterranean shrub whose flowers and essential oil are used for nervous tension, sleep and digestion, and on the skin for bites and minor wounds. Its oil is rich in linalool and linalyl acetate, and an oral lavender-oil capsule has been tested for anxiety.
Linden Flower Tilia spp. Linden flower is the fragrant blossom of the lime tree, dried with its papery bract. It is drunk as a hot tea for colds and fevers and as a calming tea for nervous tension and sleep.
Marjoram Origanum majorana Marjoram is a sweet, aromatic Mediterranean herb of the mint family, used in cooking and as a tea for digestion, cramps and nervous tension. Its essential oil is rich in terpinen-4-ol and sabinene hydrate, and its leaves in rosmarinic acid.
Meadowsweet Filipendula ulmaria Meadowsweet is a tall perennial of damp meadows in Europe and northern Asia, with foaming heads of creamy flowers. Its flowering tops contain salicylates, flavonoids and tannins and are used for colds, minor joint pain and acid indigestion.
Mexican Tarragon Tagetes lucida Mexican tarragon is an aromatic marigold from Mexico and Central America whose anise-scented leaves are used as a tarragon substitute and brewed as a calming, digestive tea. Its oil is rich in estragole, and its coumarins, including herniarin and scoparone, have been studied for effects on mood, pain and inflammation.
Mullein Verbascum thapsus Mullein is a tall, woolly-leaved biennial whose flowers and leaves are a traditional remedy for dry coughs, sore throats and catarrh. Its soothing character comes from mucilage, alongside iridoids such as aucubin and the phenylethanoid verbascoside.
Pine Pinus sylvestris Pine is a genus of about 130 evergreen conifers, and in European herbal medicine the name usually means Scots pine (Pinus sylvestris). Its needles, buds, resin and inner bark are used for coughs, wounds and aching joints, and its needle-and-twig oil is a European Pharmacopoeia article.
Red Clover Trifolium pratense Red clover is a flowering meadow legume whose dried flower heads are a traditional Western herbal remedy for the skin and lymph and for menopausal symptoms. It is rich in the isoflavones formononetin and biochanin A, mild plant oestrogens studied for hot flushes, cholesterol and bone.
Rose Rosa spp. Rose is a fragrant flowering shrub whose petals, rose water and essential oil are used to calm the mind and ease stress, and whose hips are a vitamin-C-rich fruit. Its scent comes from an oil rich in citronellol, geraniol and 2-phenylethanol.
Saffron Crocus sativus Saffron is the dried red stigma of the saffron crocus, a costly spice and dye. Its carotenoids crocin and crocetin and the aroma compound safranal are studied for low mood, anxiety, sleep and premenstrual symptoms.
Tea Camellia sinensis Tea is an evergreen shrub whose young leaves and buds make green, black, white and oolong tea, the most widely drunk beverage after water. The leaf carries caffeine, the calming amino acid L-theanine and catechins such as EGCG, studied for blood pressure, cholesterol and focus.
Warrior's Plume Pedicularis densiflora Warrior's plume is a red-flowered lousewort of California and Oregon whose leaves and flowers are used in teas and smoking blends as a gentle muscle relaxant. Like other louseworts it is a partial root parasite, and its genus is rich in phenylpropanoid and iridoid glycosides.
Ylang Ylang Cananga odorata Ylang ylang is a tropical tree of the custard-apple family grown for its fragrant yellow flowers. Their essential oil, rich in linalool and benzyl esters, is used in perfumery and in aromatherapy to calm and relax.
No herbs match these filters.
Phytochemistry
Flowers Phytochemicals
Flower chemistry is built for signalling, with scent to attract, pigment to advertise, and nectar to reward. Almost all of it is fragile, and much of it is lost to heat or to a long open steep.
Volatile Oils The aromatic fraction that gives a flower its scent and most of its nervine, carminative, and antimicrobial reputation.
Flavonoids Pale yellow polyphenols, stable enough to survive drying, that carry much of the vascular and anti-inflammatory activity of flower medicine.
They extract well into hot water, which is why flower teas are not a compromise.
Anthocyanins The red-to-blue pigments.
They are pH-sensitive — a hibiscus infusion shifts color with a squeeze of lemon — and they degrade with prolonged heat, so a faded brew has usually lost more than its looks.
Mucilage Slippery polysaccharides that coat and soothe irritated membranes.
This is the demulcent half of the classic respiratory flowers, and it is the fraction a hard boil ruins first.
Proanthocyanidins & Tannins Condensed polyphenols that astringe tissue and, in the hawthorn tradition, underpin the cardiovascular work.
Glandular Resins Sticky lipophilic secretions held in surface trichomes on the flowering head.
Alkaloids Less common in flowers than in roots, but present and consequential where they occur — from the aporphine alkaloids behind blue lotus’s reputation to the hepatotoxic pyrrolizidines that make coltsfoot a short-course herb.
Bitter Sesquiterpene Lactones The daisy-family bitters, cooling and mildly digestive, and the usual cause of contact sensitivity in Asteraceae flowers.
They give chrysanthemum and its relatives their clean, slightly acrid finish.
Found in ChrysanthemumMexican Tarragon
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