Health Benefits of Edible Flowers

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Flowers in your salad is not only very pretty it can also give your food a health boost.

Dr Jim Duke is a famous ethnobotanist. He was recently featured in the Daily Health News letter with these great ideas on edible flowers. Make sure to pick the right once though we don’t want you to add a non-edible flower to your summer salad.

• Violets, kin of the vivid Johnny-Jump-Up, add a grassy flavor to garnishes and desserts. These are a good source of rutin, believed to reduce capillary fragility.

• Squash blossoms contain Vitamin A precursor carotenoids.

• Borage, which hints at cucumber, is good in salads. It should be used sparingly, but can be helpful when you have a cold or cough.

• Lavender petals taste sweet and contain chemicals thought to benefit the central nervous system.

• Roses have a sweet, astringent flavor. Rose petals are rich in antioxidant-like polyphenols that may reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease and cancer. Different colors have different bioactive pigments — and white has the least. Eccleston cautioned against eating the ones you buy in stores as they are grown with chemicals and dipped in fungicide.

• Nasturtiums, lemon gem marigold and calendula (petals only) are all delicious in salads, each bringing its distinct earthy flavor and color to the table, so to speak. The orange calendula (marigold) petals contain lycopene and other cancer-fighting nutrients, while the yellow ones are rich in lutein, which is good for the eyes.

• Daylilies contain Vitamin B and chemicals associated with reduced risk of heart disorders.

Image by kainet

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