Edible Flowers Annual Guide

With spring upon us, lilacs, violets, pansies, chrysanthemums, daisies, and other blooms explode onto the scene, taking over gardens, fields, and mountainsides as if they were here for a reason, perhaps screaming, “Eat me!” or at least, “Look at me!”

We all know that certain flowers are edible, but little is known about their medicinal value and which ones are safe to eat.

Eating flowers is not a new concept. Ancient mosaics of Pompeii display gods dining on flower blossoms and common folk ate flowers regularly as well. In ancient Greece, France, and Rome, flowers were used to enhance the flavors of food, and even for medicinal purposes.¹

In the States, an edible flower may show up as a garnish in a fine restaurant, but they don’t appear on menus as an entrée as they did for centuries in Europe. Dandelions boiled with honey or batter fried black elderflowers graced many plates as much more than just a garnish in Central Europe.²

Unfortunately, there has been little research on edible flowers and the safe limit of daily consumption for edible flowers is not yet known. So before you make flowers your next meal, start with small amounts, such as sprinkling some on your salad, adding them as a colorful garnish, or tossing a few petals into your smoothie.¹⁰

On that note, do not eat flowers from florists, nurseries, garden centers, or the side of the road. Consume only flowers that you or someone else has grown specifically for eating.

Flowers Are Full Of Nutrients

Edible flowers are loaded with nutrients, and when blooming, offer significant seasonal and health benefits. One on the most notable constituents in flowers (which give them their color) are carotenoids, which act as precursors for vitamin A.

Flowers contain a very rare form of carotenoid, lutein, not found in many foods. Lutein is a powerful antioxidant and is well known for supporting eye health and a host of other health concerns.^1,2

Research on marigolds shows that they have over 39 different phenolic compounds, with flavonoids being the major antioxidant detected.³ While flowers are loaded with many types of antioxidants, like carotenoids, flavonoids, and phenols, it is flavonoids that pack the most powerful antioxidant punch.^4-6 In one study involving nasturtiums, the darker the red-colored petals, the more antioxidants were found in the flower.⁷

This could suggest that, like berries, the darker the flower, the more potent the health benefits.

In addition to notable antioxidant levels, edible flowers also contain trace amounts of protein, phosphorus, potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, iron, manganese, copper, zinc, and molybdenum. Roses, violets, and nasturtiums, for example, will dress up any meal but they are also loaded with vitamin A, C, riboflavins, niacin, and minerals, such as calcium, phosphorous, iron, and potassium.⁸ It’s no wonder flowers were considered foods in Europe for centuries!

Exciting research suggests further health benefits, showing that flower pollen extracts of rye pollen (Secale cereale), corn pollen (Zea mays), and timothy pollen (Phleum pratense) support the health and function of the urinary tract system, bladder, and prostate in men’s studies. The extract is available around the world under brand names, such as Cernitin and Cernilton.⁹

Emotional Flower Power

Flower essences (flowers diluted homeopathically in water with a preserving agent) have been used as medicine for the mind and emotions for many years.¹¹

Many studies performed on flower remedies for mood-related conditions show that flower essences did not out-perform the placebo effect. In one study, for example, all 61 participants who ingested the flower remedy saw significant improvements in mood, but the placebo group saw the same results.¹²

As a result, scientists dismiss the benefits of flower remedies as nothing more than placebo, but placebos can be powerful medicine. In many studies, placebos outperform pharmaceutical drugs for mood control, and yet these drugs are still released. The placebo effect should not be underestimated: it generally ranges up to 82% effectiveness.^13-15

Below, find a downloadable and printable chart with all the edible flowers for spring and summer.¹⁶

Enjoy, and let us know how your flower adventures go!

Edible-Flowers-Annual-Guide