PEONY: A NOBLE FLOWER THAT HEALS

Written By: Vivian Benjamin

Did You Know?
Paeonia or as it is commonly called Peony comes from the family Paeonaceae. Peony flower is renowned for its use as decorative and in alternative medicine. Apart from that, peonies can be used in culinary arts to make preserves, jams, jellies, pudding, and a refreshing tea or added to salads.


This medicinal flower originated from Asia, Europe and Western North America. Most peony plant is an herbaceous perennial plant that is 0.25 to 1 metre tall. However, it also grows as woody shrubs between 0.25 and 3.5 metres tall. The leaves are compound, deeply lobed and large.


​The flowers come in different colours such as purple, pink red, yellow and white. They tend to bloom in the late spring to early summer. Nevertheless, a peony flower only thrives for 7 to 10 days. This edible flower can be cultivated in temperate climates. Although most of the parts of the plants are edible, only the flower, root and seed are commonly consumed.



PEONY IN ALTERNATIVE MEDICINE

The peony plant is often used to treat ailments in alternative medicines such as Ayurveda and Chinese Traditional Medicines.


This edible plant is used to treat skin rashes, and gastric pain, ease cough and aid in sleeping.  In addition to that, peony can treat people suffering from osteoarthritis, gout, menstrual cramps, viral hepatitis, liver cirrhosis, nerve pain, and migraine headaches and aid in symptoms of menopause such as night sweats.


According to Chinese Traditional Medicine, white peony root is used to treat menstrual cramps, and irregular period, alleviate pain, and excessive sweating and soothes the liver.


Similarly, in Ayurveda, it is used to promote blood circulation, enhance the nervous system and be beneficial in the reproductive system. 



WHAT DOES SCIENCE SAY?

Recently, many studies have been done on medicinal flowers to investigate their health benefits towards humans. Let’s explore what are the medicinal advantages of peony.


1. ANTIOXIDANT PROPERTIES
Almost every plant-based food or medicinal plant contains antioxidant properties. Studies done on peonies concurred that this edible flower holds about 70% of antioxidant benefits, which is necessary for general health and well-being.


2. PREVENTS CANCER
Peony flower contains a high number of polyphenolic compounds, which is beneficial in preventing cancer. According to several studies, this flower can impede liver, colon and breast cancer.


3. ANTI-INFLAMMATORY PROPERTIES
Several studies done on peony flowers demonstrate that this plant contains glycosides, a substance that is highly beneficial in treating the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.  





CONCLUSION
Peony flower not only can be used as an ornamental plant or in cooking, but it is also highly advantageous for human health and wellness. This noble flower is utilized for its many medicinal purposes in holistic medicine.


Although consuming this edible flower does not pose a risk to individuals, nonetheless it is not advised to be consumed by pregnant mothers. Why not try adding this beautiful flower to your balanced daily diet today?


Share in the comments section about your journey with Peony. I would love to learn about your journey with medicinal flowers.








 
References
1. Wanqing Du et al. (2020); The Underlying Mechanism of Paeonia lactiflora Pall. in Parkinson’s Disease Based on a Network
   Pharmacology Approach; Frontier Pharmacology; 11: 581984.
2. Yong H. et al. (2022); Paeoniflorin in Paeoniaceae: Distribution, influencing factors, and Biosynthesis; Frontiers in Plant Science;
    13: 980854.
3. Bao S. L. et al. (2018); Medicinal Values Analysis of Peony Flower; Advances in Biological Science Research; 6: 320-326.
4. Mo, H. et al.  (2022); Antioxidant Activity, Functional Properties, and Cytoprotective Effects on HepG2 Cells of Tree Peony (Paeonia
    suffruticosa Andr.) Seed Protein Hydrolysate as Influenced by Molecular Weights Fractionation; Foods; 11(17): 2592. 
5. Lei Liu et al. (2023); Composition and antioxidant activity of Paeonia lactiflora petal flavonoid extract and underlying mechanisms
    of the protective effect on H2O2-induced oxidative damage in BRL3A cells; Horticultural Plant Journal; 9(2): 335-344.
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