One of the first things I noticed when coming to our new house last year was the abundance of sunflowers lining the driveway. As a very drought-tolerant plant, they grow everywhere here. In fact, they grow all over the country, or at least among most stretches of Interstates 70, 80, and 90 in the western half of the country. And if there is one thing I’ve learned from doing this blog the past (nearly) three years, it’s that most invasive plants have some medicinal value to them. This past week, I finally got around to doing some research.
Unfortunately, while modern research is being performed, there is not a lot. Most of it occurs in third-world countries that have to use herbal medicine because they cannot afford first-world pharmaceuticals. The use of sunflower for medicine has a rich history among Native Americans and was one of the few crops they cultivated.
HARVEST
Flower petals and seed heads are best harvested when fully mature in mid- to late summer. Leaves should be still green and fresh when collected for poultices. Roots are best harvested in the fall.
PREPARATION
There is precious little information on the preparation of the flowers and roots, but in general alcohol tinctures extract the active constituents best. To extract oil from the seeds, crush the seeds thoroughly and place them in a pot of boiling water. Skim the oil off the top as it is released.
EFFECTIVE AGAINST
- Candida albicans[1]
- Escherichia coli[2]
- Pseudomonas aeruginosa[3]
- Staphylococcus aureus[4]
- Staphylococcus epidermis[5]
MODERN USAGE
- Communicable disease
- Malaria, 96% alcohol extract of the root[6]
- Musculoskeletal
- Gout, 20% alcohol extract of the flower[7]
- Respiratory
- Skin
HISTORICAL USAGE
- Communicable diseases
- Malaria[15]
- Gastrointestinal
- Worms[16]
- Musculoskeletal
- Rheumatism, root tea[17]
- Neurological
- Headaches[18]
- Respiratory
- Cough, seed oil[19]
- Dysentery, seed oil[20]
- Fever, stem pith, leaf tea[21] [22]
- Laryngitis[23]
- Lung disease, flower tincture[24] [25]
- Tuberculosis, alcohol extract of the stem[26]
- Skin
- Spider bite, leaf poultice[29] [30]
- Sores, leaf poultice[31]
- Swelling, leaf poultice[32]
- Warts[33]
- The wart was scratched and the pith of the sunflower stalk was burned on top of it. [34]
- Wounds, plant juice[35]
- Urogenital
Cautions: Plant extracts may cause allergic reactions.
[1] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[2] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[3] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[4] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[5] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[6] Wiwied Ekasari, et al., "Various Parts of Helianthus annuus Plants as New Sources of Antimalarial Drugs", Evidence-Based Complementary and Alternative Medicine, Vol 2019, https://www.hindawi.com/journals/ecam/2019/7390385/ (accessed 18 August 2021).
[7] Lanzhou Li, et al., Anti-gouty arthritis and antihyperuricemia effects of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) head extract in gouty and hyperuricemia animal models, Biomed Research International, August 2017, https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC5591994/ (accessed 18 August 2021).
[8] Heo JC, et al., Aqueous extract of the Helianthus annuus seed alleviates asthmatic symptoms in vivo, Int J Mol Med., January 2008, Vol 21 No 1, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/18097616/ (accessed 18 August 2021)
[9] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[10] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[11] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[12] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[13] Tasneem Bashir, et al., Chemistry, Pharmacology, and Ethnomedicinal Uses of Helianthus annuus (Sunflower): A review, Pure Applied Biology, Vol 4 No 2, June 2015, https://www.thepab.org/files/2015/June-2015/PAB-MS-15029-11-226-235.pdf (accessed 18 August 2021).
[14] Ukiya M, et al., Triterpene glycosides from the flower petals of sunflower (Helianthus annuus) and their anti-inflammatory activity, J Nat Prod., May 2007, Vol 70 No 5, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/17480100/ (accessed 18 August 2021).
[15] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[16] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[17] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[18] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[19] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 148.
[20] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[21] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[22] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[23] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[24] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 148.
[25] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[26] Coronado-Aceves EW, et al., Antimycobacterial activity of medicinal plants used by the Mayo people of Sonora, Mexico. J Ethnopharmacol. 2016 Aug 22, https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/27262564/ (accessed 18 August 2021).
[27] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[28] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[29] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[30] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[31] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[32] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[33] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[34] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
[35] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[36] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[37] Steven Foster, et al., Western Medicinal Plants and Herbs, 2002, 149.
[38] Linda Kershaw, Edible & Medicinal Plants of the Rockies, 2000, 180.
