South Africa’s queen of gardening, Margaret Roberts, recently released 100 Edible & Healing Flowers (Struik Lifestyle). She shares the health benefits of the simple daisy.
Daisies are simple, yet beautiful. The daisy may be one of the most common flowers in gardens all over the world, however, this pretty little flower has been listed in herbal writings, pharmacopoeias and ancient medical texts because of its medicinal properties.
In your garden: The low-growing perennial needs loads of sun and a well-dug bed filled with compost, but after the initial preparations for planting have been made, little care is needed to make sure it grows well.
Medicinal uses: Crushed daisy flowers were once used on the battlefields to staunch bleeding wounds, because of their antiseptic properties. Daisy tea can be used to relieve diarrhea, enteritis, sore throats, gastritis, coughs, colds and sneezing. Pour one cup of boiling water over a handful of daisy flowers and one leaf, and let them soak for
10-15 minutes before you drink it slowly.
RECIPE
DAISY WASH
Use this for wounds, grazes, rashes and acne.
2 cups fresh daisy leaves
and flowers
1 litre water
Simmer the leaves and flowers in the water for 20 minutes and let cool. Pour the mixture over the affected area of skin.