Table of Contents
- Edible Uses of Sunflower
- Medicinal Uses of Sunflower
- Alternative Uses of Ox-Eye
- Growing Helianthus Annuus
While most folks know sunflower (Helianthus spp.) is edible, did you know it’s a medicinal plant as well?
Sunflower is another garden escapee around Haliburton, Ontario, or a bird feeder escapee. Native woodland sunflower (Helianthus stumosus) is a rarity in our area. The header image is an nonnative ashy sunflower, a picture I took in Ohio. The “ashy” name meaning clicked the following spring; the bent over swaths of it were all an ashen grey coloring the field here.
Edible Uses of Sunflower
Sunflower seeds can be eaten raw, dried or roasted. To hull them quickly, grind the pieces (a chopper, coarse grinder or food mill will work) and pour them into a container of water. The kernels will sink and the shells will float. You could dry, thresh and winnow them also. Kernels eaten whole are yummy, and they are a great addition to recipes – a superb nut substitute. They can also be parched and ground into meal for gruel or flour. They can even be roasted for a coffee substitute!
Robin’s favorite nut butter is a mix of sunflower seed, sesame seed, and peanuts; he adds more sesame than sunflower because sunflower seed makes a choking dry butter on its own. Honey can be added to sweeten the seed and nut butter. Similarly, the ground seeds can be mixed with marrow or butter, and salt, for savory spread.
If the crushed seeds are boiled, you can skim sunflower oil from the top, and use it like olive oil. You could also sprout the seeds for greens.
For more greens, spring buds can be boiled and are somewhat like artichoke hearts (artichoke is also a sunflower). Around here in early autumn, where the birds may get to the seeds before you do, the spring buds may be your more reliable home grown food use. All species of sunflower are edible.
A balanced food with calcium, fluorine, iron, iodine, magnesium, niacin, phosphorus, protein, potassium, sodium, thiamine, and vitamin D!
Medicinal Uses of Sunflower
Sunflower is primarily said to support these body systems:
- Digestive
- Integumentary
- Respiratory
- Urinary
Medicinal tags include Anti-inflammatory, Antiseptic, Antispasmodic, Antitussive, Astringent, Demulcent, Diaphoretic, Diuretic, and Expectorant. See Medicinal tag key for more information.
Common usage includes a hydrating and soothing decoction of the seeds, that or pure seed oil, used to clean lungs and throat of phlegm. This sunflower seed base can be combined with other herbs like horehound or licorice, and sweetened with raw honey to make a cough syrup. Similarly, a flower tea makes a sunny lung tonic.
The various parts of sunflowers are used to treat a myriad of ailments from the root for snake bites to the leaves as a quinine substitute, for malaria.
Alternative Uses of Ox-Eye
Sunflowers help remove toxins from the soil and were employed to remove caesium-137 and strontium-90 near Chernobyl. If you have a uranium problem or some other mess in your community this is worth further research!
The oil is sometimes used in soap making.
But my favorite use is to make friends with the chickadees:
Animals gobble the seeds up!
Growing Helianthus Annuus
Not to be confused with ox-eye daisy! Sunflowers are grown ornamentally around here by many. A drive down the 503 and other nearby highways in September should be full of sunflower spotting. They like rich soil, a full sun spot – and plant them as early as possible up here if you want them to go to seed!
Besides woodland sunflowers, false sunflowers/smooth Oxeye (heliopsis helianthoides) is a native substitute, looks wise. Cup plant is another one. But I doubt you’ll find anyone adamantly against the usual sunflowers either; they are annuals and aren’t going to aggressively escape the garden. Haliburton Flora noted 2 – and I have noted 0 escaped onto the roadside. The blue jays and bunnies will love you…!
I am going to hold off on tagging this as native for now. I may specially cover the woodland sunflower in the future and include it under the Native to Ontario tag.
WARNINGS
And the Usual Cautions:
1) Most medicinal herbs, if edible, are meant to be eaten in moderation, even sparingly. Some require extra preparation. Tannins are toxic if consumed in excess. Before taking any new supplements, you should consult with a healthcare professional.
2) A vast amount of these herbs are diuretic. (See the Medicinal tags above to check if this featured herb is one of them!) Diuretics are generally safe, but they can be risky for people with other medical conditions or who take certain medications. Please consult your doctor if you have any health conditions.
3) People can be allergic or sensitive to nearly any plant; try new herbs one at a time at your own risk. For instance, saponins commonly cause stomach upset.
4) For serious medicinal use, I must recommend receiving a diagnosis and working with a reputed health care provider. I generally do not post specific treatments and dosages because I think that is best between you and your health care provider, and ideally monitored.
5) Anyone pregnant, nursing, or taking prescription drugs should talk to a health care professional before adding new food items to their diet.
6) Many plants have look-a-likes, and sometimes they are poisonous.
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REFERENCES
My new favourite foraging book is Sam Thayer’s Field Guide to Edible Wild Plants: of Eastern and Central North America (The Sam Thayer’s Field Guides) Paperback – June 1, 2023 and this plant IS featured as one of the edible wild plants in this area. I highly recommend this guide for your bookshelves!
Helianthus Linnaeus – Database of Vascular Plants of Canada (VASCAN)
Edible and Medicinal Plants of Canada
Stalking The Wild Asparagus (Field Guide Edition).
The Earthwise Herbal, Volume II: A Complete Guide to New World Medicinal Plants
The Good Living Guide to Natural and Herbal Remedies: Simple Salves, Teas, Tinctures, and More
Indian Herbalogy of North America: The Definitive Guide to Native Medicinal Plants and Their Uses
Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs
Field Guide to Medicinal Wild Plants
Field Guide to North American Edible Wild Plants (Out of Print)
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