10 Unexpected Uses for Flowers

Flowers are often purchased for aesthetic reasons and then admired from afar but flowers have multiple purposes that you may not know about. Flowers have a lot of unexpected and unique uses, some of which have been used for centuries, from medicine, food, beauty and more. If you love flowers (and let’s be honest, who doesn’t) and want to add flowers to a few other aspects of your life here are few creative and interesting uses for flowers brought to you by the florists at Give Gift Boutique Hong Kong Flower Shop.

Air Cleaners

Certain types of plants and flowers will actually improve your indoor air quality and you can thank NASA scientists for this discovery. Certain plants and flowers are highly effective at removing airborne toxins, carcinogens, dust, and germs. Flowers really are more than just a pretty face! Read more about what plants and flowers are best to have in your home if you’re looking to improve you indoor air quality.

Related: Breathe Better! Top 7 Plants and Flowers for Better Indoor Air Quality

Aromatherapy

Most flowers have an appealing scent and it’s one of the main reasons that we bring them into our home and offices. Flowers are used in essentials oils that can be smelled through a variety of diffusers or by being applied topically to the skin. Aromatherapy has been found in studies with cancer patients in which it has been noted that patients reported less anxiety, nausea, and pain when it was used in association with their standard cancer treatments. The takeaway from this study is that it’s a pretty good idea to keep flowers around you to help improve your health and well-being.

Related: Positive Effects of Flowers on Your Wellbeing

Radiation Absorbers

Believe it or not but sunflowers actually have the capacity to leech radiation from soil as their tissues have the ability to hold high amounts of toxins. This intriguing sunflower fact was discovered in the 1990s in Chernobyl as an experiment to try and remove some the radiation in the soil. This approach has also been used in Japan in both Hiroshima and Fukushima. In another study, sunflowers have also helped reduce lead concentrations in soil by 43%. These beautiful flowers may play a key part in helping clean up our environment in the future going forward.

Herbal Medicines

Flowers have been used in medicine for centuries and are still useful in the our modern world. Flowers like chamomile are effective in poultices for from sprains, bruises, and even arthritis. The gel of the aloe vera plant is a good remedy for dry, damaged, or wounded skin. Calendula is also a natural anti-inflammatory and has been used to help treat minor wounds, pain, swelling, sore throats, and menstrual cramps. Lavender has long been know for its calming properties, while flowers like santonin have been an effective cure for intestinal worms for centuries.

Floral Tea

Rose buds, chamomile, and jasmine are all popular teas that are made from flowers. Leaves, roots, and buds are used from variety of plants, flowers, shrubs to make this delicious beverage that are also often good for your health and beautiful to look at while being steeped.

Flower Food

Maybe you’ve never considered eating flowers before but its a practice that has existed for a long time and is starting to see a resurgence in the culinary fields. Try adding edible flowers to your next salad, dessert, or baked goods. Lavender and rose flavoured pastries and drinks are also popular items in a variety of cafes and bubble tea shops here in Hong Kong.

Related: The Best Edible Flowers to Add to Your Next Meal

Flower Dyes

Before chemical dyes, flowers and plants were used to dye fabrics, a practice that can turn into a fun and creative activity if you’re curious to try it for yourself as there are many DYI ideas on the internet. For example, safflower, marigolds, yarrow, sunflower and dandelion produce a wonderful yellow colour.

Floral Crafts

In a similar vein to dyeing, you can use flowers in variety of creative crafting ideas. From scrapbooking, flower-pressing, wreathes, potpourri, baby mobiles, jewelry any more. Just about anything you can imagine can be crafted with flowers if you have the creativity to apply it.

Beauty Products

From lipsticks, to creams, toners, and soaps, flowers make wonderful and helpful ingredients in many popular beauty products. For example, calendula flowers make great additions to lotions and ointments, while rose water is an effective toner for cleaning and tightening pores. Try your hand a making your own soap and get creative with dried flowers to add scent, colour, and texture.

Hair Décor

Putting flowers in your hair may seem like something from the 1970s but there has been a big resurgence in this practice in recent years, especially for brides. Using flowers in your hair doesn’t have to be reserved for special events as you can add some freshness to your everyday look with a few delicate flowers behind the ear or tucked into a pony tail.