Inflamed eyes and gums and soothing remedy with cornflower

Cornflower is a very well known flower. It blooms from May to June. Its petals are intense blue.
It’s an annual herbal plant, growing 80 cm tall, with flowers producing flowerheads which are blue, small and red inside.
It grows all over Italy in invasive form in uncultivated places and in corn fields, where it’s often connected with poppy.
The parts used in herbal medicine are flowerheads which are gathered as soon as they blossom, detaching them one by one; they are dried up in the shadow and kept in glass pots sheltered from the light.
Cornflower has anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anti-cough and low astringent action. The most interesting feature is that it’s an excellent decongestant and anti-redness for eyes and lids. For internal use, on the contrary, it’s used as light diuretic and couth sedative. It can also be used in baths for its soothing effect for delicate and sensitive skins.

Anti-inflammatory compresses for eyes: prepare a decoction, boiling a tbsp of cornflower flowerheads and a big cup of boiling hot water for 10 minutes. Let it cool, drain and use with sterile gauzes to make compresses on inflamed eyes and lids. The same decoction can be used to have mouthwashes and gargles. It disinflammates gums and mouth mucosa.

Soothing bath: Mix a handful of cornflower dried flowerheads and one of chamomile dried flowerheads. Put them in a tightly woven cloth bag and dip it in the bath filled with hot water. Dip for 15 minutes without using foamy substances. Be careful, water temperature must not be higher than 37°C. It’s a relaxing bath, particularly recommended for sensitive skins.

Tweet