How sunflower cultivation helps human health

What is sunflower

Sunflower is a plant in the Asterassia family. Botanical name is Helianthus annuus. This scientific name comes from the Greek word 'Helios' or Sun and 'anthos' or flower. Sunflower is native to North America. There are 70 genera. Produces vegetable oil from sunflower. It grows in temperate zones. India ranks first in sunflower oil. Sunflower can grow at any time. Sunflower seeds were bought to Europe from the United States in the 16th century. The disk flowers are brown, yellow or purple, while the petallIke ray flowers are yellow. The fruit is a single-seeded achene. Sunflowers make excellent cut flowers and many are attractive to bees and birds.

Different species

There are different species such as Russian giant, teddy bear, gaint sungold, autumn mix, Italian white , prado series.

How to grow the plant

Sunflower seeds can be soaked in water for 24 hours and then sown in a small pot filled with soil. Sunflower should be planted 1- 1 1/2 inches deep and about 6 inches apart after the soil has throughly warmed. The plant needs cooling to grow. Choose a location with well draining soil. It should not pool water after it rains. Therefore cultivation can be started in the months of December and January. In most regions this will fall between April and mid July.When 4-6 leaves appear, the plant flowers requires good sunlight. The largest sunflower varieties grow to over 16 feet in height. You can Cut stems early in the morning. Harvesting flowers during middle of the day may lead to flower Wilting. After that, arrange sunflowers in tall containers that provide good support for their heavy heads.

Honey from sunflower

Honey can be produced from the sunflower garden. Bees can be reared in a sunflower garden to collect honey. The Italian hive is the best. 30kg of honey can be obtained from an Italian bee hive. Sunflower honey is in good demand in the market. If the bee hive is installed in the garden, it will fetch a good price. Bees help speed up pollination in flowers. If more flowers there are, the more oil you get. Sunflower growers can try this. Some farmers do this. Sunflower honey is widely used in France, Switzerland, Spain, Germany, Japan, China, Canada, and India.

Sunflower honey is a medicine

Cough, sputum, soar throat, hoarseness, asthma, tonsillitis, fever, eye diseases, toothache, dizziness, migraine, epilepsy, heart disease, high cholesterol, high blood pressure, diabetes, hepatitis, gastro Intestinal diseases, urinary tract infections, infertility. Sunflower honey is the best medicine for such diseases. Sunflower honey regenerates cells. Eliminates aging. Gives eternal youth. Boosts the immune system. It contains Anti-Oxidants, anti-tumor, and cancer substances. So, it fights cancer.

Other uses

Sunflower roots can be cut and boiled in hot water to make tea. Young stalks and leaves can also be added salads. Sunflower leaves are used for making paper and making fodder. The sunflower species is also used as wild bird food and some industrial applications and as an ornamental in domestic gardens. Sunflower oil is also used in soap and paints .