Cornflower

Centaurea cyanus

Bachelor's-button Bluebottle Cornflower Hurtsickle Parts used Uses Habitat and cultivation Constituents

Cornflower - an annual herb, with an erect, wiry, downy stem that grows 1-2 feet high and is branching. At the ends of the branches grow solitary, thistle like, brilliant blue flower heads. Long grayish-green leaves are alternate, lance-shaped, and downy like the stem.

A favorite garden flower, cornflower is an easily cultivated annual that has many varieties and colors. The cornflower in herbal use is Centaurea cyanus-the familiar bright blue "bachelor's-button," as it is often called. Originally native to the Mediterranean, cornflower was so completely naturalized in England- where it was common in grain fields-that farmers looked upon it as a weed, calling it "hurtsickle" because of its tough stem, which blunted their sickles. "Cornflower blue" is the color of incredibly blue eyes. People lucky enough to have such beautiful eyes are especially likely to enjoy the plant's beneficial effect on the eyesight, according to folklore-and a decoction of the dried flowers has been used to treat eye inflammations. In folk medicine the leaves or seeds steeped in wine were taken as a cure for pestilential fevers. Juice from the leaves of cornflower was applied externally to wounds.

Since cornflowers retain their bright color when dry, they are often used in arrangements of dried flowers or in wreaths. Juice from the flowers mixed with alum water makes a blue ink, but the color is not fast as a dye for cloth.

The Latin name refers to a mythical centaur that the ancient Greeks worshiped as the father of medicine.

PARTS USED

Flowers, seeds, leaves.

USES

Cornflower is still used in French herbal medicine as a remedy for the eyes (the strained infusion is used as an eyewash, and the petals applied as a poultice), but opinion differs as to its efficacy. The petals are also taken as a bitter tonic and stimulant, improving digestion and possibly supporting the liver as well as improving resistance to infection. The seeds have been used as a mild laxative for children. A decoction of the leaves is used to treat rheumatic complaints.

Research concerning cornflower's medicinal value indicates that it may have some effect as an astringent, or substance that causes contraction of tissues and thus stops bleeding. This effect is a result of the tannin content of cornflower. Pharmacologists find little evidence, however, to support its efficacy in treating fevers.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

A native of Europe and widely cultivated in North America, the cornflower has escaped from gardens and become naturalized.

CONSTITUENTS

Cornflower contains flavonoids, sesquiterpene lactones (including cnicin), acetylenes, and coumarins. Cnicin is slightly antibiotic.