Flowers have been medicine for as long as human beings have been sick. Long before pharmaceutical laboratories, long before clinical trials, long before the word “pharmacy” existed — people were paying close attention to the plants around them, observing their effects, and developing sophisticated systems of plant medicine that have now been validated, in many cases, by modern science.
This post explores four of the most powerful and accessible medicinal flowers — elderflower, calendula, lavender, and chamomile — their traditional and scientifically supported uses, and exactly how to work with them in the kitchen and the medicine cabinet. We’ll cover recipes, teas, and detailed instructions for making your own tinctures at home.
A Note Before You Begin
Identify plants correctly before using them. Use organic flowers whenever possible — conventionally grown flowers are frequently treated with pesticides not intended for consumption. If you are pregnant, nursing, taking medications, or managing a health condition, consult a qualified healthcare provider before using herbal preparations. These recipes are for general wellness support, not medical treatment.
1. Elderflower (Sambucus nigra)
The elder tree is one of the most medicinally significant plants in European tradition. Its flowers and berries have been used for immune support, respiratory health, fever reduction, and as a gentle anti-inflammatory for centuries. Modern research has confirmed significant antiviral activity in elderflower extracts, particularly against influenza strains.
Elderflower’s active compounds include flavonoids (rutin, quercetin, and isoquercitrin), phenolic acids, and essential oils. These compounds work synergistically to support immune function, reduce inflammation, and promote sweating during fever — the body’s natural temperature-regulation mechanism during illness.
Elderflower Honey Tea
This is the simplest and most traditional way to use elderflower — drunk warm at the onset of a cold, during fever, or as a daily immune tonic throughout cold and flu season.
Ingredients: 2 tablespoons fresh elderflower heads (or 1 tablespoon dried), 2 cups just-boiled water, 1 tablespoon raw honey, juice of half a lemon.
Method: Place elderflowers in a teapot or heat-proof jar. Pour the just-boiled water over them and cover. Steep for 10-15 minutes. Strain. Add honey and lemon. Drink warm. For fever support, drink 2-3 cups daily and rest under blankets to encourage gentle sweating.
Elderflower Cordial
A beloved traditional recipe that preserves elderflower’s benefits in a form that keeps for months and can be diluted in water, sparkling water, or used in cooking.
Ingredients: 20 large elderflower heads, 1.5 liters water, 700g sugar, 2 lemons (zested and sliced), 50g citric acid (optional, helps preservation).
Method: Bring water and sugar to a boil, stirring until sugar dissolves. Remove from heat. Add lemon zest, lemon slices, citric acid if using, and elderflower heads. Stir, cover, and leave to infuse for 24 hours. Strain through muslin or a fine sieve. Pour into sterilized bottles. Keeps refrigerated for 6 weeks, or frozen for up to a year. Dilute 1:5 with cold or sparkling water to serve.
Elderflower Tincture
A tincture is an alcohol-based herbal extract that concentrates the plant’s active compounds and preserves them for months or years. Elderflower tincture is particularly useful for immune support during cold and flu season.
You will need: Fresh or dried elderflowers, 80-proof vodka or grain alcohol (at least 40% ABV), a clean glass jar with a tight-fitting lid, cheesecloth or a fine strainer, a dark glass dropper bottle for storage.
Method: Fill your jar approximately halfway with loosely packed fresh elderflowers, or one-quarter full with dried flowers (dried herbs are more concentrated). Pour vodka over the flowers until they are completely submerged and the jar is full. Seal tightly. Label with the date and contents. Store in a cool, dark place for 4-6 weeks, shaking gently every few days. After 4-6 weeks, strain the plant material out through cheesecloth, squeezing to extract every drop. Pour the finished tincture into a dark glass dropper bottle. Label with the date. Stores at room temperature for 2-5 years.
Dosage: 1-2 droppers (approximately 2-4ml) in water, 3 times daily during illness or as needed for immune support.
2. Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Calendula — also called pot marigold — is one of the most versatile medicinal flowers available. Its bright orange and yellow flowers have been used internally for digestive health and externally for wound healing, skin inflammation, and infection for over 1,000 years. Modern research has confirmed its anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, antifungal, and wound-healing properties, particularly through its triterpenoid saponins, flavonoids, and carotenoids.
Calendula Healing Salve
This is one of the most useful things you can make from your garden — a deeply healing balm for dry skin, minor cuts and scrapes, rashes, eczema, and insect bites.
Step 1 — Make calendula-infused oil: Fill a clean jar with dried calendula flowers. Cover completely with olive oil or sweet almond oil. Seal and place in a warm, sunny window for 4-6 weeks, shaking daily. Alternatively, gently warm the oil and flowers in a slow cooker on the lowest setting for 8-12 hours. Strain out the flowers through cheesecloth. The remaining golden oil is your infused base.
Step 2 — Make the salve: Melt 30g beeswax (or carnauba wax for vegan version) in a double boiler. Add 240ml of your calendula-infused oil. Stir to combine. Pour immediately into small tins or glass jars. Allow to cool and set at room temperature. For a firmer salve, add more beeswax. For a softer balm, use less.
Calendula Digestive Tea
Internally, calendula supports the mucous membranes of the digestive tract, making it valuable for gastritis, ulcers, and general digestive irritation.
Ingredients: 1 tablespoon dried calendula petals, 1 cup just-boiled water, honey to taste.
Method: Steep the petals in covered hot water for 10-15 minutes. Strain, sweeten, and drink 1-3 cups daily for digestive support.
Calendula Tincture
Calendula tincture is primarily used for internal digestive support and topically for skin conditions. Follow the same general tincture method described for elderflower above, using dried calendula petals and 80-proof vodka, macerating for 4-6 weeks in a dark location.
Dosage: 2-4ml in water up to three times daily for digestive support. Apply topically undiluted or diluted 1:10 in water to skin issues.
3. Lavender (Lavandula angustifolia)
Lavender is one of the most researched medicinal plants in modern science, with an extraordinary body of clinical evidence supporting its anxiolytic (anti-anxiety), sleep-promoting, pain-relieving, and antimicrobial effects. Studies have consistently found that lavender aromatherapy and oral preparations significantly reduce anxiety, improve sleep quality, and reduce heart rate and blood pressure. Its primary active compounds are linalool and linalyl acetate, which interact with GABA receptors in the brain — the same receptors targeted by benzodiazepine medications.
Lavender Honey Shortbread
A delicious medicinal food — the lavender carries its calming compounds into the bloodstream through the digestive system, while the ritual of baking and eating something beautiful is itself therapeutic.
Ingredients: 225g butter (softened), 100g powdered sugar, 2 tablespoons raw honey, 2 tablespoons fresh or 1 tablespoon dried culinary lavender flowers, 1 teaspoon vanilla, 280g all-purpose flour, pinch of salt.
Method: Cream butter, sugar, and honey until light and fluffy. Add lavender, vanilla, and salt. Gradually add flour and mix until a soft dough forms. Roll into a log, wrap in parchment, and refrigerate for 1 hour. Slice into rounds and place on a lined baking sheet. Bake at 325°F (165°C) for 14-16 minutes until pale golden. Cool on a rack. Makes approximately 24 cookies.
Lavender Sleep Tea
Ingredients: 1 teaspoon dried lavender flowers, 1 teaspoon dried chamomile (see below), 1 teaspoon passionflower (optional), 1 cup boiling water, honey to taste.
Method: Combine herbs in a tea infuser or teapot. Pour boiling water over, cover, and steep for 10 minutes. Strain and sweeten. Drink 30-60 minutes before bed. This combination is clinically effective for sleep onset and quality.
Lavender Tincture
Follow the standard tincture method with dried lavender flowers and 80-proof vodka, macerating for 4-6 weeks. Lavender tincture can be taken internally for anxiety and sleep support, or applied topically to temples, wrists, and the back of the neck for immediate calming effect.
Dosage: 1-3ml in water or directly under the tongue, 1-3 times daily as needed for anxiety or stress. Take a larger dose (2-4ml) 30-60 minutes before bed for sleep support.
4. Chamomile (Matricaria chamomilla)
Chamomile is arguably the world’s most consumed medicinal herb. Its delicate white and yellow flowers have been used for sleep, anxiety, digestive comfort, and skin healing across European and Middle Eastern traditions for over 5,000 years. Modern research has identified its primary active compound — apigenin — as a potent anxiolytic that binds to GABA receptors in the brain. Clinical trials have demonstrated chamomile’s efficacy for generalized anxiety disorder, insomnia, colic, irritable bowel syndrome, and eczema.
Chamomile Honey Facial Steam
This ancient beauty treatment opens pores, delivers chamomile’s anti-inflammatory compounds directly to the skin via steam, and is deeply relaxing through aromatherapy simultaneously.
Method: Bring 4 cups of water to a boil. Pour into a large bowl. Add 3-4 tablespoons of dried chamomile flowers and a tablespoon of dried lavender if available. Drape a towel over your head and the bowl to create a tent. Hold your face 8-10 inches above the water. Steam for 5-10 minutes. Follow with a cold water splash to close pores. Do once or twice weekly for sensitive, irritated, or congested skin.
Chamomile Golden Milk
A beautifully warming evening drink that combines the sleep and anti-anxiety benefits of chamomile with the anti-inflammatory power of turmeric.
Ingredients: 2 cups oat milk (or any milk), 2 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers, 1 teaspoon turmeric, ½ teaspoon cinnamon, pinch of black pepper (activates turmeric), 1 tablespoon honey, ½ teaspoon vanilla.
Method: Gently warm the milk in a saucepan over medium-low heat. Add chamomile and steep for 10 minutes (do not boil). Strain out the flowers. Add turmeric, cinnamon, pepper, honey, and vanilla. Whisk or blend until frothy. Pour into a mug and drink warm, ideally 30-60 minutes before sleep.
Chamomile Tincture
Chamomile tincture is one of the most versatile herbal preparations you can make — useful for anxiety, digestive spasms, teething pain in children (diluted), menstrual cramps, and topically for irritated skin.
Follow the standard tincture method using dried chamomile flowers and 80-proof vodka. Macerate for 4-6 weeks in a dark place. Strain and bottle in a dark glass dropper bottle.
Dosage: 2-4ml in water, 3 times daily for anxiety or digestive support. Take 3-5ml in warm water 30-60 minutes before bed for sleep. Apply topically diluted 1:5 in water to irritated or inflamed skin.
Positive thoughts create positive outcomes. And nourishing your body with the medicine the earth provides is one of the most positive relationships you can cultivate.
Grow Your Medicine
High Phase believes in a world that nourishes itself — with food, with flowers, with the extraordinary medicine the earth grows freely for anyone willing to pay attention.