Hyacinth Flower Benefits for Skin, Hair and Health
To rejuvenate our mood and to heal our body we often go to the market and buy various products. But do you know that most of the ingredients in these products come from plants that may be growing in our gardens? Hyacinth is one such plant. It was once the folk medicine in England. This plant is associated with Hyacinthus, the great Greek hero in the Greek mythology. This plant has its origin in eastern Mediterranean. It is a beautiful flowering plant. It is the native of north-east Iran and Turkmenistan. This plant blooms in the beginning spring.
The blooming of this plant is an indication of the end of winter. Hyacinth is toxic. So, its leaf, bulbs and sap can cause allergic reactions. The hyacinth bean or hyacinth bataw is a vine and it has leaves that are heart shaped. The purple hyacinth flowers turn in to clusters of pods. Hyacinth bean shoots and its pods provide you a lot of health benefits. There are also other types of hyacinth bean plants which have yellow or white coloured floral components such as petals. But mostly these plants grow with purple coloured pods and petals on them.
How the plant is used depends on its condition – whether it is still young or matured. If the pods are matured, then the seeds are removed and the pods are thrown away. But if the pods are young, the rough edges of the pods are removed and then you can eat them. Some people grow this plant as forage, while others grow this for consumption purposes. The hyacinth beans are also called Indian beans, calavance and Egyptian beans. In some areas these plants are planted as ornamental plants.
The beans of these plants are used for cooking curries, and for adding flavour to rice and dishes. It is particularly used for the preparation of breakfast dishes like akki rotti in Karnataka, India. In some places, along with its beans, its flowers are also consumed directly. Sometimes these are used in the preparation of special recipes. You can also consume its roots.
Hyacinth Flower Benefits for Skin:
Treats eczema:
Take the leaf extract of hyacinth and mix it well with turmeric and rice flour. This is excellent for treating skin problems like eczema.
Makes skin healthy:
Many of the skin care products that you get in the market contain hyacinth as one of their main ingredients. This is because of its antimicrobial, antibacterial and antifungal properties. These properties make it great for treating many disorders of skin.
Benefits of Hyacinth Flower for Hair:
Offer great fragrance to hair:
Hyacinth itself has no benefits for the hair. But it can provide amazing fragrance to shampoos and conditioners. Shampoos and conditioners containing hyacinth have the fragrance of fresh flower.
Health and Medicinal Benefits of Hyacinth:
Hyacinth is known for its medicinal benefits. So, it is used widely for this purpose.
Controls cholesterol:
Hyacinth beans are good for controlling the levels of cholesterol in the body. This is because of the hypocholesterolemic properties of this plant.
For healthier digestion:
Consuming stir fried hyacinth beans is sod for making digestion smooth. Traditional Chinese medicine uses the beans of this plant for maintaining a healthy spleen. This herb is also used for treating other digestive issues like diarrhoea, extended stomach, nausea, intestinal worms and flatulence.
Heals sore throat:
This plant is also good for treating sore throat. All you have to do is to extract he juice from the pods of this plant and use it. It can heal sore throat as well as inflamed ears.
Specially for women:
This plant is great for providing a healthier body for women. In Kenya, this plan is used by some tribes to increase lactation. For this the new mother has to consume boiled hyacinth bans. If you are suffering from irregular periods, the flowers of this plant can help you treat this issue.
Treats cholera:
The stem of hyacinth pant is very beneficial for the treatment of cholera. If you are suffering from symptoms like nausea and vomiting, stir fry the hyacinth beans and consume them. This can offer you relief.
Treats snake bites:
Prepare a poultice with the extracts of hyacinth leaves. This is good for the treatment of snake bites.
Works to treat SDIs:
Hyacinth plant is also good for treating sexually transmitted diseases like gonorrhoea. These can be treated with infusions prepared with the leaves of hyacinth plant.
Works as an anti-inflammatory:
In Philippines people use this plant for treating abscesses. They mix the juice of hyacinth with lemon juice and use this mixture for the treatment. It is applied topically for healing inflammation.
Hyacinth beans are also good for treating sun stroke, low immunity, obesity, fever and so on.
Dosage: You can make hyacinth beans a part of your regular diet. You may also use it as an herbal extract. If you are using the herbal extract, you should take care not to take more than 5 – 10 gm of the extract per day. You can have it in the form of powder or pills.
A Word of Caution:
- Never consume hyacinth beans without cooking them. Raw hyacinth beans can be toxic and can lead to stomach problems. So, it is better that you boil dry hyacinth bean seeds. This helps in removing the poison inside it, thus making it safe for consumption. You should also change the water that you have used for boiling. This will further help in getting rid of the poison present in the beans.
- If you are suffering from cold or flu, do not consume this plant in any forms.
Drug interactions of hyacinth with any other medication or herb are not known so far. So, it is better that you consult your doctor before you sue this plant or any of its parts.