#Magic petals skin#

Generally speaking, the lighter seeds are used for consumption and the smaller, darker seeds are used for oil production.īy the late 1800s, Russian sunflower seeds found their way back the US. There were two different types of sunflowers being planted, with one type being used for oil production and the other being used to produce sunflower seeds for consumption. The Church forbid the consumption of most oils during lent, however, sunflower oil wasn’t on this list which meant that it rose immensely in popularity.īy the early 1800s, over 2 million acres of sunflowers had been planted by Russian farmers. Part of the rise in popularity of sunflower oil was due to the Russian Orthodox Church.

By the 1830s sunflower oil was being produced on a commercial scale. Texts from 1769 mention that sunflowers had moved from purely ornamental plants to being used to make oil. Russia is credited with spreading the popularity of sunflowers, and much of this is down Peter the Great who appears to have loved the plant. By 1716, a patent was granted in England for a technique to extract the oil from the seeds. The flowers were cultivated widely but were mainly ornamental. In the 1500s, Spanish explorers brought sunflower seeds back to Europe. In its original form, it was a much bushier plant with multiple flower heads. It’s believed that Native American tribes cultivated the sunflower plant into the single-stemmed plant we commonly see today. The stalks of the sunflowers were dried and used as building materials.

#Magic petals skin#

The oil was used to treat skin and hair and other parts of the plant were used to make dyes for textiles and body painting. The seeds were commonly eaten as a snack and were also pressed to make oil. They also added this flour to other vegetables like beans, corn and squash. They were a common crop and are thought to have been domesticated before corn.Īmerican Indian tribes used the seeds to make flour for bread and cakes. There is evidence that sunflowers were being cultivated by American Indians, in what is now known as Arizona and New Mexico, as early as 3000BC. Sunflowers, the most common of which is called Helianthus Annuus, are native to North America and belong to the Asteraceae family. If you are pregnant, consult your doctor or midwife before consuming something you haven’t tried before. Always make sure that anything you consume is 100% safe. If you are ill, please go and see a doctor. Disclaimer: Any medicinal benefits given here are a product of my own research and as such should not be taken over the advice of trained medical professionals.