Behind the Designs: The Apothecary Collection
Apothecary Florals
It’s just about to be June, which means that summer is just around the corner! Late spring and early summer florals are starting to come into bloom, and all of us at Ozone have already donned a pair or two of floral socks to celebrate the season. One of our favorite collections is the Ozone Apothecary, showcasing plants known for their medicinal properties. We loved highlighting the visual beauty of these flowers on our socks and learning about their fascinating homeopathic histories. How many of these did you know about?
Poppies
Perhaps the most recognizable instance of these beauties in pop culture is an endless field of them magically putting Dorothy and Toto to sleep. Yes, poppies’ function as a sedative and relaxant is well-documented -- but kind of cliché. In fact, they have much more to offer: you may have used their seeds in baking, but they can also be pressed into an oil for cooking. Dried petals are useful for herbal teas to calm respiratory ailments and can even serve as an ingredient in a homemade cough syrup.
Echinacea
Otherwise known as the purple Coneflower, echinacea grows wild in much of the United States in fields, forests and on roadsides. It’s one of the most common (and effective) herbal medicinals today, but it has a long history: several indigenous tribes have used the plant for the treatment and prevention of cold and flu symptoms for hundreds of years. These lovely little flowers are super easy to grow and thrive in dry conditions. Making your own tincture for cold season is just as simple!
Marigold
One of today’s most popular garden flowers was an essential tool for medics in the American Civil War...who knew? Its' petals were mashed and moistened into a paste, and applied directly onto wounds to prevent infection, still a useful folk remedy today. A tea infusion made with marigold petals can also be ingested, useful for improving circulation and cleansing the body of common toxins.
Primrose
Here’s one you may have seen popping up in health food stores in recent years: evening primrose seeds are frequently pressed into oils because of the high amount of GLAs (Gramm-linolenic acids) they contain, useful for hormonal imbalances and high blood pressure. Lesser known is the nutritional bounty of their root: the Cherokee tribe pulverizes it for a weight controlling tea, while others boil it like a potato, bringing out a sweet and earthy flavor.
Gentian
The star-shaped blooms of the gentian are a marvelous sight, but it’s actually the root of this plant that provides its medicinal power. Sold mainly in capsules today, gentian root was historically made into a tincture and ingested as a digestive tonic, useful to calm stomach discomfort and gastrointestinal disorders. It has even been said that gentian was used in the Middle Ages as an antidote for poison! But...you might be better off just going to the ER today.
Do you have any of these flowers growing in your garden this year? Let us know in the comments!
~Ben LoPiccolo - Content Creator for Ozone Design