When you can't see the sunshine ... Be the sunshine!

If there is a flower at this time of the year that demands all your attention as soon as you walk past a flower stall, it is the sunflower. And it will be clear to everyone that those cheerful large bright yellow flowers will brighten up your house, but did you know that these cheerful bright yellow flowers can do even more for you?

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The secret healing power of sunflowers and especially their seeds.

With sunflowers you probably don't immediately think of Traditional Chinese Medicine. Yet Chinese people often use sunflowers (and in particular the seeds) as an ingredient for massage oil. This is because oil from sunflower seeds improves blood flow and provides relief from the flu and cold.

Also within the Russian folk medicine people firmly believe in the healing effect of sunflowers. Russian sunflower tea is a good remedy for fever. Add 2 teaspoons of dried sunflower petals to a cup of boiling water, leave to stand for 10 minutes and then strain the leaves out of the water. If you drink two to three cups of this tea a day, you should lower your fever.

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Sunflower Seeds.

Not only the leaves are medicinal, the seeds of the sunflower also contribute to your health. They are packed with vitamins and minerals such as vitamin E, vitamin B, zinc, magnesium and iron. Vitamin E is a strong antioxidant and helps your body fight free radicals. 60 grams of sunflower seeds is enough for the daily recommended amount of vitamin E. Zinc is an important mineral with unprecedented vitality. This way zinc increases your resistance and the mineral has a beneficial effect on your libido. Magnesium is also such an indispensable mineral. It is not called "the spark of life" for nothing. Magnesium is involved in more than 300 biochemical reactions in your body. Consider, for example, the relaxation of your muscles, the release of energy from your diet and increasing your resistance in times of stress. Still not convinced of the power of sunflower seeds? What about the mineral iron that is in it? Although the total amount of iron in your body is small - only 4 grams, the weight of an 8-centimeter long nail - it is a particularly important mineral. Iron is very dynamic and moves very fast through your body. And it is precisely this property that makes iron so suitable for transporting oxygen. And you need that oxygen to convert fuels (sugars and fats) into energy. In short, sprinkling a handful of sunflower seeds on your salad has all kinds of health benefits!

Feng Shui.

Do you prefer to see sunflowers in a vase than on your plate? According to the Feng Shui, yellow is a color that is full of positive energy. Yellow is connected to the earth element. The color promotes feelings of comfort and harmony. That makes a large bunch of sunflowers a good choice for rooms where relatively much time is spent, such as the kitchen and the living room. Can you use a boost both physically and mentally? Even then these brightly colored flowers are cut! So cycle quickly past the flower stall :-).

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Nice to know.

• Everyone knows the yellow sunflower with the brown heart, but few people know that the sunflower is also available in the colors orange, brown, cream and dark red.

• The longest sunflower ever measured was no less than 9.17 meters. Say a three-storey apartment building.

• Not only the Provence in France is known for its unprecedented large fields with beautiful sunflowers, but also Tuscany! This is the perfect place to view the sunflowers in unspoilt nature.

• More than 50 million sunflowers were sold in the Netherlands last year. The majority of sunflower production even takes place in our own country (42 million units), despite the huge fields abroad.
  The sunflower is not only beautiful in a vase, in some countries the young sunflower buds are steamed and eaten just like artichokes. Sunflowers as superfood!

And if you are not yet convinced that sunflowers are a must in your garden, then it might be good to know that a sunflower also has a symbolic meaning.

And that symbolic meaning is: HAPPINESS.

What I can believe very well because watching the cheerful bright yellow sunflowers makes me enjoy every day, and whoever enjoys is happy.

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