Flower head

Broom com is the fiber obtained from the flower head of another grass, Sorgum vulgare technicum grown in the United States. The fibers are less stiff than those of the broom root and are used in brooms. 

Marijuana is the name given to the dried leaves and flower heads of the hemp plant, Cannabis sativa, prepared as a smoking mixture. 

The compounds featured in Table 1.1 are considered briefly here. Pyrethrins are lipophilic esters that occur in Chrysanthemum spp. Extracts of flower heads of Chrysanthemum spp. contain six different pyrethrins and have been used for insect control (Chapter 12). Pyrethrins act upon sodium channels in a manner similar to p,p -DDT. The highly successful synthetic pyrethroid insecticides were modeled on natural pyrethrins. 

Table 2.20 Sesquiterpenes, chromosome numbers, and flower head features for Ambrosia camphorata (after Seaman and Mabry, 1979a)...

Avoid bruising the flower heads and spread them out to dry with their heads down on a nylon screen or net. It is best to keep them from touching one another so they will retain their color. Dry them in a warm place such as an attic or on top of a clean closet. 

Avallone R, Zanoli P, Corsi L, Cannazza G, Baraldi M Benzodiazepine-like compounds and GABA in flower heads of Matricaria cha-momilla. PhytotherRes 1996 10 177-179. 

About 120 chemical constituents have been identified in chamomile as secondary metabolites, including 28 terpenoids, 36 flavonoids and 52 additional compounds [4]. A substantial part of drag effects are determined by the essential oil content. Oil is collected from flower heads, either by steam distillation or solvent extraction, for yields of 0.24-1.90% of fresh or dry plant tissue. Among the essential oil constituents the most active are /-/-a-bisabolol and chamazulene. /-/-a-bisabolol has demonstrated anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, antiulcer, sedative and CNS activity. Chamazulene is also anti-inflammatory. Topical applications of chamomile preparation have shown benefit in the treatment of eczema, dermatitis and ulceration [5]. 

Plants. Plant material, chamomile anthodia (42 different samples), was collected from natural sites (together 30 localities) in the East-Slovakian Lowland dining four years (1995, 1996, 1997 and 1998). The dry flower heads were obtained from additional localities (Ukraine, Poland, Egypt, and Malta abroad Crimea) abroad in 1995, 1997, 1998, 2002, 2004 and 2005. 

The percentage of essential oil content in dry chamomile flower-heads and its qttali-tative and qrrantitative characteristics, which were determined by the GC-analysis are presented in comprehensive Table 7.1. Percentage corrterrts of the essential oil from chamomile flower anthodia were ranging 0.63 0.19 over the whole examined samples. 

Ethylene-dependent mechanism terminates flower life after successful pollination as a way to benefit survival of the species. Usually, in species with short-lived flowers, such an ethylene-dependent termination apparently is not beneficial as the life of individual flowers is short anyway. Similarly, in species with numerous flowers in one flower head in which continuous visits of pollinators are required, ethylene-dependent termination is not beneficial. ... 

The most economically important group of natural plant insecticides are the pyrethrins, a group of six closely related esters extracted from pyrethrum (Chrysanthemum clnerariaefollum) flower heads (Figure 1). Pyrethrum has been used as an insecticide since at least the early 1800 s in Persia and Yugoslavia. By 1828 pyrethrum was being processed for commercial Insect control, and by 1939 imports of pyrethrum into the United States reached a peak of 13.5 million pounds. Use of the natural product declined in the early 1950 s because of the advent of synthetic pyrethroid analogs (for example, allethrins), which were both more stable and more effective in the field. The present worldwide demand for pyrethrum flowers remains in excess of 25,000 tons annually and is satisfied by the estimated 150 million flowers still hand-harvested daily, predominantly in natural stands and cultivated fields in Kenya, Tanzania, and Ecuador (9 ). 

Hellmann, J., Muller, E., and Merfort, I., Flavonoid glucosides and dicaffeoylquinic acids from flower heads of Buphthalmum salicifolium. Phytochemistry, 51, 713, 1999. 

The roundish flower head, the curd, of the cauliflower plant (Brasska oleracea var. botrytis) is the edible portion of this vegetable. It can be eaten raw in salads or as a pickled condiment in vinegar. More often it is boiled and eaten with the main meal or is converted into sauces and soups. Over 80 volatile compounds have been identified in raw and cooked cauliflower. Among the compounds potentially active in cooked cauliflower, certain sulfides such as methanethiol, dimethyl sulfide and dimethyl trisulflde have often been incriminated in objectionable sulfurous aromas and overcooked off-flavours [169, 177, 178, 181-183]. Additional aldehydes have been found to be the most abundant cauliflower volatiles, with nonanal as a major component [175,177]. A recent study showed that volatiles such as 2-propenyl isothiocyanate, dimethyl trisulflde, di-... 

Hierochloe odorata (L.) Beauv. Mao Xian (root, flower head) Coumarin, coumarinic acid-P-glucoside.48 Relieve internal bleeding, kidney infection. 

Inula britannica L. I. japonica Thunb. I. linariaefolia Turcz. I. linariaefolia Turcz. f. simplex Kom. I. salsoloides (Turcz.) Ostenfeld Xuan Fu Hua (Elecampane) (aerial part, including flower head) Inusterol A, taraxasterol, inusterol B, inulicin, flavone, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, isoquercitrin, quercetin, taraxasteryl palmitate, bigelovin, dihydrobigelovin.48-50 260 Discutient, vulnerary, antiemetic, carminative, diuretic, deobstruent, treat ascites, bronchitis, cancer, chest congestion. 

Matricaria chamomilla L. Yang Gan Jiu (Matricary) (flower head, leaf) Volatile oil, azulene, isoamyl, isobutyl, angelic acid, tiglic acid, anthelmic acid, tannins, malic acid.77 Carminative, diaphoretic. 

Guedon, D., P. Abbe, and J. L. Lamaison. 1993. Leaf and flower head flavonoids of Achillea millefolium L. subspecies. Biochem. Syst. Ecol. 21 607-611. 

Papaver somniferum Linn, (flower heads, latex) Papaveraceae Codeine (51) Morphine (51) Narcotine (51) Papaverine (51) Thebaine (51)... 

The famous "chamomile tea" is taken for nervous and bilious headache, as an aid to digestion, and for hysterical tendencies in women. The dose is up to 4 tablespoonfuls of the infusion of 1 ounce to 1 pint of water. Externally, the flower-heads make a first-rate poultice and fomentation for bruises and deep-seated inflammation, and are also used as a lotion for toothache, earache and neuralgia. In the pulverized form they may be made up with Soap-wort into a shampoo, especially for fair hair. 

Features Leaves broad, narrowing at base, brittle, smooth, serrate, approximately three inches long by half an inch to one inch broad. Flower heads globular, florets yellow, scales of involucre reflexed. Bitterish taste. 

Features Stem angular, hairy up to one foot high. Lower leaves stalked, spatulate, upper sessile, all hairy. Flower-heads yellow, the tubular florets sterile. Fruit semicircular, angular, rough, no pappus. Taste bitter, smell unpleasantly strong. 

---