Sunflower

The common sunflower is a large annual plant of the daisy family, grown for its edible seeds. Cunningham gives it a masculine, Sun, fire character, the folk names Corona Solis, Marigold of Peru and Solo Indianus, and the powers fertility, wishes, health and wisdom. Women eat the seeds to conceive, the seeds are worn against smallpox, and a flower cut at sunset with a wish is said to grant it. Kynes adds the deities Apollo, Demeter, Helios and Inti, Lughnasadh, and powers including clarity, peace, strength and prosperity, and says the Inca venerated it as a sun-god symbol. The American Herbal Products Association records allergic reactions, including anaphylaxis, and other hazards, set out in the safety notes.