Peony

Scientific name: Paeonia officinalis.

Common name: peony.

English name: peony, paeony.

Parts used: dried petals of the double-flowered variety and dried root.

A perennial plant with thickened roots such as rhizomes, solitary flowers with a diameter of 7-8 centimeters.  Today the petals are used exclusively to embellish herbal tea blends.  This use is safe, while other uses at high doses of both petals and roots can cause vomiting and diarrhea. The uses of peony handed down from folk medicine are not recommended.

Components: anthocyanin (peonin) and flavonoid flowers, monoterpene glycoside peoniflorina in the roots.