The Essentials

Traditional mild and gentle laxative is safer than stimulant herbs for elders.

Calming for an overheated, restless mizāj. Skin-soothing topical (put on the skin) applications.

When peach orchards in northern Iran bloom in early spring, people gather the petals and dry them in the shade for the year ahead. Classical Persian medicine treats the flower as quite different from the fruit: softer, slightly cooler, and gently laxative. Traditionally, it was one of the first remedies considered for stubborn constipation in elders and for restless, overheated children.

What Else to Know

Known to botanists as Prunus persica (flos).

Soft pink five-petaled blossoms appearing in early spring on bare peach branches before leaves emerge. Only the dried flowers (gol-e holu) are used in traditional Persian medicine — distinct from the fruit (holu) and the leaf.

Family: Rosaceae (rose family).