Not just a pretty face. Both the leaves and petals of the nasturtium plant are packed with nutrition, containing high levels of vitamin C. It has the ability to improve the immune system, tackling sore throats, coughs, and colds, as well as bacterial and fungal infections. Nasturtiums have natural antibiotic properties, so one way to use this medicinal flower is to crush up the leaves and flowers and apply it topically to cuts, scrapes, blisters, or wounds. Mix the crushed leaves and flowers with coconut or olive and wrap lightly with gauze to keep it in place.
Tropaeolum, commonly known as nasturtium, is a genus of roughly 80 species of annual and perennial herbaceous flowering plants. It was named by Carl Linnaeus in his book Species Plantarum, and is the only genus in the family Tropaeolaceae. The perennial varieties are mostly winter/cold hardy, whereas the annuals have to be grown each year from seed.