I dried some sunchoke flowers and made an infusion from the petals.
The taste is not exactly sleep inducing, but it has a mild starchy sweetness to it that is soothing and relaxing. The aroma is hay-like, sunlit, quite reminiscent of mimosa essential oil. The petals will taste really good with rice, especially basmati rice, with cumin, curry plant (immortelle), ginger, juniper berries, culinary lavender and tangerine peels.
I have found one Latvian brand that sells sunchoke flower tea. Online, there is almost no information on sunchoke petals; but people must have used them, since sunchokes establish themselves so easily in the Northern hemisphere and the tubers are a nutritious, versatile vegetable.
The scent and aroma profile links sunchokes petals to herbs and spices that support the digestive system and balance and strengthen the nerves. A stomach/spleen meridian helper.
28 October 2022
Nanda Jurela 