EDIBLE FLOWERS OF KERALA AS FUNCTIONAL FOODS: NUTRITIONAL AND THERAPEUTIC PERSPECTIVES: A REVIEW

Abstract

Edible flowers are an under-utilised reservoir of nutrients and bioactive phytochemicals that link culinary traditions to ethnomedicine. Edible flowers in Kerala represent a culturally embedded, nutritionally promising group of functional food ingredients. Integrating traditional knowledge with modern phytopharmacology can accelerate their transition from household recipes to evidence-based nutritional inventions and functional food products. This review synthesises nutritional, phytochemical, and pharmacological evidence for commonly consumed flowers in the region and frames them as functional food ingredients that confer health benefits beyond basic nutrition. This can be achieved by summarising the proximate composition, key micronutrients and documented bioactivities of selected edible flowers of Kerala. The review also evaluates value-added food preparational practices in Kerala and their nutraceutical benefits, as well as the importance of integrating ethnobotanical heritage with contemporary scientific inquiry to fully unlock the health-promoting potential of Kerala's floral diversity.