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Russian encyclopedia of garden plants tells that the name of the peony derives from the name of an Ancient Greek god, Pean, who was evil averter and resident physician of Olympian Gods. Using a plant he received from Leta (mother of Apollo), Pean cured Hades` wounds made by Heracles. Pean was such a successful doctor that his teacher, Aesculapius, became anvious and decided to poison him. But instead Hades (by another version — Zeus), grateful for successful cure, turned Pean into a beautiful flower resembling a huge rose.

Speaking of curing, the peony was used in traditional Chinese medicine to reduce fever and pain, or to treat rheumatoid arthritis (ok, these two statements do not contradict).

The “Plants of the future” web-site claims that peonies are edible: root — cooked and eaten in a broth; stems — cooked; seed — powdered and mixed with tea. I`m surprised: never could imagine that peonies can be edible. Maybe that is due to some unconciously realized similarity of peonies` appearance with the buttercup family.

Besides, the same web-site tells that in China peony “is known most widely as one of the herbs used to make `Four Things Soup`, a woman`s tonic, and it is also a remedy for gynaecological problems.2011-06-peonies

species Chinese peony, common garden peony Paeonia lactiflora