IngredientsBellis perennis (/ˈbɛlɪs pəˈrɛnɪs/), the daisy, is a European species of the family Asteraceae, often considered the archetypal species of the name daisy. To distinguish this species from other plants known as daisies, it is sometimes qualified or known as common daisy, lawn daisy, or English daisy. Historical vernacular names include bruisewort and woundwort, which reflect its traditional wound-healing applications. In medieval times, Bellis perennis or the English Daisy was commonly known as "Mary's Rose."
The genus name Bellis comes from the Latin bella, meaning beautiful, while the specific epithet perennis means perennial. Its common name "daisy" originates from the Anglo-Saxon daegeseage ("day's eye"), reflecting its habit of opening with the sun and closing at night. It was first described scientifically in 1753 by Swedish botanist Carl Linnaeus in Species Plantarum.
Bellis perennis is a perennial herbaceous plant growing to 20 centimetres in height. It has short creeping rhizomes and rosettes of small rounded or spoon-shaped leaves that are from 2 to 5 cm long and grow flat to the ground. The flower head grows on a hairy stem from the centre of the rosette; it is not a true flower but a composite of tiny flowers, which make up the yellow disc in the middle ("disc florets") and the surrounding white "ray florets."
Daisies belong botanically to the daisy family (Asteraceae) and are native to almost all of Europe, preferring to grow in meadows and pastures with nutrient-rich, well-drained, moist, loamy soils. The common daisy is also located in Northern America and Central Asia.
The parts that grow above ground are used as medicine. More specifically, the flowers, leaves, stems, and roots have all been documented in medicinal and scientific contexts. The roots and flowers of B. perennis have been shown to contain several important bioactive constituents. In homeopathic preparations, the homeopathic mother tincture is prepared from the fresh, whole plant, including the flowers, leaves, and stems.
In modern herbal medicine, Bellis perennis is often prepared as a tincture, ointment, or infused oil for external application. The flowering tops are harvested and prepared as tinctures, creams, poultices, or infused oils for external use. The flowers have been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea — or the leaves as a salad — for treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract. The majority of scientific studies have been conducted with the aqueous, methanolic, or ethanolic extract of the plant.
In ancient Rome, the surgeons who accompanied Roman legions into battle would order their slaves to pick sacks full of daisies in order to extract their juice. Bandages were soaked in this juice and would then be used to bind sword and spear cuts. There is evidence that during ancient Roman times, army field surgeons used to gather daisies from along the roadsides, extract the plant juice, and use it to soak bandages to dress battle wounds.
Native to Europe and North Africa, Bellis perennis has been used in traditional medicine in Europe since the Middle Ages to treat bruises, broken bones, muscle pain, cutaneous wounds, and rheumatism. Other skin applications included eczema, boils, inflammation, and purulent skin disease. In addition, B. perennis has been used in folk medicine to treat upper respiratory tract infections, gastritis, stomachache, diarrhea, bleeding, rheumatism, common colds, and headache.
John Gerard, the 16th century herbalist, recommended daisy for catarrh, heavy menstrual bleeding, migraine, and for bruises and swellings. It was well known by the Crusaders for easing pain, bruising, wounds, and broken bones; its country name is "bruisewort."
It was used traditionally as a spring tonic, to "cleanse the blood," for fevers, coughs and pleurisy, to stimulate digestion, for liver, gallbladder, and kidney problems, for swollen breasts, and inflammatory conditions of the reproductive tract.
Flowers of Bellis perennis have been used in traditional Austrian medicine internally as tea (or the leaves as a salad) for treatment of disorders of the gastrointestinal and respiratory tract. People took wild daisy tea for coughs, bronchitis, disorders of the liver and kidneys, and swelling (inflammation). Wild daisy was also sometimes applied directly to the skin for wounds and skin diseases.
In folk medicine broadly, Bellis perennis has been used as a remedy for wounds, rheumatism, eczema, eye diseases, inflammation, and tonsillitis. It has a long history of use in folk medicine in the treatment of various diseases, such as rheumatism and as an expectorant.
In homeopathy, Bellis perennis is known as "Poor Man's Arnica" and is used with Arnica to treat bruising and trauma. In homeopathic practice, Bellis is widely employed in trauma to the uterus, including the trauma of labor and cesarean section. Both Arnica and Bellis are considered anti-hemorrhagic and analgesic in homeopathic traditions. Bellis perennis is still used in homeopathy for wounds and after certain surgical procedures, as well as for blunt trauma in animals.
Bellis perennis may be used as a potherb. The young leaves can be eaten raw in salads or cooked, but the leaves become increasingly astringent with age. Flower buds and petals can be eaten raw in sandwiches, soups, and salads. It is also used as a tea and as a vitamin supplement.
The chemical constituents of Bellis perennis (Asteraceae) include saponins, triterpenes, several anthocyanins, polyphenols, flavonoids, and polyacetylenes. A comprehensive review published in 2023 consolidated substances into a tabular overview of over 310 individual components, compound classes, and bioactivities, as well as their accurate plant organ origin.
The most extensively studied class of constituents in Bellis perennis is its triterpenoid saponins. Six new acylated triterpenoid saponins, bellisosides A–F, were isolated from the roots of Bellis perennis together with a known saponin, bellissaponin BS2. These saponins bear polygalacic acid as sapogenin and are bisdesmosidic glycosides. Research published in the Chemical and Pharmaceutical Bulletin identified acylated oleanane-type triterpene oligoglycosides, designated perennisaponins A–F, from the flowers.
Wild daisy contains chemicals called saponins, and these chemicals might help skin cells produce more collagen. Saponins are also the basis of the commercial skin-lightening fraction known as Belides™. A novel botanical ingredient with trade name Belides™, obtained from daisy flower blossoms (Bellis perennis L.), consists of bioactive constituents such as saponins (triterpene glycosides), polyphenols, and polysaccharides.
The phenolic constituents of Bellis perennis include flavonoids, anthocyanins, tannins, and phenolic acids (e.g., caffeic, ferulic, sinapic, p-coumaric, and salicylic acids). The following flavonoids have been described in daisy flowers: quercetin, apigenin, kaempferol, isorhamnetin, apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-β-D-glucuronide, apigenin-7-O-(6′′-E-caffeoyl)-β-D-glucoside, apigenin-7-O-β-D-methylglucuronide, isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-galactoside, isorhamnetin-3-O-β-D-(6′′-acetyl)-galactoside, and kaempferol-3-O-β-D-glucoside.
HPLC data for plant extracts has shown the presence of the following phenolic compounds: gallic acid monohydrate, caffeic acid, rutin hydrate, luteolin-7-O-β-D glucoside, kaempferol, myricetin, quercetin, coumarin, and apigenin.
The chemical investigation of the essential oils from the aerial organs of Bellis perennis L. showed that polyacetylenes were one of the dominant class of compounds. The major constituents, methyl deca-4,6-diynoate and deca-4,6-diynoic acid, and their structural analogues, deca-4,6-diyne, dimethyl octa-3,5-diyne-1,8-dioate, and deca-4,6-diyne-1,10-dioic acid, were synthesised and their antimicrobial activity evaluated. Polyacetylenes were one of the major chemical classes (18–21%) mainly consisting of two new C10 acetylenic compounds identified as methyl deca-4,6-diynoate and deca-4,6-diynoic acid.
The main constituents of this plant are triterpenoid saponins, essential oils, and flavonoids. Additional components documented in the literature include anthocyanins (including three glucuronylated and malonylated cyanidin-3-glucosides), tannins, polysaccharides, and various phenolic acids. The Asteraceae family, to which B. perennis belongs, includes some well-known medicinal plants like milk thistle, chamomile, and marigold.
The biological activities of Bellis perennis extracts and isolates operate through several proposed mechanisms. However, it is important to note that the compounds of the extracts used have often been qualified and quantified, but it remains unclear which specific substances have an activity. The works often stay at the level of the crude extract or a fraction, but not at a single purified and tested compound, and consequently they are hampered by a missing comprehensive bioactivity workflow.
With that caveat, the following mechanisms have been proposed based on available evidence:
Preclinical evidence (animal models): In a rat model, six wounds were introduced onto each animal, with two treated topically once a day with a hydrophilic ointment containing an n-butanol fraction of B. perennis, two treated daily with the ointment minus the B. perennis fraction, and two untreated wounds used as control. Statistically significant differences were noted with 100% wound closure in the B. perennis group, 87% in the control group, and 85% in the other treatment group. The investigators concluded that their findings represented the first scientific confirmation supporting the traditional usage of B. perennis for wound healing. The investigators noted that the topical administration of an ointment formulated with an n-butanol fraction of B. perennis flowers exhibits wound healing activity without inducing scars in a circular excision wound model in rats.
Evidence strength: Evidence is limited to preclinical (animal) models. No rigorous human clinical trials on wound healing with standardized B. perennis herbal preparations have been published as of the most recent comprehensive review.
In vitro and pilot human study evidence: Belides™ was found to exhibit a strong inhibitory effect on melanogenesis. Results of a pilot study performed on human volunteers demonstrated the in vivo skin-lightening efficacy of Belides™.
Clinical study (combination product): In 2010, Costa et al. conducted a monoblind clinical study to assess the clinical efficacy of the combination of Belides™, emblica, and licorice 7%, compared with hydroquinone 2% for the treatment of epidermal or mixed melasma in 56 women aged 18–60 years. Subjects (ranging from Fitzpatrick skin type I to IV) exclusively used an SPF 35 sunscreen for 60 days before being selected for either the herbal combination cream treatment, applied twice daily, or the hydroquinone group, applied nightly. Depigmentation was observed in 78.3% of the herbal combination group and 88.9% of the hydroquinone group. No statistically significant differences were found between the treatment regimens in ameliorating melasma, but fewer adverse cutaneous reactions were associated with the herbal treatment. The investigators found the combination of Belides™, emblica, and licorice to be a safe and effective option for treating melasma.
Evidence strength: The combination skin-lightening study used a monoblind design and tested a multi-ingredient product, making it impossible to attribute effects to B. perennis alone. The pilot human study for Belides™ alone was preliminary. Evidence for skin-lightening is considered promising but not yet sufficient to establish efficacy of the isolated ingredient.
In vitro cell-based evidence: A study was designed to evaluate the potential use of Bellis perennis extract (BPE) in cosmeceuticals as a photoprotective factor, using an in vitro model of UVA-induced keratinocyte damage. Human skin keratinocytes (HaCaT cell line) were incubated with BPE at 0.01, 0.1, or 1% in DMEM, and after 15 min they were submitted to UVA radiation at 5, 10, and 15 J/cm² doses. After 24 h of UVA exposure, cell viability, levels of cleaved caspase-3, cyclooxygenase-2, IL-6, reactive oxygen species (ROS), and antioxidant enzyme (catalase, SOD, and glutathione peroxidase) activity were determined.
Evidence strength: This evidence is in vitro only (cell-based). No human clinical trials on photoprotection have been published. Results are preliminary and mechanistically interesting but not translatable to clinical recommendations.
In vitro evidence: Only deca-4,6-diynoic acid and deca-4,6-diyne-1,10-dioic acid (polyacetylenes) showed antimicrobial activity, being the two compounds mainly effective against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, respectively. Targeting Gram-positive bacteria (Streptococcus pyogenes, Staphylococcus aureus, and Staphylococcus epidermidis), the extract of flowers of Bellis perennis was active against all of them and also against one of the seven Gram-negative bacteria tested, Enterobacter cloacae.
However, antimicrobial activities of all plant materials were evaluated at varying concentrations against a panel of pathogens, but without pronounced inhibitory effect in at least one study of aerial part extracts, suggesting results are inconsistent across extraction methods and tested organisms.
Antifungal activity: Crude saponins and saponin esters showed in vitro antimycotic activity against Candida albicans, Trichophyton rubrum, and T. mentagrophytes. Saponin esters also inhibited Aspergillus niger.
Evidence strength: All antimicrobial evidence is in vitro. No human or animal clinical trials have tested B. perennis preparations as antimicrobial agents, and results across studies are mixed.
In vitro evidence: Antimicrobial activity against gram-positive and gram-negative bacteria, as well as anticancer activity against human leukemia cells in vitro, has been associated with B. perennis. Li et al. isolated bellisosides A–F from methanolic B. perennis root extract and tested the new isolates and the known bellissaponin BS2 for cytotoxic activity against HL-60 human promyelocytic leukemia cells. The cells were treated with each substance for 72 h and cell growth was measured using the MTT assay. Compared to cisplatin (IC50: 1.8 µM) as a positive control, all substances reduced cell growth, and strong cytotoxicity of bellisoside E and F with IC50 values of 1.4 µM and 0.5 µM was observed.
Karakas et al. (2015) showed the moderate antiproliferative activity of MeOH extract obtained from B. perennis flowers on MCF-7 human breast cancer and HepG2/C3A human hepatocellular carcinoma cells.
Evidence strength: All cytotoxic evidence is in vitro. There are no human clinical trials. In vitro cytotoxicity does not translate directly to clinical anticancer efficacy, and these findings are strictly preliminary.
In vitro evidence: The aqueous extracts showed higher DPPH scavenging activity (85.8% at 102.5 µg/mL) than the methanol extract. Many of the important pharmaceutical functions of common daisy may arise from antioxidant features originating from its phenolic content and quantity.
Evidence strength: Antioxidant activity has been consistently demonstrated in vitro. Seasonal variation in total phenolic and flavonoid content has been documented in published studies (Siatka & Kašparová, Molecules, 2010). No controlled human studies have assessed antioxidant outcomes with B. perennis supplementation. Evidence is limited to in vitro/ex vivo models.
Animal model evidence: In 2012, Marques et al. investigated the anxiolytic and antidepressant effects of ethanolic B. perennis flower extracts in mice using oral administration. The latest results have shown that the plant has antioxidative, antimicrobial, anticancerogenic, wound healing, antidepressive, and anxiolytic effects, as well as an effect on lipid metabolism.
Evidence strength: Evidence is entirely from rodent models. No human clinical trials have been conducted on antidepressant or anxiolytic effects. Findings are preliminary and restricted to preclinical research.
Preclinical and in vitro evidence: Antihyperlipidemic activity has been associated with B. perennis, with perennisaponins from the flowers identified as having pancreatic lipase inhibitory activity. Research published in Yakugaku Zasshi (the Journal of the Pharmaceutical Society of Japan) identified saponin constituents from the flowers with anti-hyperlipidemic properties.
Evidence strength: This evidence is preclinical. No human clinical trials have been conducted. Evidence is limited to enzyme-inhibition (pancreatic lipase) studies and animal model data.
Randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trial: A study was conducted to evaluate the effect of Arnica montana and Bellis perennis on postpartum blood loss using a double blind, placebo-controlled, randomized, clinical trial design at the Department of Gynecology, Shaare Zedek Medical Center, Jerusalem. Forty parturients were randomized to one of three groups: Arnica montana C6 and Bellis perennis C6 (n=14), Arnica montana C30 and Bellis perennis C30 (n=14), or double placebo (n=12). At 72 h postpartum, mean Hb levels remained similar after treatment with homeopathic remedies (12.7 versus 12.4) as compared to a significant decrease in Hb levels in the placebo group (12.7 versus 11.6; p < 0.05).
Evidence strength: This is a small, preliminary, randomized controlled trial studying homeopathic dilutions (C6 and C30), not standardized herbal extracts. Homeopathic dilutions at these potencies contain no or negligible molecules of the original substance. The study was described by its authors as reporting "preliminary results," and the sample size was small. Results are intriguing but cannot be generalized to herbal or phytopharmaceutical preparations of B. perennis.
Nephroprotective and insulin mimetic effects have also been reported in the literature for B. perennis. These findings are based on preclinical research only, and no human clinical data are available.
The different parts of the plant have exerted many pharmacological activities including antimicrobial, nervous system, dermatological, anti-inflammatory, cytotoxic, antioxidant, hypolipidemic, antihemorrhagic, hemolytic, and many other effects. The following body systems and health areas have been associated with Bellis perennis in traditional use and/or scientific investigation:
The majority of studies have been conducted with the aqueous, methanolic, or ethanolic extract of the plant. The following dosages and forms have been reported in sources:
There are no standardized, clinically validated dosage guidelines for oral or topical Bellis perennis herbal preparations established by any major regulatory or pharmacopeial body. People use wild daisy for bleeding, cough, bronchitis, wounds, and many other conditions, but there is no good scientific evidence to support these uses.
When taken by mouth, there isn't enough reliable information to know if wild daisy is safe or what the side effects might be. The current body of evidence is meager. Much more research is necessary to determine the potential role of topical B. perennis in the dermatologic armamentarium.
The Asteraceae family is one of the most common sources of plant allergen in humans. It tends to cause contact dermatitis in those who are sensitive, and the most notable allergens in the Asteraceae family are a group of chemicals called sesquiterpene lactones. Those secondary plant metabolites are present in the leaf, stem, flower, and possibly also in the pollen. Individuals who know they are sensitive to those chemicals, or the Asteraceae family, should steer clear of handling and eating daisy.
Wild daisy may cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae plant family. This family includes related plants such as ragweed, chamomile, chrysanthemums, marigolds, and related species.
There isn't enough reliable information to know if wild daisy is safe to use when pregnant or breast-feeding. To be on the safe side, avoid use.
Saponins, a major chemical class in B. perennis, are known to exhibit hemolytic properties in high concentrations. Seasonal changes in the hemolytic effects of the flower head of Bellis perennis L. have been documented (Siatka & Kašparová, Česká a Slovenská Farmacie, 2003), underscoring the potential dose-dependency of this effect and the relevance of plant part and harvest timing to safety.
No peer-reviewed clinical studies have characterized pharmacokinetic or pharmacodynamic interactions between Bellis perennis preparations and pharmaceutical drugs. The absence of data should not be interpreted as an absence of potential interactions, particularly given the presence of active phenolic acids and flavonoids with known metabolic activities in related plant species.
B. perennis has been used as a medicinal plant in traditional medicine, and over the past 25 years, antioxidative, anxiolytic, antidepressive, antihyperlipidemic, anticancerogenic, and antimicrobial effects have been described in the literature. Nevertheless, the compounds of the extracts used have often been qualified and quantified, but it remains unclear which of these substances have an activity. The works often remain at the level of the crude extract or a fraction, but not at a single purified and tested compound. The overwhelming majority of evidence comes from in vitro cell studies or small animal models. With the limited exception of the pilot skin-lightening data and the small homeopathic postpartum hemorrhage RCT (which used highly diluted preparations), no robust, adequately powered human clinical trials have evaluated the efficacy of Bellis perennis herbal preparations for any indication.
Health conditions that Wild daisy may help support.
Body systems that Wild daisy may help support.
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