We must develop our garden knowledge of sunflower oil. Sunflower is considered a multipurpose plant as it helps make healthy snacks, cosmetics, and a cardiac boost. It is also used as edible oil and as bird seeds. Learn exciting facts about sunflower oil and start using it in your routine.

Sunflower is a native of America; it is believed to be cultivated first in North America around 3000 BC. After realizing its various benefits on food, health, oil, dye, cosmetics, and cooking, it was exported to various countries by the Spanish conquerors to trade sunflower plants.

Though sunflower oil has its origin in North America, it became trendy in Russia. It was brought to Russia by the Great Tsar Peter, who was fascinated and attracted by the sunflower's supreme beauty under the sun's rays during his visit to the Netherlands. Slowly it began to reach every part of the country for its elegant beauty and various profitable uses.

Countries like Canada began to use it as an alternative to animal fats, as sunflower oil has a lower cholesterol level.

On average sunflower needs a lot of sunlight and space to grow. It can grow up to 16 feet tall, and there are 70 varieties of sunflowers with unique structure and color variations, and the growth of each variety differs accordingly. Sunflowers should not be closely planted as it forbids its growth, and they need a lot of space to blossom to their potential.

Sunflowers show an unbelievable behavior called Heliotropism, which means they track the direction of the sun. It is amazing to see that the flower buds and the young blossoms face east in the morning and follow the sun's direction during the day. But after they get matured, the ample production of seed makes the flower feel heavier, and they will remain facing the east.

It is astonishing to know that each sunflower head is made up of several small flowers clustered together in the center. The center disc is surrounded by hundreds of soft petals, which are called ray florets. Thousands of sunflower seeds embed the disc in the middles, and they have both male and female sex organs to produce seed. Sunflowers can self pollinate as well as carry out pollination through wind and insects.

Once the seeds are shredded from the matured flower, the flower's head can be used as a scrubbing pad to clean delicate articles.

In 2014 summer, a veteran named Hans-peter Schiffer made a Guinness world record by growing sunflower to the height of 30 feet.

Sunflower has a history of healing. They are used in Mexico and by the tribes of Native America as a medicine to soothe and subside chest pain. The infusion of sunflower is also used to treat kidneys and other pulmonary troubles.

Sunflowers were taken to space by a U.S astronaut named Don Petite in the year 2012. He took sunflower seeds with him and successfully planted it on space and potatoes and shared the gardening process's images.