传统名花牡丹象征着幸福、和平、繁荣、昌盛。各族人民将其视为吉祥物。这正是我们中华民族的美好愿望。一位旅美华侨在参观了盐城枯枝牡丹后激动地说：“中国是我的根，牡丹是我心中的花。”我国是个民族众多的国家，各地的风俗习惯各不相同。如：种牡丹、赏牡丹、爱牡丹、画牡丹、绣牡丹、唱牡丹，另外还有宴花、雕花、结花、拜花，形成不同牡丹文化习俗。其主要有：湖北恩施地区土家族人种牡丹、绣牡丹之俗，云南大理白族“赶山”观牡丹和牡丹木雕，西藏各地寺院中的壁画牡丹，北方满人旗袍上的牡丹，河南洛阳的插花俗，甘肃省临夏回族的“花儿”唱牡丹，陇西浪山观牡丹(朝山会)、牡丹命名、街头卖花俗，安徽巢湖银屏山的朝山拜神牡丹，以及洛阳、菏泽、北京、太原、彭县、上海、杭州、铜陵的牡丹花会和牡丹笔会。
     洛阳人爱牡丹，从古到今都如此。早在《隋志·素问篇》中就有“清明次五日，牡丹华”，以记载隋朝洛阳人赏华场面。北宋中期，洛阳人植牡丹、赏牡丹已达到了空前。司马光曾用诗将洛阳繁荣景象加以描写：“洛阳春日取繁荣，红绿丛中下万家，谁道群花如锦绣，人将锦绣学群花。”欧阳修在他的《洛阳牡丹记·风俗记》中作了更为详尽的叙述：“洛阳之俗，大抵好花，春时，城中无贵贱皆插花，虽负担者亦然。花开时，士庶竟为遨游。往往于古寺废宅有池台处为市井，张幄，笙歌之声相闻。”鄞江周氏的《洛阳牡丹记》中也有记载：“姚黄……故洛人贵之，号为花王。城中每岁不过开三数朵，都人士女，必倾城往观，乡人扶老携幼，不远千里，其为时所贵重如此。”著名诗人刘禹锡的《赏牡丹》中有：“庭前芍药妖无格，池上芙蕖净少情，唯有牡丹真国色，花开时节动京城”，就是对当时人们酷爱牡丹的真实写照。　
　　如今，牡丹被定为洛阳市花，大街小巷、机关、学校、公园、厂矿、寺院以及郊县四乡，皆植牡丹，花开时节，登上飞机，从天上俯瞰，全城真可谓花的海洋了。　花会期间城中张灯结彩，沿街门面，粉饰一新，城中的男女老少也都穿上的最新的衣裳，尤其是姑娘们，打扮得花枝招展，如同过年。
　　洛阳人不仅爱花、种花，还十分好客。每年花会中外宾客(国内包括各省、市、自治区以及台、港、澳等地来客，国外包括：美、日、俄、泰、法、英、德、意、印、芬等20个国家和地区的游客)200多万人次。
　　洛阳牡丹花会的观赏项目和活动项目之多，使游人在对牡丹一饱眼福之余，还可尽情地欣赏夜晚的灯展，白天的庙会及灿烂的牡丹文化——牡丹笔会、牡丹音乐晚会、牡丹诗词碑文、牡丹插花、牡丹盆景艺术展等等。洛阳人爱牡丹如痴。从而，出现了许多植牡丹能手，画牡丹的画家，写牡丹的科普作家，插牡丹的高手，培育盆景牡丹的盆景家，以及拍牡丹的摄影家等等，来到洛阳，会使您感到牡丹与牡丹文化的无限魅力……

Nutrition and Pharmacology of Peony
Ι. Chemical and Nutritional Ingredients of Peony
Peony belongs to the buttercup family. The chemical ingredients of its flower include: astragalus membranaceus glucoside, paeonolide, paeonoside, paeonia glucoside, hydroxyl paeonia glucoside, phenmethyl paeonia glucoside, amylase, benzoic acid, steroid alcohol, progesterone alcohol, isoprogestrone, Citronellol，geraniol， Linalool, astragalus sinicus glucoside, paeonia glucoside, Pelargonidin ，volatile oil, and so on. Its petals contain plenty of protein, fat, animo acid of 17 kinds, and over 10 kinds of microelements. The pollen of peony contains pheromone，a precious ingredient similar to that of estrogenic hormone. (“Cultivation of Special Economic Plants, Cultivation and Utilization of Medical Ornamental Plants”in Pharmacopoeia of Traditional Chinese Medicine,)

II. Pharmacologic (therapeutic) and Hygienic Effects of Peony
1. Regulating the menstrual function and invigorating blood circulation; (“History of Chinese Traditional Medicine in Sichuan, A Collection of Medicine Herbs Mostly in Folk Use”in Cultivation and Utilization of Medical Ornamental Plants)

2. Clearing and Activating the Channels and Collaterals; (“Cultivation and Utilization of Medical Ornamental Plants” in Chinese Traditional Medicine Dictionary)

3. Clearing Heat, Cooling blood, Promoting Blood Circulations and Removing Blood Stasis; (“Cultivation and Utilization of Medical Ornamental Plants” in Chinese Traditional Medicine Dictionary;)

4. Calming the Liver, Moistening the Lung, Eliminating Toxicant and Improving Countenance, Whitening and Moistening, Anti-hypersusceptibility; (“Effects of Paeonol on the Tyrosinase Activity and Melanogenesis in Co-culture Model of Human Melanocytes and Keratinocytes in Vitro”, in Pharmacopoeia of Traditional Chinese Medicine; “Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol, Herald of Medicine”in Chinese Dermatology Journal)

5. Resisting Arterios Cleaosis; (“Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol”, in Herald of Medicine; “Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol on the Cardiovascular System” in Anhui Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal)

6．Bringing Down High Blood Pressure; (“Investigating Progression of Paeonol Pharmacologic Action toward the Cardiovascular System” in Anhui Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal)

7．Protecting Cardiocytes; (“Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol on the Cardiovascular System” in Anhui Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal)

8. Affecting the Blood Denaturalization; (“Effects of Paeonol in Comparison with Aspirin on Hemorrheological Parameters in Rats,”in Traditional Chinese Herbal Medicine; “Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol”, Herald of Medicine)

9. Hypoglycemic Effect; (“Effect of Ploysaccharides-2b from Mutan Cortex on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Rates and its Mechanism” in Chinese Pharmacological Bulletin; “Study of Screening and Effects of Effective Components on Hypoglycemic Activity of Polysaccharide from Peony Cortex”in China’s Journal of Basic Medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine)

10. Anti-Convulsion; (“Investigating the Progression of Main Pharmacologic Activities of Paeonol”in Chinese Traditional Patent Drug)

11. Protecting the Cerebral Tissue; (“Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol”, in Herald of Medicine)

12. Protecting Liver; (“Synergistically Suppressive Effect of Paeonol and Cisplatin on the Proliferation of Human Hepatoma Cell Line SMMC-7721”, in Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhuui)

13. Diuresis; (Chinese Journal of Experimental Traditional Medical Formulae)

14. Protecting the Immune System; (“Effects of Polysaccharide of Mutan Cortex PSM2b on Immune Functions of Mice in Vitro” in Acta Laser Biology Sinica; “Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol”, in Herald of Medicine)

15. Antibiosis and Inflammation Reduction; (“Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Functions of Paeonol”in Herald of Medicine; “Investigating Progression of Main Pharmacologic Activities of Paeonol”, in Chinese Traditional Patent Drug; “Study of the Acesodyne and Inflammation Reduction Effects of Mutan Cortex”in  Chinese Journal of Basic Medicine in Traditional Chinese Medicine; Study of the Anti-Biotic Effects of Paeonol from Peony, Journal of Biology)

16. Curing Glycuresis and Its Complications; (“Anti-Diabetic Effect of Polysaccharides-2b from Mudan Cortex on Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus Rats and Its Mechanism”, in Journal of Medicine; “Kidney Protection Effect of Polysaccharides-2b from Mudan Cortex on Type 2 Diabetes and Nephrosis Millitus Rats and Its Mechanism”, Chinese Journal of Traditional Medical Science and Technology)

17. Protecting Kidney; (“Kidney Protection Effect of Polysaccharides-2b from Mudan Cortex on Type 2 Diabetes and Nephrosis Millitus Rats and Its Mechanism”, Chinese Journal of Traditional Medical Science and Technology; “Investigating Progression of Pharmacologic Effects of Paeonol” in Herald of Medicine)

18. Paeonol has the antineoplastic effect and can enforce the effects of chemotherapeutic medicines; (“The Effects of Paeonol on Inhibiting the Proliferation of Human Colorectal Cancer Cell Line HT-29” in Chinese Journal of Clinical Gastroenterology; “Study of the Effects of Paeonol on Inhibiting the Proliferation of Human Brain Gliomyxoma Cell Line U251”, Guangzhou Medical Journal; “Inhibitory Effects of Paeonol on the Proliferation of Four Tumor Cell Lines”, Anhui Medical and Pharmaceutical Journal; “The Antineoplastic Effect of Paeonol in Vitro” in Acta Universitatis Medicinalis Anhui)