Calendula

Antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, lymphagogue, choleretic, demulcent, and vulnerary

• Diaper rash
• Skin inflammation due toradiation therapy (radiation dermatitis). Early research suggests that applying calendula ointment on the skin might reduce radiation dermatitis in people receiving radiation therapy for breast cancer.
• Leg ulcers – calendula ointment can speed up the healing of leg ulcers caused by poor blood circulation
• Muscle spasms
• Fever
• Cancer
• Nosebleeds, varicose veins, haemorrhoids, promoting menstruation
• Mouth and throat soreness
• Stomachand duodenal ulcers

Contraindication

Excessive internal use during pregnancy is not recommended due to emmenagogue and abortifacacient effects.

Calendula has been used in cooking for centuries.

• An edible flower, the fresh petals can be used in a salad, dip or rice as well as to decorate desserts
• The flowers were a common ingredient in German soups and stews, which explains the nickname “pot marigold”
• The pretty golden petals were also used to add colour to butter and cheese
• The flowers are traditional ingredients in Mediterranean and Middle Eastern dishes

As a tea

Calendula is delicious as well as providing health benefits

A yellow dye has been extracted from the flowers.

Make your own infused oil

Fill a jar with dried calendula flowers and cover the flowers with a carrier oil of some type; almond oil, olive oil, etc. You can get more out of the flowers by macerating the mixture in a blender. Let this oil set (infuse) for two weeks or more shaking it periodically to help extract the properties from the flowers. When ready to use filter the oil through cheesecloth. You can use this oil directly in a balm or as part of the oil portion of a cream or lotion. This infused oil can help with skin regeneration, diaper rash, sunburn, bed sores and various inflammatory conditions. Do make sure that your calendula is dry and that the oil completely covers the plant material to prevent mould growth.

The name calendulais a modern Latin diminutive of calendae, meaning “little calendar”, “little clock” or possibly “little weather-glass”.

The common English name “marigold” refers to the Virgin Mary. The most commonly cultivated and used member of the genus is the pot marigold (Calendula officinalis).

The common Hungarian name, “körömvirág” (nail flower) describes the nail-shaped seeds.

Calendula officinalis, Calendule, English Garden Marigold, Fleur de Calendule, Fleur de Tous les Mois, Garden Marigold, Gold-Bloom, Holligold, Marigold, Marybud, Pot Marigold, Souci des Champs, Souci des Jardins, Souci des Vignes, Souci Officinal, Zergul, Caltha officinalis, Golds, Ruddes, Mary Gowles, Oculus Christi, Marygold, Fiore d’ogni mese, Solis Sponsa.

Flower of the sun.

Calendula was considered by Romans a plant with magical powers, allowing people to see the fairies and women to select the right partner. In Greek mythology there was a young woman named Caltha who fell in love with Apollo, the god of sun. She was melted by the power of his rays and in her place a solitary calendula flower grew. It is said that the grief and pain of melting from lost love can be dispelled by mixing calendula and roses together.

It has been used in many rituals and ceremonies, sometimes as crowns or garlands made from the flowers. One of its nicknames is “Mary’s Gold,” referring to the flowers’ use in early Catholic events around statues of the Virgin Mary. Calendula flowers are sacred flowers in India and have been used to adorn the statues of Hindu deities since early times.

They are indigenous to southwestern Asia, western Europe, Macaronesia, and the Mediterranean though its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown.

Calendula officinalis is a plant in the genus Calendula of the family Asteraceae.

Calendula officinalis is a short-lived aromatic herbaceous perennial, growing to 80 cm (31 in) tall, with sparsely branched lax or erect stems. The leaves are oblong-lanceolate, 5–17 cm (2–7 in) long, hairy on both sides, and with margins entire or occasionally waved or weakly toothed. The inflorescences are yellow, comprising a thick capitulum or flowerhead 4–7 cm diameter surrounded by two rows of hairy bracts; in the wild plant they have a single ring of ray florets surrounding the central disc florets. The disc florets are tubular and hermaphrodite, and generally of a more intense orange-yellow colour than the female, tridentate, peripheral ray florets. The flowers may appear all year long where conditions are suitable. The fruit is a thorny curved achene.

Include a volatile oil, carotenoids, flavonoids, mucilage, resin, polysachharides, aromatic plant acids as well as saponins, glycosides and sterols.