Often overlooked—this super sunny flower provides us with so many potential benefits and uses if only we would open our eyes to them!
Calendula (aka. Pot Marigold; Calendula officinalis) is super easy to grow and will readily pop up in the garden in most any kind of soil to provide you with pretty flowers through the warm seasons.
If you live in a cold climate they will die in the winter, but usually readily reseed. In mild areas, they can live as perennials.
The flowers are edible and provide a gourmet touch when the flower petals (botanically, ray flowers—we’ll talk about that on another post) are sprinkled around the plate or in a salad. The leaves are also reportedly edible but don’t taste very good.
The yellow color of the flowers can impart a yellow color to dishes, so another use and common name for Calendulas is “poor man’s saffron”. They come in yellows and oranges, and other mixed varieties, and are often available in nurseries in seed packets and starts.
Often Calendula is used in cosmetic or body care preparations due to its content of antioxidants, saponins, essential oil and resin.
Calendula contains a number of bioactives, such as flavonoids, triterpenoids, glycosides, saponins, carotenoids, volatile oil, amino acids, steroids, sterols, and quinines.
Through scientific investigation, Calendula has been found to have wide activities, such as antioxidant, antimicrobial, hepatoprotective, anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, wound-healing and cytotoxic and anti-tumor activities.
Herbalists make a poultice of the crushed flower petals to place on small cuts, to stop bleeding and aid in wound healing. It also has a long history of magical uses or sacred regard in several cultures.
You can experiment with Calendula safely at home simply by adding it to baths or making a soothing facial mask by mixing the petals with Greek yogurt.
Calendula is gentle enough and soothing even for a baby—making an excellent main addition to diaper rash salve. It is often added to toothpaste due to its antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties, and a number of other topical products like shampoos and lotions.
Calendula tea is also enjoyable and has been used as an herbal medicine for women’s conditions, such as PMS, and also to aid digestion.
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**This content is for informational and educational purposes only. It is not intended to provide medical advice or to take the place of such advice or treatment from a personal physician.
The Often Overlooked Medicinal
