Fresh Calendula Flowers
A stash of calendula is an essential herbal medicine to have on hand for making remedies to treat minor wounds, burns and infections. This hardy plant is easy to grow, preserve and use, let’s find out how!
When winter descends, the veggie garden takes on tones of dark greens and purple. Calendula punctuates the garden with pops of orange. The flowers seem to have an internal light, no wonder they attract bees and other beneficial insects to the garden all year round.
The name Calendula comes from the Latin calends, meaning the first day of the month. The Romans chose this name to celebrate the plant’s ability to flower almost continuously throughout the year. These flowers has been used for thousands of years by many different cultures as herbal medicine, including Western herbal medicine, Ayurveda and Unani.
Calendula has a solid history of treating wounds, cuts, and grazes. Science has backed up this history, showing it to be beneficial in healing both internal and external injuries, and inflammation including gastrointestinal inflammation, ulceration and burns.
The primary chemical constituents of calendula flowers are flavonoids, triterpenoids, essential oil and polysaccharides. Research had shown the common medicinal form of Calendula to have the following properties:
- antibacterial
- antiviral
- antiinflammatory
- antitumour
- antioxidant
- lymphatic
Calendula is tolerated well by most people, except a small minority who are allergic to plants of the daisy (Asteraceae) family.
It is best to dry calendula flowers and petals before using them in herbal preparations. Taking the water content out ensures they are less susceptible to mould. Drying the flowers allows for easy storage, making sure they are always on hand for making teas, lotions and potions.
Fresh Calendula Flowers Ready for the Dehydrator
Calendula Water Infusion
The most simple way to use calendula flowers is in a hot water infusion. You can use is as a tea or as an ingredient for body care preparations.
To prepare a tea, simply place 1 – 2 tsp (1 – 2g) of dried leaves/flowers (3 – 4g for fresh) in a teapot. Infuse for 10 – 15 minutes. You can then drink the infusion throughout the day.
- Tea – calendula tea has been enjoyed as a tea for centuries to aid in the healing of inflammation and ulceration of the gastrointestinal tract. Check with your healthcare practitioner before drinking calendula infusion regularly.
- Mouthwash and Gargle– preparations aid in the healing of gingivitis, ulceration, thrush and other minor infections of the mouth and throat. It is also useful for tonsillitis and pharyngitis. Swish a cooled infusion around the mouth, making sure it is being pushed through the teeth, gargle and then spit out or swallow.
- Eye infections – for minor eye infections you can soak a cotton ball in cooled calendula infusion (strained through a very fine doubled cloth or doubled over clean nut milk bag) and apply liberally around your eye with your eyelid shut. You will need to make a fresh infusion every day and do not double-dip with the cotton ball to prevent cross-infection.
Dried calendula petals, easy to store, ready for use.
Calendula and Lavender Healing Balm
Balms and salves can be stored up to a year in a cool, dark place with your first aid supplies. They will then be at the ready to apply to minor wounds and burns.
For this recipe, you will need to make an infused oil. You will find a recipe here. Cold oil infusions are gentle enough for applying directly to your skin, or for making creams, balms and salves.
Cold infused oils are preferable, however, if you do not have one on hand you can make a quick infused oil:
- For every 1 cup of cold-pressed vegetable oil, add 1/2 cup of dried calendula flowers. Place in a saucepan over very low heat. Bring the oil to just below a simmer.
- Allow infusing at this heat for 45 minutes to an hour.
- Strain off the flowers through a sieve lined with doubled cheesecloth.
- Store the oil in glass bottles/jars in a cool, dark place until ready to use.
Yield: Approx. 300mL
Calendula & Lavender Healing Balm
A versatile healing balm for minor skin wounds and inflammation.
Ingredients
- 250mL calendula infused extra virgin olive oil
- 50g natural beeswax, grated
- 25g medicinal honey
- 30 drops lavender essential oil
Instructions
- Assemble clean, sterile glass jars and lids to hold approximately 300mL of balm.
- Heat the beeswax and oil in a double boiler (see note) over medium heat. The beeswax will slowly dissolve into the oil. Stir with a whisk to combine.
- When the beeswax is almost dissolved, remove from heat and allow to cool for a few minutes, but not so long as for the balm to harden. Add the honey and essential oil, then stir again to combine.
- Pour into a small jug with a fine spout or, load up a large syringe.
- Fill the jars. You will need to work quickly as the balm will harden. If you are using a jug, stir the balm between pours to ensure the honey does not settle in the bottom.
- Allow the jars to cool (I place a piece of kitchen paper on top). When cool cap tightly and store in a cool, dark place for up to a year.
Notes
If you do not have a double boiler simply pop a stainless steel or heatproof glass mixing bowl over a saucepan. Fill to a quarter with water and bring to a simmer. Make sure the bottom of the bowl does not touch the water.
You can also find a similar lip balm recipe for chapped, cracked lips. It works a treat!
Calendula and Lavender Healing Balm
Bling
Calendula flowers are edible, you can use them as salad bling! Also scatter the petals over carrot, zucchini or any other cakes to add some colour and a sense of occasion.
Dried petals and whole flowers are an excellent addition to bath bombs (recipe here), bath salts and other lovely things. No doubt you can find many decorative uses for them too.
Calendula Petals Make Healthy Salad Bling!
What are your favourite ways to use calendula?
You have done a great job, I like your passion towards blogging. It is very useful…. I have also written about Calendula on my website. If you have time please check it out….
http://naturebring.com/grow-calendula-herbaceous-plants/
Thanks Vikalp. Calendula is such a versatile healing plant. I am popping over now to check out your post.
I have a question: does the drying method matter when working with calendula is one way better than another… Specifically can I use a food dehydrator to dry my calendula flowers or does it take away from the medicinal properties if they are dried on a traditional wire rack for 10 days?
Hi Sabrina, you should have no problem drying your calendula in a dehydrator. Just make sure you keep the temperature at or below 40C / 100F. This will ensure they retain their medicinal quality. :)