Flower Power! ( Part 1: Calendula )

Today I'd like to introduce you( if you don't already know her) to a beautiful flower named Calendula! Calendula Officinalis from the Asteraceae family (or daisy family.) This flower is also sometimes called Pot Marigold but not to be confused with the Marigold one uses as garden decor....the kind that are low growing with big, round heads and dark green, toothy edged leaves.The word Calens is Roman for "the first day of the every month" which is when this flower blooms....all the time....all through summer! Every day I have new blossoms in my garden and it can be tricky to keep up with the harvest.


It's likely that you've seen this flower before, even if you're unsure. They resemble tiny sunflowers and can grow as high as 2ft or so. They have light green leaves that are thickish and waxy feeling and sometimes have a wavy edge. What I find really distinguishing about Calendula is the smell. This plant is FULL of resins so when you gently rub the leaves or squeeze the blossom, your fingers will be sticky with a resinous and slightly camphorous smell. I LOVE this smell....I think it's divine but it's not your typical "flowery" smell. Calendula flowers are both orange and yellow but it is said that the orange flowers make the best medicine.
I have always loved the color orange. It just brings to mind vibrancy and abundance and happiness and love....well...atleast for me! It also happens to be the color of our second chakra (our Sacral chakra.)Chakra colors correlate with the colors of the rainbow ( remember ROY G.BIV?)and start at our root and work up to our crown (to learn more about chakras,read here .) Our second chakra resides just below the naval and is home for our reproductive organs. One of the MANY uses for Calendula is to offer relief with menstrual cramping and general PMS discomfort as well as other female troubles like various STD's, yeast infections and more.
Most often, Calendula is thought of as an excellent skin remedy. Is is so safe, effective and gentle that it is often used on babies to treat diaper rash. Because it is a vulnerary(wound healing),anti-infective,antiseptic, anti-inflammatory and antifungal it makes an excellent all around skin salve or spray. I've been using it to treat a belly rash on my dog recently and he is mostly cleared up ( this is after having tried several creams,shots,pills,shampoos etc. from the Vet.) I also use it on my own skin to clear up eczema trouble spots. It is extremely useful in treating most types of superficial skin wounds....even bruises... and also fights against the Herpes virus which includes shingles and chicken pox.) Herbalist, Douglas Schar, in his book The Backyard Medicine Chest states about Calendula:

"The fact that old medical herbals tend to contain some magical uses tends to put many people off herbalism.It shouldn't. human beings have always sought to explain the inexplicable.In the 1600's, Calendula's power to heal was put down to magic; today we say that chemicals contained in the plant stimulate health in the skin. Whatever the age, it is human nature to seek rationalizations for processes that cannot be seen. You apply Calendula Creme to crappy skin, and several weeks later it looks and feels better. How you choose to explain this phenomenon doesn't really matter, as long as you note what Calendula can do for the skin."

See the thing is, I believe in both. I believe in both the magic and science of why herbs work. I have used herbs in both ways. I think that Science is Magickal and that Magick can be Scientific. Whichever way you choose to look at it, it's amazing.But incase you want to know, Calendula contains: essential oil, flavonol glycosides, saponins, triterpene alcohols, sterols, carotenes, xanthophylls, polysaccharides, tannins,fat,resin,sugar potassium chloride, potassium sulfate, sodium, bassora gum...just to name a few!
Calendula is also a well known lymphatic and is used internally to treat and invigorate a sluggish lymph system or to treat swollen glands in the neck or body.And because it is an anti-fungal it can also be used internally to treat Candidida and Thrush. Calendula has also been used, in a combination with other herbs, to treat cancer. Wow!
You might be wondering at this point how to actually use this amazing flower.

For Salve: used topically ( and this is just my recipe...there are other ways I'm sure)

First pick a handful of bright orange Calendula flowers. Try to pick them in the afternoon sun so that the resins are nice and sticky.Try not to pick in the rain...you don't need the extra water(water=mold!) You can include the whole top of the flower, the bract and small part of stem attached. Add them to a glass or enamel pot and just cover with either extra virgin olive oil or organic coconut oil ( or a combo of both.) Cook on very,very low heat until flowers are crispy but not burnt. The crispiness ensures that all moisture(water) has been cooked out so that you don't get mold. Carefully strain into a jar or bowl and compost the leftover material.If you've only used olive oil, this could be a quick way of making Calendula oil (which is very expensive to buy in health food stores!) If you've used coconut oil in your recipe you'll want to go ahead and make a salve as the coconut oil will harden as temperatures go down. Go ahead and pour the oil back into the (wiped out) pot and set temp to low. Slowly add in grated beeswax. How much beeswax you use really depends on the consistency you want your salve. Start out with a tablespoon or so but plan on adding more after you do the "cold-spoon-consistency-test" which is what we've used in my herbal medicine course. Before you start the salve, put a spoon in the freezer. Periodically dip the spoon in your warm mixture and let it sit for a minute or so then check the consistency of what's hardened on the spoon. Too soft? Add more beeswax. Too hard....well...oops! I suppose if that happened you could add a tiny bit of olive oil or coconut oil back in. When you've finished, pour into clean, salve-sized containers. Have atleast a couple ready...you may have enough for friends too!Label and date your container. As you learn more about herbs, you can add different healing herbs and essential oils to your salve. You don't have to refrigerate your salve but doing so could prolong it's shelf life. It should last you for a year at least but if you see any mold, it's time to discard. Remember to always use a clean finger to dip into your salve. You don't want any nasties getting in there!

Now for the tincture:



Fill a jar, to the top, with fresh Calendula flowers. Cover in the highest proof vodka you can get. Place it in a dark place for several weeks. Shake daily (think of your "shaking" time as meditative, put love and intention and positive energy into your medicine while you do this...it WILL make a difference.) Finally, strain into a glass jar using an unbleached coffee filter. It should be a nice,golden color.Make sure you label and date and,if you like, you can go ahead and pour into a glass spray bottle to use as a sort of bactine for boo boos. That's one of the things that my instructor Jaci (@ Sunnyside Herbal School) uses her Calendula tincture for. And...yes...it may sting but that means the germs are going bye-bye! Tinctures can last for years and years.

Onto the oil:used topically

Make the oil the same way you make the tincture but use dried flowers as you run the risk of mold again when you have moisture and oil together. I suppose I should say here that the way to properly dry Calendula flowers is to lay them face down on some sort of screen in a dry area out of the sun. With this particular flower, when you think they're completely dry, let them dry some more. The petals will dry first but that doesn't mean the whole flower is dry. I put my finger in the center and feel for any kind of "softness"...it should be crispy...and so should the green sepal. Anyway...back to the oil. Let the oil sit for several weeks. Strain, pour into glass jar, label. You will probably have some water in this first strain and that is bad. You will see the water at the bottom of the jar ( DON'T SHAKE!) What you can do is simply pour off the top(most of the oil but NOT the stuff at the bottom) into a new jar. You may have to do this more than once. The oil can be used externally on bruises, strains, sprains, etc.. It works much the same way that St.Johnswort oil and Arnica does but Arnica is not to be used on broken skin! I'm guessing you could use this on sore muscles and on your belly during "that time" too maybe.



You can also make a delicious tea to drink from fresh or dried flowers as well!


You should definitely check with your naturopath or physician if you are unsure about using Calendula..or other herbs. Calendula should not be used during pregnancy (it's an emmenogogue which means it increases menstrual flow) and it should not be used by individuals who are sensitive to plants in the asteraceae or daisy family.

Calendula is such a special flower! Just to look at it makes my heart happy and I think that's pretty magickal!