Calendula pictured in the planters at Willcocks street.
Calendula is a great edition to any garden; it produces beautiful flowers and will attract helpful insects.
While calendula can be appreciated for it’s beauty, it is also a very useful edible medicinal flower, similar to that of camomile, lavender, nasturtium, or echinacea.
Calendula officinalis, which is also know as pot marigold or garden marigold, can be both ingested or used topically, and has been used for it’s medicinal properties for centuries. It’s most common uses include healing wounds and skin irritations such as acne, rashes, cuts, burns, bee stings, diaper rashes, as it as has, antimicrobial, astringent, antiviral, anti-inflammatory and immunostimulant properties.
Calendula pictured growing in the planters on Willcocks street, among corn.
Calendula can also speed the production of collagen cells can reduce scarring at wound sites, when applied soon after the injury occurs.
To use calendula to heal skin irritations it can be diffused in baths, creams compressions, massage oils, facial steams, or used in compresses.
Calendula tea has calming properties, and can be made into a tea, or gargled to treat a sore throat.
Calendula steeping in a jar. Image from: http://www.mindbodysoulessentials.com/calendula.html
This recipe makes a medicinal oil that is simple to prepare, and has a variety of uses for skin irritations, or add to massage oil or other creams and lotions.
Ingredients:
Organic Olive oil
Organic Calendula flowers
1. Place Calendula flowers in a clean, dry glass jar. If using fresh Calendula, wilt for 12 hours to remove most of the moisture (too much moisture will cause the oil to go rancid) before adding to the jar. Pour olive oil into the jar, making sure to cover the flowers by at least 1” of oil so they will have space to expand. Stir well and cap the jar tightly. 2. Place the jar in a warm, sunny windowsill and shake once or more per day. 3. After 4-6 weeks, strain the herbs out using cheesecloth. Pour the infused oil into glass bottles and store in a cool dark place.
(retrived from: http://mountainroseblog.com/healing-calendula).
Another easy recipe to apply calendula topically, is to make a calendula comporess, which can also be applied to skin irritations such as, burns, cuts and scrapes, bee stings, bug bites, inflammations, and other skin irritations. This recipe can also be used on animals.
Pour 1 cup boiling water over fresh or dried Calendula flowers, cover, and allow the mixture to cool to room temperature. Once cooled, strain out flowers and reserve the remaining liquid. Create a compress by soaking a clean cloth in the herbal infusion and placing it on the skin. This process is gentle and may be repeated several times a day.
(retrived from: http://mountainroseblog.com/healing-calendula/)
To add callendula to your bath, place freshly dried calendula pedals into some cheese cloth. Tie and place in running water. You can also add dried lavender for added perfume.
To make Calendula tea:
2 teaspoons dried calendula flower petals
1 cup of boiling water
Place calendula petals in an infuser and pour 1 cup of boiled water over the petals. Allow the calendula to steep for 10–15 minutes. Then enjoy ( http://sandraorchard.com/books/deadly-devotion/recipe-for-calendula-tea/).
You can also make iced calendula tea which tastes great with fruity teas, or other herbs such as lavender or mint.
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