Calendula (Calendula officinalis)

Family: Family Name

Common names: Garden marigold, Poet's marigold, Pot marigold

Wildcrafted Herbal Products containing Calendula officinalis include:

Rejuvenating Night Crème
Eye & Lip Crème
Age Defying Essence
Angel's Touch Hand Crème
Calendula Cream

Traditional / Historical Uses:

Calendula is a well-known antiseptic and wound healer. It reduces swellings and bruises, relieves and heals effects of stings and bites and infected sites.

The use of Calendula in skin care is similar to that of Arnica, but it has a much gentler action and the additional benefit of wound healing. It can be used on all skin types and in all conditions.

Its traditional uses include: Anti-inflammatory, Anti-septic, Wound healing.

 

Traditional Applications in Herbal Medicine:

Calendula has been used in the Mediterranean region since the ancient Greeks, and was known to Indian and Arabic cultures before the Greeks. The botanical name comes from the Latin calendulae or calends meaning 'throughout the months', which was intended to emphasize the very long flowering period of the Marigold (Calendula) (Stuart, 1979).

Calendula is useful in treating:

• Burns, including sunburn,
• Conjunctivitis,
• Eczema,
• Gastritis and chronic ulcers
• Inflamed and sore eyes,
• Jaundice,
• Minor burns including sunburns,
• Warts,
• Minor injuries/wounds,
• Cramps,
• Coughs,
• Pain and reducing swelling caused by the sting of a wasp or bee
• Snake bites,
• Sprains and wounds,
• Varicose veins

Other indications include:

• Burns, Cuts and Bruises
• Ear Infection
• HIV
• Ear Infection

Calendula is also used in Gardens as a companion plant to repel certain insect pests.

Active Ingredients:

Volatile oil; a yellow resin; calendulin; saponins; a bitter principle; all of which aid bile secretion and promote wound healing (Stuart, 1979).

 

Research:

Kalvatchev, Z. Walder, R. and Garzaro, D. (1997) Anti-HIV activity of extracts from Calendula officinalisnext term flowers. Biomedecine & Pharmacotherapy, Volume 51, Issue 4

Summary

Extracts of dried flowers from Calendula officinalis were examined for their ability to inhibit the human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) replication. Both organic and aqueous extracts were relatively nontoxic to human lymphocytic Molt-4 cells, but only the organic one exhibited potent anti-HIV activity in an in vitro MTT/tetrazolium-based assay. In addition, in the presence of the organic extract (500 μg/mL), the uninfected Molt-4 cells were completely protected for up to 24 h from fusion and subsequent death, caused by cocultivation with persistently infected U-937/HIV-1 cells. It was also found that the organic extract Calendula officinalis flowers caused a significant dose- and time-dependent reduction of HIV-1 reverse transcription (RT) activity. An 85% RT inhibition was achieved after a 30 min treatment of partially purified enzyme in a cell-free system. These results suggested that organic extract of flowers from Calendula officinalis possesses anti-HIV properties of therapeutic interest.