Calendula, also called the Pot Marigold, is a beautiful plant for the garden, and its edible blooms are prized for their cheerful beauty. But did you know it can also be used for a variety of health purposes? Calendula Officinalis is a great herbal treatment for all manner of skin ailments including burns, bruises, sprains, rashes, chafing and open wounds.
Calendula is antimicrobial and antiviral, and is generally prepared as an oil or salve for easy application. It’s a great alternative to Neosporin and other petroleum-based wound salves, as it will speed healing and prevent infection. It decreases swelling, kills bacteria, speeds tissue regeneration and prevents scarring. As it’s anti-inflammatory, it can also be used to get relief from itchy, irritating varicose veins.
Many women like to rub Calendula on their growing bellies when they’re pregnant to prevent stretch marks. Another great use is to soothe childbirth-related postpartum pain – you can soak cotton pads with the oil and freeze them for instant relief. Similarly, it can be safely used to treat a baby’s diaper rash naturally and effectively.
You can purchase the herbal oil or salve from an herbal supply company, or make it yourself if you grow the plant in your garden. Herbal oils generally have a base of olive or coconut oil, and salves add beeswax to give them a thicker texture.
It can be applied as massage oil, rubbed on with a cotton ball, or simply smoothed onto the affected area. Calendula is often seen in beauty treatments such as moisturizers and soaps, and its benefits can be received that way as well. It combines well with Comfrey and St. Johns Wort, two other herbal remedies for the skin.
A few great products that include Calendula are Kiss My Face Honey & Calendula Moisturizer, Kiehls Calendula Herbal Extract Alcohol-Free Toner and Weleda Calendula Baby Cream.
Stephanie,
Love your informative beauty posts.
Do you have any knowledge on a natural treatment for eczema? I have TERRIBLE eczema and it drives me crazy. It is on my face and gets splotchy, puffy and itchy.
I have seen, at least, 7 doctors. Some have been able to tame the ailment, but none have completely cured me. I guess it is something I will have to learn to live with, but would love a soothing remedy to help me bare the annoyance. Any suggestions?
Olivia
05/03/08 » 11:03 am »
Thanks Olivia!
Ooh, eczema is tough. I don’t have any experience with it personally but have heard from a local herbalist that I speak to on occasion that St. John’s Wort oil mixed with equal parts aloe vera gel can be really soothing. Calendula is actually a good choice too, in a coconut oil or olive oil base. Burdock seed oil is another option but it can be hard to find.
A friend of mine went to a holistic healer for her eczema and they suggested she be tested for food allergies – it’s believed they can be an underlying cause…
05/03/08 » 2:07 pm »
I get eczema on my face during the winter when I’m stressed out. I’m pretty sure eczema is like allergies- the body starts attacking itself when it gets out of balance, so the first thing I would do is try to get more rest. I’ve also found that organic shea butter (it comes kinda hard and you have to make an ‘oil’ of it by rubbing it between your hands really fast until the warmth liquifies it) works really well, and I apply it morning and night and it is soooo rich it really seems to make the difference. Try JUST shea butter with absolutely nothing else in it (not a shea cream, lotion, but real shea butter, solo). Good luck!
05/03/08 » 2:15 pm »
We have heard, having seen this increasing in children dramatically (including our son and close friend’s daughter) that food plays a strong role. Have you ever done an elimination? Or seen a nutrition-oriented practitioner?? Diana, at Babybearshop is a wonderful resource on this topic. Her daughter had horrendous ezcema and was hospitalzed it was so bad. Diana created cheeky baby butter to soothe skin. It worked quite well for us – you may want to try it.
05/03/08 » 4:20 pm »
It is very common to get it from dairy & gluten allergies. Usually babies who are allergic to milk get it right away. The elimination diet is a great way to find out for sure.
Wasn’t Kiss My Face on the bad list when the OTA tested 100 organic care products and found dioxane in 50 of them ??
05/04/08 » 2:25 pm »
Leslie,
My understanding of the results of the study were that while some of KMF’s cleansers tested postive for Dioxane, the moisturizers didn’t. Of course, they didn’t test KMF’s entire line. My feelings about those test results and what they mean to us as consumers are long and complex enough to write an essay about! So I won’t go into that here.
05/05/08 » 2:33 pm »
Stephanie, Is it true that Thomas Jefferson grew and used calendula for his skin problems? I’m doing a report and I have to know why he used it. Hope you can help me.
05/05/08 » 4:50 pm »
Hi Carolyn,
I don’t personally know anything about Thomas Jefferson’s use of Calendula, but, it has been a folk remedy for skin ailments since antiquity, and Calendula has apparently always been a fixture at Monticello, so it seems likely that he would have grown it for that reason. Ancient Egyptians used it on wounds, it was used for bruises and burns in the Middle Ages and fields of it were grown during wartime over centuries past for use on soldier’s injuries. Here’s a link where you can learn more: http://www.herbsforhealth.com/.....=calendula
Hope that helps!
05/06/08 » 7:24 am »
Hello
I really enjoyed reading this blog. I truly believe that the giant leaps in medical science that we have taken over the course of the last century and The high levels of accuracy of the diagnostic tools and techniques of the modern era can be used to complement the natural curative powers that reside in medicinal herbs and alternative medicines that have been in use in various parts of the world. In my search I found http://www.youherbal.com , not only they have the herbal remedies but also the Herbal products that can help you achieve a healthier lifestyle. I look forward to all the updates. Thanks again.
Jessica
05/08/08 » 4:34 pm »
Olga
Olga…
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05/11/08 » 11:47 am »
I love this cream. It is wonderful.
05/19/08 » 6:35 pm »