Meet your new friend calendula officinalis
August 2023 Herb of The Month
I wasn’t quite sure what plant to spotlight for this month - none of my favorites seem to be foragable right about this time. I thought about blackberries, but we just covered blueberries and I thought that could get a little repetitive. So I looked around my garden and realized that calendula is going strong in August. Calendula is ideal for beginner gardeners and for those making an early foray into herbalism and medicine making. It’s incredibly easy to grow, it’s prolific, you can grow yourself a year's supply in just a few pots or a very small plot, it’s very safe, and it’s an excellent friend to have.
Calendula is a gentle healer and wants to help you feel your best. Taken internally, calendula is very soothing to the cut barrier is an excellent addition when dealing with any intestinal, gut, or stomach issues. Any time my stomach has felt a little off, calendula has been a good friend to me. Infused in oil, they make an excellent topical application for the skin. Calendula salve is soothing to minor bites and rashes and can help heal minor burns. Note: don’t go right for the salve immediately after the burn - it could create a sensation of trapping the heat. Something like rose water is better as burn first aid. After about a day, when healing has begun and the pain has subsided, then you can reach for the calendula salve to try to quicken the healing process.
One study (which was studying cut wounds) found that topical applications of calendula extract provided anti-inflammatory and antibacterial action, as well as the capability of stimulating fibroplasia (the growth of fibrous tissue that happens during wound healing) and angiogenesis (the formation of new blood vessels). In plain english, this means that topical applications of calendula soothe inflammation, slow bacterial growth, stimulate the growth of new tissue around wounds, and stimulate the growth of new blood vessels. A significant increase in collagen was also observed.
These effects were observed in another study, this time looking at second degree burns. The wound healing rate in the intervention and control groups increased during the 1st to 15th days of the study (P <0.001). However, in the group that received calendula, the range of wound healing changed in (days seven and 15) and was greater than the range of wound healing changes in the group that did not receive calendula. It was concluded that calendula can be effective in helping to heal burns.
In another study, the topical use of herbal ointment containing calendula caused significant wound healing. The result was attributed to the improvement of collagen synthesis, increased wound contraction, changes in interleukin 6 (Interleukin 6 is an interleukin that acts as both a pro-inflammatory cytokine and an anti-inflammatory myokine.), increased epidermal growth factor (EGF), platelet-derived factor (PDGF), and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) levels. This means that calendula acted on inflammation, increased growth of new skin and blood vessels, and increase of an antiinflammatory protein that kills bad cells and helps the body resist infection. It was concluded that the topical application of the calendula ointment exhibited significant wound healing activity, evidenced by both accelerated wound contraction and collagen synthesis.
In another study, the effects of calendula on acute dermatitis for patients undergoing radiotherapy for breast cancer was investigated. Calendula was compared with trolamine, the most common pharmaceutical for this. Half the patients applied trolamine, and half applied calendula on the irradiated areas after each session. Those who applied calendula reported acute dermatitis at a significantly lower rate than those who applied trolamine (41% v 63%; P <.001). Furthermore, patients applying calendula had less frequent interruption of radiotherapy, and significantly reduced pain. It was concluded that, “Calendula is highly effective for the prevention of acute dermatitis of grade 2 or higher and should be proposed for patients undergoing postoperative irradiation for breast cancer.”
Taken internally, Calendula flowers contain both spasmolytic and spasmogenic constituents, exhibiting these effects through calcium channel blocking and cholinergic activities (the effects of activating cholinergic receptors include muscle contraction, heart rate deceleration, constriction of the iris (miosis) and of the lens, mucus secretion and broncho-constriction). This provides a scientific base for its traditional use in abdominal cramps and constipation.
Now go make some calendula salve!
Parts used: Flowers
Notable compounds: volatiles, triterpenes, bitter glycosides, sterols, flavonoids,
carotenoids, resins, mucilage (to 1.5%)
Energetics: Warm, dry, tonifying
Actions: draining, lymphatic, alterative, diaphoretic, vulnerary, antimicrobial
Affinities: lymphatic system
Origin: Mediterranean
Preparation suggestions: tea, infuse in oil for a soothing topical application
Notes and cautions: none
Harvest: Pinch off the flowers as they bloom, after the dew has dried, and it will continue to put new blooms out throughout the season.
This is the fifth Herb of the Month dispatch of The Blueberry Patch. Every month I’ll feature a seasonally appropriate plant and wax poetic about it. Whether you are a serious herbal student or you just want to casually learn about plants, I encourage you to incorporate an Herb of the Month practice into your life. If it’s the herb I profile, great, but if you feel drawn towards some other plant, then by all means, follow that. The practice of selecting an herb of the month is a popular learning tool in herbal schools. If you decide to do this practice, then try consuming your selected herb every day of the month, in different ways. Make tea, decoctions, long overnight infusions, tinctures, mineral infusions, incorporate it into your food, and do all of this with the different edible parts of the plant. When it comes to incorporating a new plant into your life, the best knowledge of how it's going to make you feel will come from your own observations. We’re all different and we won’t all react the same way to plants - knowing what an herb can do for you ultimately has to come from your own experimentation and lived experience.