Calendula Officinalis

We love Calendula and thought we would share a bit about this wonderful flower, and ingredient in skin care!

Often referred to as Marigolds, don't confuse it with the garden variety Marigolds (Tagetes).  Calendula is actually part of the Daisy (Asteraceae) family and there are about 20 different species ranging from bright orange to yellow, to white even.

Some fun facts-

💮 Calendula flowers are sacred in India, and are used to decorate statues of Hindu deities.

💮 Has been called the 'poor man's saffron' due to it being used to both colour and flavour food historically, in anything from cheeses, rice, soups, stews, custards and liquor.  It has also been called 'pot marigold' for this reason.

💮 Calendula is also used as a dye.

💮 It can act as a living mulch to protect the soil around it, and when it dies back, it enriches the soil.

💮 Some people refer to Calendula as a trap crop, in that it attracts bugs due to it's high sticky resin content, but that means the bugs leave your food crops alone! It also attracts beneficial pollinators, such as bees.

There are some people who should not use Calendula!  If you have an allergy to the Asteraceae/Compositae family (daisies, ragweed etc) stay away from it.

Pregnant and Breast feeding women should not use Calendula.

Medicinally, Calendula was not used a great deal but it has fantastic anti-bacterial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory properties, making it ideal for wound healing.  There are high amounts of flavonoids in Calendula (and many other foods).  Flavonoids are a group of natural substances with variable phenolic structures which are found in fruits, vegetables, grains, bark, roots stems, flowers, tea and wine! These flavonoids are what are known as plant based anti-oxidants that protect cells from free radical damage.

Calendula is thought to be excellent at speeding up wound healing by increasing blood flow and oxygen to affected areas.

There is a small body of research that proved Calendula cream to be effective in some women undergoing radiation treatment for Breast Cancer. Calendula based cream either prevented or drastically reduced Radiation Dermatitis.... mind blowing!

Flavonoids are now considered to be important components in pharmaceutical, medicinal and cosmetic applications, and are receiving a lot of attention...

So, the humble little Calendula plant is actually a powerhouse ingredient, and not just a pretty plant to brighten up your yard!

We infuse our Calendula in unrefined Avocado Oil, and then incorporate it into our 'Gardeners Hand Cream with Sweet Orange', and 'Hand Cream with Hemp Seed Oil'. We also formulate a 'Bum Cream for Babies' using it, which will be stocked in our store soon!

jean & andy 💚

PS- We have done our selections!! Yay...🥳