Calendula
I love Calendula. Maybe it’s the bright yellow/orange flower, but maybe Calendula just calls to me. When I first learned about Calendula I was taught ‘Calendula is for everything skin related’. And so I began utilizing it as a skin healer because it’s vulnerary and astringent properties do heal and soothe skin traumas. But now I know so much more about the plant.
Calendula is a great herb for people whose state of mind worsens on cloudy damp days. It has an affinity for the following organ/body systems; lymphatic, immune, digestive, skin, liver/gall bladder, and female reproductive. An excellent herb that has a multitude of tastes, indicating its diversified portfolio.
Calendula thins fluids, dispersing fluid stagnation, this explains its helpfulness in moving the lymphatic system. It’s safe for children and can be called upon when glands are swollen or skin eruptions occur. Calendula also helps to reduce inflammation and modulates the immune system. This is a fantastic herb for conditions of IBS, leaky gut, food intolerance, and antibiotic trauma (where there is a history of too many antibiotics) as it soothes and tones tissue internally and externally and assists the body in detoxification. This plant contains nutritive qualities as well as cleansing properties, great for people with on-going illnesses or who are ‘always cold’.
We use the flowers of the Calendula plant. Their sticky resinous portions are key in the medicinal values of the herb. Calendula flowers can be eaten whole or dried for infusion (tea). We use the flowers in baby’s bath, and many of our herbal ‘tea’ blends designed to soothe digestion, boost immunity, stimulate fluid flow, or detoxify the liver. Common name Pot Marigold.