Back in 2020, I decided to finally start official training for a passion that I've had since I was a teenager - herbalism. While I had studied the herbal benefits of plants and worked with teas and tinctures on my own, I still had (and have) a ton of curiosity about how herbs work.
The same year, my outdoor garden space was just getting started. The first flower I grew was Calendula resina - not only because it's a great companion plant, but also for its medicinal properties.
Now calendula is a permanent feature in my garden (in part because it's a prolific self-sowing plant, in part because I enjoy it so much). Seeing the first blooms appear in late spring marks the beginning of my harvesting and drying ritual that continues well into the autumn. The "resina" part of the plant, or the resin, makes my fingertips sticky but is also where a lot of this herb's medicinal properties come from. It's easy to dry, and can also be used fresh in a variety of preparations. It's a fun plant to experiment with, and is great for beginners who maybe haven't made tinctures before but want to give it a try.
If you're looking for a simple way to integrate plants into your wellness routine, or to add some botanical ritual into your life, calendula is a great option. If you're curious about the benefits of calendula, scientific studies have shown us that this unassuming plant holds some fascinating properties.
While I'm not a professional herbalist, my herbal training and personal experiences with calendula have opened my eyes to its potential. In this article, I'll share what I've learned—from my garden adventures to my studies and nerdy explorations of scientific data.
Let’s explore how calendula might brighten your daily routine, in the same way it has mine.Benefits and Properties of Calendula
Important Note: I'm not a doctor or medical professional of any kind. Don't take this as medical advice. Do your own research, and consult with your own health providers.
Calendula Health Benefits and Constituents
Calendula may look simple on the surface - but the more I learn about the chemical components of this plant, the more I'm amazed at the scope of benefits that calendula provides.
Did you know that the first mention of calendula being used for herbal use was from the 1100's?
Even before then, Roman and Greek gardeners were growing calendula intentionally since at least the 3rd century BC. During that era, the flowers were a part of festivals and rituals, which continued into the beginnings of Christianity (Vella).
It's amazing to me that back then, they integrated this plant into remedies for the same reasons we do today: stomach problems, cramping, and skin wounds.
While it's one thing to say that a plant has been turned to medicinally for nearly a millennia, it's another entirely to say that the properties of a plant have been proven by science.
That's what I'll focus on in this section.
Skin Issues
Through my herbal training, I’ve learned that calendula is a great topical remedy for any minor wounds, stings, or skin ailments. Skin issues in general might be the most popular reason why someone might work with calendula.
Calendula's affinity for the skin is due to the anti-inflammatory benefits of the terpenes and carotenoids present in the plant (Jarić).
What Science Says:
- A study completed in 2022 found that wounds actually healed faster when treated with calendula (Giostri).
- A review from Shahane et al. explains that the chemicals increase blood and oxygen flow at the wound site. This in turn helps the body to grow new skin tissue and collagen. This feature of calendula also helps scars to fade, and for burned skin to rejuvenate (Deka).
Calendula Topical Compress
Every summer I get a few wasps and hornet stings. Working in the garden, it seems to be unavoidable. Once I've gotten over the initial shock of the sting, I make myself a calendula compress to apply to the wound.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 tablespoons dried calendula blooms
- 8 oz. water
Steps:
1. To make a calendula compress, you essentially make a tea as outlined above.
2. With the herbs still in the water, let the tea cool so that it’s warm, but not hot. During the heat of summer, I usually prefer to let it come down to room temperature.
3. Next, strain out the herbs.
4. Take a cloth and soak it in the herbal infusion. Apply the wet cloth to areas of irritation on the skin for 10-15 minutes.
Digestive Issues
In my herbal training with Commonwealth Herb School, I leaned that the lining of the stomach and digestive tract is made up of the same type of cells as our skin (epithelial cells). For this reason, if an herb can be taken internally and also has topical applications, it's likely that it has digestive benefits.
The anti-spasmotic qualities of calendula tea are thought to be what could be seen as relieving intestinal cramping in anecdotal cases (Miraj).
Calendula Tea
One of my go-to beverages when my stomach is feeling a little off is a combination of calendula, chamomile, and mint tea. Luckily, all of these herbs grow abundantly in my garden, so I have a large supply fresh or dried to make a warm and soothing infusion.
Ingredients:
- 2-3 tablespoons dried calendula blooms
- 2-3 tablespoons dried chamomile flowers
- 1 tablespoon dried mint leaves
- 16 oz. water
Steps:
1. Place the dried herbs into a french press. Alternatively, place them at the bottom of a tea cup or in a tea sieve.
2. Pour almost-boiling hot water over the calendula.
3. Cover and let steep for 10-20 minutes.
4. Strain if necessary. Add some milk of choice if you wish, and enjoy.
Dental Health
Calendula can be turned into a mouthwash which helps soothe wounds on the gums or mouth tissue.
What Science Says:
- The anti-bacterial properties of this herb were shown to decrease gingivitis spread and lower plaque levels (Patil).
Calendula Mouth Gargle
I always like to add in some salt to my herbal mouth rinses just to give it a boost. I make my mouth gargle fresh, but you could store it in the fridge for a couple of days if you want, too.
Ingredients:
- 3-4 tablespoons dried calendula blooms
- 1 teaspoon salt
- 4 oz. water
Steps:
1. Make a calendula tea as outlined above.
2. With the herbsstil lin the water, let the tea cool so that it's room temperature.
3. Strain out the herbs
4. Add in the salt
5. Gargle or swish around the mouth,then spit out the liquid in the sink.
6. Repeat until all of the water is gone
Cosmetics
Calendula extracts have become more popular in skin care products, and with good reason - it's full of antioxidants which help the skin to look and feel its best.
What Science Says:
- Studies found that the chemical components of the flowers, such as rutin, quercetin, and luteolin were shown to help decrease signs of ageing and oxidative stress from sun exposure (Alsaraf).
Calendula Serum
I'm not a makeup girlie, but I do like to apply some natural skin products at night. I find it relaxing and it helps me to wind down before bed.
Ingredients:
- 1 8 oz mason jar + lid
- Fresh calendula, enough to fill the jar 7/8 of the way full
- Organic Olive oil, enough to cover the calendula in the jar
Read More:
Deka B., Bhattacharjee B., Shakya A., Ikbal A.M.A., Goswami C., Sarma S. Mechanism of Action of Wound Healing Activity of Calendula officinalis: A Comprehensive Review. Pharm. Biosci. J. 2021;9:28–44. doi: 10.20510/ukjpb/9/i1/1609684673.
Giostri G.S., Novak E.M., Buzzi M., Guarita-Souza L.C. Treatment of Acute Wounds in Hand with Calendula officinalis L.: A Randomized Trial. Tissue Barriers. 2021;10:1994822. doi: 10.1080/21688370.2021.1994822.
Alsaraf, Khulood M., Abbas, Ibrahim S., Hassan, Eman F. 2019 Extraction and Clinical Application of Calendula officinalis L. Flowers Cream. IOP Conf. Ser.: Mater. Sci. Eng. 571012082. DOI: 10.1088/1757-899X/571/1/012082.
Miraj, Sepideh. The role of medicinal plants in the treatment of diseases: A systematic review of Calendula officinalis. Der Pharmacia Lettre, 2016, 8(14):92-95.
Patil, Dr & C J, Sanjay & Doggalli, D Nagabhushana & Devi, KR & Harshitha, N. (2022). A Review of Calendula Officinalis Magic in Science. Journal of Clinical and Diagnostic Research. 16. ZE23-ZE27. 10.7860/JCDR/2022/52195.16024.
Shahane, Kiran et al. “An Updated Review on the Multifaceted Therapeutic Potential of Calendula officinalis L.” Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) vol. 16,4 611. 18 Apr. 2023, doi:10.3390/ph16040611
Snežana Jarić, Olga Kostić, Zorana Mataruga, Dragana Pavlović, Marija Pavlović, Miroslava Mitrović, Pavle Pavlović, Traditional wound-healing plants used in the Balkan region (Southeast Europe), Journal of Ethnopharmacology, Volume 211, 2018,Pages 311-328, 10.1016/j.jep.2017.09.018.
Vela, Filomena Monica., Pignone, Domenico., Laratta, Bruna. (2024). The Mediterranean Species Calendula officinalis and Foeniculum vulgare as Valuable Source of Bioactive Compounds. Molecules, 29(15), 3594, 10.3390/molecules29153594.
Increase the Medicinal Benefits of Calendula with Regenerative Agriculture
Regenerative agriculture enhances the medicinal value of calendula plants.
An article in Forbes profiles the skin care company, True Botanicals, in a feature on regenerative agriculture.
Hillary Peterson is the founder of this company. She compared the properties of calendula oils grown on standard depleated soils versus regeneratively grown calendula. The color profile of the standard oil is yellow, almost the color of a weak chamomile tea. The regeneratively farmed calendula oil is a rich bright orange color.
Beyond aesthetics, the implication of the deeper color is that a higher amount of beneficial elements are present in the regeneratively grown plant.
Which Kind of Calendula Should You Grow for Herbal Use?
While I'm a huge fan of the more pink and burgundy-toned calendula flowers that are part of the Flashback and Zeolights collections (pioneered by amazing plant breeder Frank Morton), the standard calendula cultivar is "Resina." Resina flowers are a mix of a solid bold orange and vibrant yellow color palette.
Most of the herbal studies that I've seen look specifically at the Resina variety. The exception is when scientists look at the constituents of cultivars that have been bred for high resin content, such as Alpha or Orange Zinger.
Have a look at this study from the University of Montana, which found that Orange Zinger (Erfurter Orangefarbige) had more calendic acid compared to Resinia (54% vs 49%).
Luckily, Calendula resina is really easy to find at most seed stores. Learn more about these three varieties and where to purchase them below.
Resina
Has a high resin content for medicinal use. The resin is also an insect attractant/repellant in the garden. Two layers of petals, color varies from yellow to orange. Hardy and unfazed by light frosts. Available at Adaptive Seeds.
Alpha
High resin content, looks similar to Resina but all flowers will be orange. Available at Siskiyou Seeds.
Erfurter Orangefarbige aka Orange Zinger
Has a high resin content for medicinal use, and long stems for cut flowers. The orange of the Zinger variety is electric! I grew it last year in an onion patch and it always caught my eye. This variety may have higher resin content than Resina. Lots of layers of petals. Available at Adaptive Seeds or Nature & Nurture Seeds.
When to Harvest Calendula Flowers for TeasHarvest Calendula Guide
Calendula blooms will appear 2-3 months after germination.
Calendula is a type of plant that will continue to produce flowers as long as you pick them off. You can get a decent harvest from just a few plants.
In fact, over the course of two growing seasons, scientists at the Experimental Farm of Faculty of Agriculture in Egypt compared two groups of calendula plants. In one group, they continuously harvested the flower petals, and in the other, they did not.
In the end, they measured that the plants that were frequently picked grew around 6 to 7 times more flowers! It should be noted that they picked just the petals, not the entire flower head. But I think it would be interesting to see if similar results could be calculated from full harvests.
I like to pick calendula after all the morning dew has evaporated, but before the heat of the summer day kicks in. At this point, any flowers that are open and still fresh are perfect for harvesting.
Harvest until the blooms stop producing, which could be after your first frost.
Your fingers will become delightfully sticky as you harvest the resinous blooms!
How to dry calendula for tea
Take all the freshly picked calendula flowers and place them in a single layer on a drying rack. I use a multi-tiered hanging mesh rack like this one from Gardener’s Supply.
In my dry summer environment, the calendula flowers are ready after 2 weeks of drying. Then, they can be placed in fully dry glass containers.
Store your calendula in a dry place away from direct sunlight.
The gorgeous orange blossoms will stay vibrant even after they've been dried for a year.
What Can You Do With Calendula Flowers?Vibrant Calendula Blossoms that I dried for tea
There are many things that you can do with calendula for yourself in your kitchen.
Warning: If you are allergic to plants in the daisy, aster, echinacea, and chamomile family, don’t attempt to interact with calendula in any way, topically or internally.
Calendula as Saffron Substitute
The resinous orange petals of calendula add a similar color and taste to dishes as saffron. In fact, “poor man’s saffron” is another name for calendula due to this unique property.
Next time a recipe calls for saffron, add some fresh or dried orange calendula petals instead.
Calendula as a Regenerative Gardening Crop
Plants for a Future notes that besides to heavy clay soils, calendula can also grow in sandy soils. It also thrives in areas that are otherwise not very fertile. It can grow in locations that have acidic or alkaline soil pH levels as well.
This makes calendula an excellent plant to sow where nothing else seems to grow.
In the same way that calendula can be a salve for skin irritations and wounds, it can also be a salve of sorts for the soil.
In a way, you can plant calendula as a cover crop in poor soil. Let it self sow, and after it grows 8-10 inches, mulch the area with its leaves. Watch how the plant regenerates itself after its cut back to provide more green material!
This will help your soil to have organic matter added to it. As a bonus, the roots of the calendula will help to break up clay soil. The roots, when they decompose, can also add organic matter to clay and sandy soils alike.
As mentioned above, calendula is perfect for dry gardens, and is a low-input plant. It does not need fertilizer to thrive.
Calendula Flowers: A plethora of benefits
Calendula is far more than just a pretty addition to the garden. It’s a dream for regenerative or permaculture gardeners. It has healing properties for the herbalist, soil health support for the regenerative gardener, and pest control for the organic advocate.
If you are looking for a new plant to add biodiversity and vibrance into your garden, look no further than Calendula officinalis.
