Calendula |Calendula officinalis|
A symbol of sunshine. Calendula spends the season following the sun with its incandescent blossoms with each petal being a gentle flame charged by the sun. In Egypt, this flower is used for beauty and the care of the skin. Because it almost feels like you are rubbing solar radiance captured by the sun into your skin.
The skin is a vessel and canvas for emotions and expression. It's a mirror of your inner workings of the soul. The skin is also the largest organ, often overlooked for its medicinal and spiritual power. Its the shell of your being where the aura radiates. Its the boundary between self and other as it protects you from the outer world. It is through working with this plant that I became aware of the power of the skin when it is nourished and charged and what it does for the spirit.
Calendula is really god for soothing inflamed stomach lining and calming down unsettled digestive systems. In western medicine we are now becoming aware of the "gut-brain axis" where the state of the mind is reflected in the gut and vice versa. Calendula combined with Marshmallow Root and Chamomile is actually what brought me into herbalism. Because this combination literally cured by gastritis after many lost attempts with the doctors.
Calendula and Marigold are two different species under the same genus with similar healing properties. Marigolds has a much more pungent yet citrusy aroma that I personally find intoxicating. Both plants are used interchangeably and are one of my favorite flower and plant medicine to work with. The resin in the dried flowers are used for topical treatment of burns, cuts, bruises. So Calendula/Marigold is a staple to every skin care product that I uses. It lightens and brightens the skin, healing scars and blemishes.
All in all, Calendula is a soothing herb that calms inflammation irritation on the inside and outside of the body. And is an wonderful herb to introduce to your skin care routine.
Here are some scientific research articles that covers the medicinal benefits of Calendula:
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