Calendula Officinalis

Marigold

Calendula is a member of the daisy or Compositae family and the name comes from the Latin ‘calends,’ meaning the first day of the month.  This refers to the almost continual flowering of the plant.

It is indigenous to the Mediterranean and Eastern Europe where it has been in popular medicinal use since ancient times.  Calendula was also popular in India, Arabia and Ancient Greece.

Calendula is mentioned in several old herbals and has long been used medicinally.  It has been a common garden plant since the twelfth century and was a popular garden flower in Shakespeare's time, ‘his marigold’.

Its dried florets have been used as a food colouring and for flavouring stews and soups. Hence the name ‘pot marigold’.

Traditional Western Herbal medicine uses include for sebaceous cysts, acne, skin conditions and enlarged, inflamed lymph nodes.

It was found to enhance the proliferation of white blood cells and stimulate phagocytosis. In other words it improved the body’s immune response to infection.

It was also shown to have anti-inflammatory, immune modulating and antioxidant effect.

Calendula has demonstrated antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal properties.

• Bogdanova et al in 1970 found that a flower extract of Calendula inhibited growth of Herpes simplex virus and kill influenza viruses.
• Kalvatchev et al in 1997 showed Calendula to have anti-HIV activity.
• Samochowiec et al in 1979 demonstrated that Calendula inhibited the growth of the bacteria, Trichomonas.
• Kasiram et al in 2000 showed that Calendula had an inhibiting effect against all fungi which equalled that of conventional antifungals.

Calendula, with it’s antibacterial, antiviral and antifungal activity is particularly suitable for children because it is safe even over prolonged periods of time as well as being gentle and effective. Furthermore, it’s affinity for lymph glands is of great benefit as children have the largest ratio of lymph tissue to total body weight in their infective years. This is between one to eight years of age, when they are more susceptible to acute respiratory infections, than at any other time in their lives.

It is approved by Commission E (the European regulatory body) for the inflammation of the mouth and throat and is recommended in the B H P (British herbal pharmacopoeia) for enlarged and inflamed lymph nodes.

Cautions and Contraindications.
Known allergy to the Compositae family.
Safety in pregnancy not established.