Calendula

Other names : Caléndula, Calendula officinalis, Calendule, English Garden Marigold, Fleur de Calendule, Fleur de Tous les Mois, Garden Marigold, Gold-Bloom, Holligold, Marigold, Marybud, Pot Marigold, Souci des Champs, Souci des Jardins, Souci des Vignes, Souci Officinal, Zergul.

Special Precautions of Calendula

• Calendula seems to be safe for most people when taken by mouth or applied to the skin.
• Pregnancy and breast-feeding: Don’t take calendula by mouth if you are pregnant. There is a concern that it might cause a miscarriage. It’s best to avoid topical use as well until more is known.
• If you are breast-feeding, don’t take calendula either. There isn’t enough safety information about use during breast-feeding.
• Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Calendula may cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae family. Members of this family include ragweed, chrysanthemums, marigolds, daisies, and many others. If you have allergies, be sure to check with your healthcare provider before taking calendula.
• Surgery: Calendula might cause too much drowsiness if combined with medications used during and after surgery. Stop taking calendula at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.
• Sedative medications (CNS depressants) interacts with calendula.
• When growing or picking calendula flowers, make sure the plants are Calendula officinalis and not Tagetes species, of which the French, African, and Mexican marigolds are common. They have different properties and must not be used for herbal teas. Instead, those plants are used for warts and also as insecticides or weedkillers.

The benefits of Calendula are

Calendula's health benefits lie on its high flavonoid content. The herb also contains carotenoids and triterpene which had been observed by different studies to play an important role in calendula's various medicinal applications. The known health benefits of the herbs include treatment for burns, minor injuries, sore throat, ulcerative colitis, peptic ulcer, gastritis and conjunctivitis.

• It is being used to help in the healing of wounds by applying the ointment that contains this plant directly into the wound. There are also practices of boiling tea, and applying the tea topically. In order to make tea from tincture, dilute a half or a full teaspoon of calendula to one-fourth cup water, apply directly to the wound. But when applying to surgical wounds, make sure that there is doctor’s supervision.
• Calendula has been known as an insect repellant for a long time.
• The medieval monks even used this to treat bites made snakes.
• Not only is calendula an effective antibiotic, it is also an excellent topical anti-inflammatory.
• Calendula has been traditionally used to treat different skin health conditions like eczema and skin ulcerations.
• It has also been used to sooth inflammation and relieve the symptoms of stomach ulcers.