Calendula | Solarly Radiant

As the growing warmth of the sun rises into the pinnacle of summer, our hearts gasp in awe, skipping a joyous beat at the first sight of our golden friend's graceful presence. This lively ally offers cheerful nourishment to our spirits and bodies, delighting in being our best and brightest cheerleader.

Who is this kindred plant filling our being with so much joy? Calendula! With a pure embodiment of solar radiance, Calendula encourages us to follow the sun, trust ourselves and stand in the light; offering the simple, yet meaningful mantra of "Be joyfully you! "

Calendula care for the spirit

Widely used across many traditions, Calendula has most notably been found in traditional European folk medicine for a variety of culinary and medicinal purposes. Primarily sought after as an all-purpose topical skin remedy and wound healer, Calendula has also been used for a broad range of actions for internal use, particularly for supporting the lymphatic and digestive systems.

The part of the plant traditionally used for medicine is the entire flowering head, including the base of the flower, as it contains much of the medicine and aromatic resins. These resins gain in potency with the heat of the summer sun and because Calendula blooms all summer long, the window for harvest in the garden is quite long.

The petals themselves are mild, sweet and edible, and can be harvested as a colourful addition to salads or as decorations on cakes or ice cream. They have also been traditionally used to colour cheese.  

Anyone who has picked any amount of Calendula can attest to the shear abundance of aromatic resin it contains. The summer afterglow of having sweet, sticky orange hands with the most delightful aroma is something to look forward to every summer. 

Picking Calendula is a wonderful way to include your kiddos in the processes of harvesting, as the flowers are fun and easy to pop off the stems, all while adding more joyousness to your medicine! I have harvested Calendula with kids of all ages from as young as two years and seeing the pureness of delight and curiosity while harvesting the cheerful flowers never gets old!

This exact vibrance of joy, wonder and flare is for me the essence of Calendula. To gracefully dance wild and free while also snuggling close and warmly to the light of our own being. To be connected to that golden jewel found at our core and nourish it into being, carrying it forth into the world with beauty.

Calendula imbues in us the energy of the sun, uplifting our spirits, hugging opening our hearts and encouraging confidence, resilience and courage in the face of our fears and darkness. 

Calendula offers the insight of just allowing joy in. There will always be challenge, grief, hardness in life and often shifting focus to the grace of gratitude is what is needed to reclaim happiness again. Calendula inspires us to be present with ourselves and let the light grow within, shining bolder and brighter than our fear and anxieties. 

When you are sorrowful, look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight. ~ Kahlil Gibran

Calendula care for the skin

Calendula is most famously known for its potent affinity for healing the skin, specifically for epithelial cell regeneration. Used topically, Calendula effectively cleans, disinfects, and heals wounds very rapidly with its antimicrobial, anti-fungal and anti-inflammatory actions. The astringency helps to draw the wound together to heal it quickly while preventing excess scar tissue.

Calendula is great for wounds which are tender, red, inflamed and swollen. A big part of the wound healing magic of Calendula is its action on the lymph.  As herbalist Matthew Wood notes, Calendula seems to “clean the wound from the inside out,” indicating the mode of healing is working on a deeper level as well, through the blood and lymph.

Calendula is one of our primary lymphagogues, supporting the clearing, moving and draining excess or stagnant lymph fluid, which in turn decreases swelling and fluid accumulation. Because the lymphatic system is a passive system of the body, it relies entirely on physical movement (exercise) and touch (such as massage, and dry brushing) to move the lymph fluid throughout the body. Without such movement and touch, sluggishness and build up are common, resulting in skin flair-ups, chronic inflammation, and difficultly with reoccurring infections.

Our Serene Skin Tincture Blend has the lymph in mind with Calendula as one of the chief herbs in this blend, formulated to support skin, liver and lymphatic health. This formula promotes skin health by gently stimulating the liver, clearing any stagnation, soothing inflammation and nourishing the digestive system from the inside out. This blend is specifically indicated for inflammation that is showing up on the skin through inflammatory skin conditions such as eczema, psoriasis, acne, rosacea, hives or rashes.

Calendula’s actions on the lymph can also be used topically to stimulate the lymphatic glands through the application of herbal oils and salves. The healing properties of Calendula extract extremely well into oil; making a potent deep-golden infused oil.  

Herbal oils are among the most abundantly used medicines in my own apothecary. Our golden Calendula Infused Oil is one of my go-to oils for soothing and repairing skin, and for blending massage and facial oils. 

The Calendula Infused Oil is made by drying our own farm-fresh Calendula and infusing it into high quality extra virgin olive oil. Drying Calendula completely before infusing it into oil is very important, as the herb is very moist and oil made with the fresh herb will easy mould or develop rancidity. By using freshly-dried Calendula, we can ensure a potent extraction that will be shelf-stable for a year or longer.

There is an abundance of healing properties in the extra virgin olive oil itself. Considered ‘liquid gold’ and honoured for its life-giving properties by the ancient Greeks, olive oil is rich with essential amino acids, vitamins and antioxidants as well as being anti-inflammatory, naturally lubricating and readily dissolving into the skin. This is the basis of all of our Herbal Infused Oils, and Calendula infused into this already abundant carrier oil produces a truly opulent herbal oil. 

Calendula is one of the primary ingredients in several of our most popular herbal salve blends including; Fungal Remedy (for Candida, Tinea, ringworm etc), Eczema Remedy (for reducing pain, inflammation, and itching), Baby's Balm (ideal for baby bums and nursing mums); Cuts & Scrapes (a great addition to your herbal first aid kit), along with our best selling single herb Calendula Salve (for all-purpose skin healing). 

All of our Salves & Salve Blends are made by combining our own full-strength herbal infused oils with fragrant local organic beeswax, extending the life of the oil while also making it easy and convent to apply. We only use pure herbal infused oils, and never add additional essential oils to our salves, keeping the salves gentle on the skin while preserving the skins natural flora balance against harsh additives.

Even for the most dry, cracked, painful or weeping eczema, Calendula can be the perfect application. Some individuals with eczema may find pretty much everything too harsh for their skin, but making a wound wash from the tea of the fresh or dried flowers is the most gentle and soothing of remedies and may provide relief. This tea can also be supportive for oral infections, weeping wounds, diaper rash and as a postpartum sitzbath. The juice (succcus) can also be made with fresh flowers and used as a skin wash and toner.

For the ultimate skin-care routine we have formulated our Skin Sav-r trio with Calendula for cleansing, toning, and moisturizing the skin. Our Skin Sav-r Face Cleansing Oil is formulated with Yarrow, Mahonia & Calendula, with pure cold-pressed oils. This natural oil-cleanser gently restores and cleanses the skin without disturbing the natural protective mantle of the skin resulting in smoother skin and reduced blemishes.

Our Skin Sav-r Facial Toner is a soothing and remineralizing herbal facial toner for all skin types containing distilled floral waters (hyrdosols) of Calendula, Rose & Arbutus, plus Horsetail infused organic apple cider vinegar. The toner is especially wonderful for calming skin conditions such as rosacea.

Finishing your skin care routine with our Skin Sav-r Facial Serum is a sure way to aid skin in becoming balanced, hydrated and glowing. The serum is formulated with nourishing oils including jojoba and borage seed, and infused with healing herbs such as Fireweed & Calendula to moisturize, calm inflammation, heal blemishes & improve skin texture and tone.

Lastly, you can also find Calendula in our Blessed Body Herbal Oil (a sensually-scented all-over skin-nourishing body oil to moisturize and heal skin), as well as our Ear Ease oil (for soothing and healing ear aches and infections), and Luscious Lip Balm (prevent and heal chapped lips).

Calendula care for the gut

Along with Calendula’s topical applications, it is one of the most powerful remedies to repair our ‘inner skin’, ie the tissues of our digestive tract. Often inflammation and eruptions on the skin, be it eczema, acne, rashes or inflammation of any kind point to a deeper systemic imbalance within the liver and digestive system.

Food allergies and intolerances, as well as pharmaceutical medications and stress, can all cause the dis-regulation of gut flora resulting in digestive inflammation and irritation. This inflammation will typically show up as systemic inflammation elsewhere in the body, manifesting as joint pain, autoimmunity, or chronic skin conditions like eczema, acne, rosacea and psoriasis.

Leaky gut, or intestinal hyperpermeability, is often the underlying cause of such topical conditions on the skin, as food bacteria and toxins leak through tiny perforations in the lining of the gut, causing them to flow into the bloodstream. This then causes our immune system to be on red alert, creating heat and inflammation as a way to clear the system. This inflammation continues to happen as long as the allergens are present, until the permeability is healed, and the gut ecosystem re-balanced. 

Having personal experience with digestive imbalances, including food sensitivities, leaky gut, and other digestive pain, Calendula has been very supportive for my overall digestive health; helping to heal the lining of my digestive tract after discovering my food allergies ~ such as gluten, dairy, and soy ~ and eliminating them from my diet. Calendula is specifically indicated here with inflamed, irritated tissues and gut dis-bioses resulting in a systemic inflammatory action on the body.

Because digestive issues and imbalances, along with food allergies, are so common within our modern diets, our Groovy Gut Tincture Blend has become one of our most popular tinctures. Formulated with Calendula to gently stimulate the liver, soothe inflammation in the mucous membranes, heal ulceration and rebalance gut flora, all while helping to clear stagnancy, water retention and excess dampness through the action on the lymph; this blend also contains Fireweed, Oregon Grape Root (Mahonia) & Plantain to support general digestive health and balanced gut ecosystem.

For general support of skin, lymph and digestive health, we also have fresh-herb Calendula Tincture available in our shop in 50ml, 100ml & 250ml sizes.

Calendula in the garden

Calendula is an annual, or sometimes short-lived perennial, herb in the daisy family (Asteraceae) originating from southern Europe and the eastern Mediterranean. Calendula has a long history of cultivation and is known by other common names including Pot Marigold, Mary's Gold and English or Scotch Marigold; not be confused with common Marigolds, which are several species of Tagetes. 

Calendula has been grown in traditional apothecary gardens for many millennia, and is one of the easiest medicinal herbs to grow. It is a good choice for the novice gardener, and definitely in the top ten herbs (probably #2 for me after Yarrow) to have in your medicinal herb garden. Calendula is drought tolerant and adaptive to a variety of growing conditions, although these sunny flowers do need a sunny spot.

Calendula plants grow to be 1-2ft high with a mounding, bushy habit with branching stems spreading outward up to 1.5 or 2 feet wide. The stems are covered in fine hairs and the entire plant is sticky and aromatic. The flowers are diverse and range in different shades of single and double flowers of orange, red and yellow hues. Calendula is always easy to keep in your garden as it is prolific at self-seeding.

Once you get it going, Calendula will return in your garden year after year to delight you with its warm sunny medicine. We offer two varieties of Calendula seeds in our shop. You can find common, or ‘official’, Calendula (Calendula officinalis) with its variety of yellow, orange and cream coloured blooms in single form, as well as the cultivar ‘Erfurter’ (Calendula officinalis ‘Erfurter Orangefarbige’) which boasts pure orange fully double flowers. Both are wonderful for culinary, medicinal, and cut flower use, though the Erfurter is a favourite for making the deepest orange infused oil.

Calendula seeds can be sown either in the fall, or spring, for blooms all summer long. They are non-fussy plants that don’t mind being transplanted and can tolerate some frost, or even snow. We direct seed ours in mid-April for quick growth in the spring, but usually have many fall self-sown seedling emerge even earlier in the spring. The seedlings can also be started indoors or in the greenhouse in early spring and then transplanted out when the soil has warmed; this gives the harvest season a boost in cooler climes.