Healing with Calendula

This little sunny flower. Do you know about her?

My first calendula flower bloomed yesterday in my garden!

Here is some fun history and lore:

Calendula was considered by Romans a plant with magical powers, allowing people to see the fairies and women to select the right partner.

In Greek mythology there was a young woman named Caltha who fell in love with Apollo, the god of sun. She was melted by the power of his rays and in her place a solitary calendula flower grew. It is said that the grief and pain of melting from lost love can be dispelled by mixing calendula and roses together.

The early Christians called calendula “Mary’s Gold” – gold of Mary – and they placed it next to the statues of the Virgin Mary. The marigold was also one of the most sacred flowers of ancient Indians and they formed garlands tying twine calendula stems and flower heads and placed them around the necks of holy statues.

Folklore says that Calendula was considered a magical herb of prosperity and wealth. That is why people used to have a pot with a calendula plant outside their doorstep, to welcome happiness and money and the brides wore a calendula crown on their head at their wedding to bless them with longevity and happy marriage. It was believed that people could communicate with spirits. Fairies would reveal themselves if someone burnt a Calendula incense. The young women could find the perfect much for them by using some Calendula flowers.

At the end of the day, we all can agree that this little ray of sunshine is a special flower!

When we go into the healing properties of the flower, we find that her active constituents are saponins, resin and essential oils containing carotenoids (carotene, calenduline, and lycopine). These constituents contribute to the healing properties which are emmenagogue, diaphoretic, alterative, and astringent.

What does all that mean? Well, she is a great flower when taking internally for regulating the menses. It also is used to ripen eruptive diseases such as measles and promotes diaphoresis, which makes it very useful for fevers. It is most used externally, such as an ointment or oil for burns, cuts, and bruises.

We use calendula often in our home. The children have made salves, oils, and teas with her. Mylahs favorite way to use it is for her blisters on her hands from gymnastics! we typically will use it mostly for any boo-boos! This is a fun little flower that can be tossed into any tea or even salads to brighten it up.

Let's not forget about her flower essence!

The calendula flower imparts a warm, golden light of healing for those souls. Calendula flower essence is an excellent balm for human relationships, for cultivating receptivity and empathy. Rather than be wounding or cutting in our communications, Calendula teaches us to touch each other gently and profoundly with light and warmth of our words.