[vc_row][vc_column][vc_column_text]Beautiful calendula flowers are the perfect emblems of summer. Their sunny blooms not only look lovely in the garden, they’re also incredibly useful for addressing summertime skin woes like sunburn and bug bites.
Calendula shines as an ingredient in skincare. You’ll find all sorts of
products that incorporate calendula for its skin-soothing powers. You can also use these valuable
edible flowers in your cooking and in medicinal teas.
Calendula is super-easy to grow, so consider adding it to your
garden beds and enjoy its gorgeous blooms as you access the
health benefits of gardening.
What are some calendula benefits?
Rich in antioxidants, calendula contains
anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial compounds that have long made it a go-to for
healing wounds. Prized for its ability to
soothe skin irritation, calendula is featured in dozens of bodycare products.
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Herbalists consider calendula beneficial for supporting mood, the
lymphatic system and
immune function when consumed in food or taken as a tea or extract.
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Calendula is fabulous addition to the
medicinal herb garden, flower bed or veggie patch. Seeing its cheerful flowers blooming in your garden will give you an instant
mood boost while attracting pollinators that can help increase your fruit and vegetable yields. When you use your dried calendula harvest in winter cooking, you’ll recall those summer days in the garden, like a little dose of sunshine during the darker months of the year.
How to use calendula
Enjoy the benefits of calendula inside and out! Here’s how to use calendula for skincare or as a beneficial herb in your kitchen.
External uses for calendula:
You’ll find calming calendula in numerous bodycare products, from
first-aid cream to
shampoo and multipurpose
balms.
Calendula can help relieve itchy
insect bites and
sunburn. It’s one of the ingredients often included in
after sun gels (
also available in a packable stick form) or
first-aid salves. You can also make your own calendula-infused oil, a process similar to making
dandelion oil, and use it to soothe skin on its own or in a homemade salve or
DIY lotion.
If you prefer to buy products featuring calendula rather than make them yourself, you have plenty of options, from handy
first-aid ointments to
body lotions and
facial moisturizers. Calendula is a popular ingredient for baby care products, including
soap,
diaper creams and
sunscreen.
Internal uses for calendula:
Calendula flowers (either in bulk or in
tea bags) can also be used to brew a
floral tea, which herbalists often recommend for soothing mucus membranes in the digestive system, helping with viral infections and
improving mood.
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When using calendula petals fresh or dried in cooking, remove the bract (the green covering at the base of the flower) and use just the petals. They’re considered especially helpful to eat in winter for supporting the immune system and helping those dealing with
seasonal affective disorder (SAD).
Calendula flowers can be somewhat bitter, so throw them in dishes where a little bitterness will be welcome. Use fresh calendula petals as a pretty garnish on summer salads or entrees. Or combine them with other summer vegetables in a nutrient-rich
frittata or chickpea-based
vegan version.
In winter, add dried calendula petals to your favorite
nourishing soups. Try calendula in this
sunshine superfood veggie soup for an incredible array or health-supporting nutrients just when you need it most. Calendula petals work brilliantly in casseroles as well. Enjoy them in a delicious
spaghetti squash and egg casserole or a
vegan quinoa casserole.
How to grow calendula in your garden
Also known as pot marigold, calendula (
Calendula officinalis) shouldn’t be confused with the common marigold (
Tagetes genus) you’ll find growing in six-packs at your local garden center. Calendula isn’t commonly sold as a plant start, so you may need to buy a packet of calendula seeds to sow in your garden. If you store the extra seeds in your refrigerator in a sealed plastic bag, you should be able to use them the following season.
Calendula’s lovely flowers make a beautiful addition to any
garden bed and will help attract
pollinators to your veggie patch. If you don’t have a garden, calendula will grow well in pots on a patio or balcony.
Calendula’s large seeds are easy to plant and do well in average soil. Calendula plants don’t require much maintenance, just regular watering. Pick their flowers often, and they’ll reward you by making more blooms. When calendula flowers aren’t picked, they’ll set seeds and will stop flowering. Toward the end of the season, allow some to go to seed, and they’ll plant themselves for you the following season.
Fresh calendula flowers should be used shortly after harvest. If you’ll be infusing an oil or making a tincture, you’ll need to let them wilt beforehand to allow extra moisture to escape. If you’d like
dried flowers to use when their season ends, be sure to dry them completely before storing to prevent mold growth.
The medicinal compounds are thought to be exceptionally high in calendula’s sticky bract, so if you plan to use your calendula flowers for medicinal purposes, don’t remove that part as you would for culinary uses.
Put calendula’s super-soothing properties to work in your medicine cabinet and kitchen for a rejuvenating dose of sunshine anytime you need it.
†These statements have not been approved by the Food and Drug Administration. These products are not intended to diagnose, treat, cure or prevent disease.[/vc_column_text][/vc_column][/vc_row][vc_row][vc_column][vc_text_separator title="Featured Products" border_width="2"][vc_row_inner equal_height="yes" content_placement="middle" gap="35"][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="167410" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1686864721631{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/natures-answer-calendula"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="167411" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1686864740971{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/boiron-calendula-ointment"][/vc_column_inner][vc_column_inner width="1/3"][vc_single_image image="167412" img_size="full" alignment="center" onclick="custom_link" img_link_target="_blank" css=".vc_custom_1686864773374{padding-right: 7% !important;padding-left: 7% !important;}" link="https://www.vitacost.com/green-lovely-natures-herbal-calendula-salve-eczema-cream-lavender-chamomile"][/vc_column_inner][/vc_row_inner][/vc_column][/vc_row]
