Perhaps one of the most revered formulations for skin care in natural medicine has been Calendula flower oil. Gentle and effective for children, the elderly, and everyone in-between, many generations have been mothered with the soft touch of this wonderful oil. At the same time, its use was rather limited; but now, Calendula essential oil has become available on a wide scale, allowing folks to make use of the recently elucidated VERY broad range of healing properties.
The Brilliant Calendula Flower
Calendula flowers, a particular kind of Marigold, is a genus of 20 species of herbaceous plants in the Daisy family. Calendula infused oil — made by soaking the flowers in olive oil — is highly regarded as a base of soothing skin formulas, with cooling and hydrating effects. It has been a popular ingredient in formulas for eczema and baby’s needs — or anywhere skin irritation is being addressed. The infused oil had limitations in that the base oil needed to be the infused oil itself, limiting other carrier or base oils included in the formula. Even very small quantities (1-3%, or 8-24 drops per ounce) of the essential oil added to your recipes can have dramatic results
New Methods Offer Easy-To-Use Essential Oil
The Calendula essential oil concentrate is often labeled as Calendula CO2, meaning all the lipid-soluble components of the plant have been extracted using pressurized, liquified carbon dioxide. At the end of the process, the carbon dioxide is released and only the essential oil remains. A search through the data provided by the US Nation Library of Medicine uncovers hundreds of references to Calendula officinalis extract. The database is hosted at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — simply search for the therm “calendula” for pages of fascinating results to browse through.
The Data Is In: Calendula Has A Wide Range of Therapeutic Activity
The researchers, prompted by the great historical use of this flower as medicine, have investigated a great many of its healing properties. These include the speeding of wound healing, potent anti-inflammatory action, strong anti-oxidant activity, and a myriad of protective effects to various organs. The research notes that the extract actually increases the speed at which skin cells form, has uniquely strong antioxidant activity due to the red and orange pigmentation, and prevents damage to the liver and kidneys when they’re exposed to toxic chemicals. The conclusions of these studies indicate quite clearly the efficacy of the flower extract in a wide variety of applications. So how can we make use of this oil?
Creating Recipes at Home with Calendula
The easiest uses of Calendula essential oil will be in externally-applied topical formulas. Simply include a few drops per ounce of your recipe. For example, an excellent wound-healing AND anti-inflammatory blend could be made with 3 milliliters of Helichrysum italicum essential oil (a profound wound-healing and pain relieving essential oil) and 1 milliliter Calendula essential oil in a base of equal parts Tamanu, Coconut and Rosehip seed oils. This would be useful for treatment of wounds after accidents or surgery (while it should not be applied directly to open wounds — around the open area would be fine). A stronger formula would be useful for deep tissue injuries, like sports injuries, muscle strains, sprains and the like. Use up to 25% Helichrysum and 5% Calendula in a simple base of pure Jojoba oil, massaging into painful areas up to 3 times daily. This type of formula utilizes the strong anti-inflammatory action of Helichrysum along with the wound healing and antioxidant effects of Calendula to speed healing and relieve pain of connective-tissue damage. Calendula is safe for use with both children and the elderly, though the overall concentrations of these formulas should be reduced accordingly depending on the age group (there are many online references for essential oil concentrations with different age groups). Beyond wound healing, simply antioxidant activity in skin preparations will limit free-radical damage that is often associated with skin aging, making Calendula a great ingredient in every beauty-care recipe.
Liver and Kidney Protection Through Reflexology
Calendula’s organ-protective effects can be utilized by applying the essential oil to the feet, which are highly receptive to the energetics of essential oils. The liver and kidney points are directly behind the ball of the foot, at the front of the arch. One can make one ounce of an organ-supportive blend by using 3 milliliters of Calendula, 1 and 1/2 milliliters each of Helichrysum italicum, Blue Tansy and Carrot Seed essential oils in organic Coconut. Regular massage in the area described with this blend is intended to ‘clear’ these organs and support their healthy function. With further dilution, this formula can be massaged in the low back and abdomen for further therapeutic support.
Safe, Safe, Safe
Calendula essential oil has been listed by the FDA as being safe for ingestion in commonly-used amounts. What does this mean? When essential oils are ingested, they are typically consumed by the drop, and usually in the range of only 1-3 drops per day. Ingesting the oil may be a way to utilize the liver and kidney anti-toxicity protective effects described in the research. While typically essential oil ingestion is frowned upon in the United States, the real challenge is proper education about dosages. Calendula CO2 extract specifically should be quite tame, although perhaps the most tasty thing one has ever put in their body! Ingestion of 3 drops daily, put in an empty cellulose capsule if you like, may impart a range of benefits, from antioxidant activity, to chemo-protective, to antibacterial and antiparasitic potential actions.
Taking A Place with the Natural Medicine Essentials
The flowers of the Calendula plant have an exceptionally rich history of medicinal, therapeutic use — backed by a large amount of scientific data. This data elucidates the mechanisms for the medicinal actions, and allows us to make better use of Calendula extract than ever before. Calendula essential oil has such a wide range of healing properties that it really deserves a place in everyone’s natural home care kit. It is safe for use with children and elderly, and addresses many of their common ailments. The essential oil is exceptionally easy to use, and could even be blended into preparations you may already have on hand. For all its beauty (the flower) and its healing potential (the extract) Calendula officinalis is certainly worth a closer look.
The author is a regular contributor to several sites in the areas of traditional medicine, on subjects including using essential oils and Bach flower remedies.