Introducing Calendula Officionalis

Any gardener in the temperate part of the world knows this plant as the  old fashioned pot Marigold.

Like so many other valuable herbs, people still grow them in their gardens and enjoy their happy faces which flower here in New Zealand almost year round.  But we have forgotten the herbal lore which ensured their survival over thousands of years...........   Calendula is one of those incredibly valuable plants which was a staple of the herbalists craft for centuries.  It has a myriad of properties used both externally on the skin and when used internally.  It is very safe and can be safely used on babies or the elderly  and is equally effective for both.

The main reason I use Calendula is because it has incredible healing properties.  When you have a cut of some kind, your body commences a healing process to mend the hole.  Calendula enhances and speeds this process, promoting the healing of hard to heal areas.............i.e. the shin of an elderly person who has limited blood circulation.  It also minimizes scarring.   It should only be used on clean wounds as it can heal too quickly, leaving infected material inside.  

Calendula is one of the few herbs which have been clinically tested for the prevention and treatment of Medical Radiation Burns.  If you need radiation treatment I recommend you find a supply of Calendula healing balm, made as naturally as possible and with a high  level of active Calendula infusion.   I make the infused oils which are in my products by infusing Calendula flowers in cold pressed extra virgin Olive Oil.  The active constituents are absorbed by the oil as it is heated naturally be the sun.  When applied to the skin, oil based products are much more effective in conveying the healing properties of the plants than water based products as your cells will absorb the oils but tend to repel water.

CONCLUSION:

Calendula is highly effective for the prevention of acute dermatitis of grade 2 or higher and should be proposed for patients undergoing postoperative irradiation for breast cancer.

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/15084618 accessed19 April 2014