Calendula has amazing medicinal properties, and is commonly used in salves & tea’s. Aside from its amazing medicinal properties, the blooms are beautiful and abundant throughout the growing season. In fact, calendula has to be one of my favorite plants to grow, because it’s so easy to maintain & the blooms are endless! By pinching the tops of your flowering stems, you’ll get twice as many flowers, and when the season is over collect the seeds by removing husks or pods and store in a brown paper bag away from any moisture.
Calendula is easy to grow and should be planted after your last frost date. Calendula is an edible flower and will continue to provide new blooms as you harvest them. This encourages the plant to create more branches around the base, increasing the amount of flowering stems. Fertilizing will also help extend your blooming season.
If your looking for a more in-depth guide, check out Bloom- A Flower Seed Starting Guide. This guide is designed to help you succeed in growing beautiful blooms! Covering annuals, biennials, perennials, bulbs and tubers.
Harvesting your blooms is really simple. Pinch just under the head of the flower/bloom and place the flowers face down on a drying rack or counter top to dry. Allow them to completely dry at room temperature or on low within a dehydrator. Be sure your flowers are completely dry before storing them together or they will mold. Once you have enough blooms you can begin to process of making Calendula Salve.
CALENDULA INFUSED OIL
1 half pint (8 oz) jar of dried calendula flowers (*Note: you want to use the whole flower)
1/3 cup olive oil
1/3 cup coconut oil
1/3 cup sweet almond oil or vitamin E oil
Pinch just under the head of the flower/bloom and place the flowers head down on a drying rack or counter top. Allow them to completely dry at room temperature or on low within a dehydrator. Be sure your flowers are completely dry before storing them together or they will mold.
Fill 1 half pint (8 0z) jar with calendula flowers. Cover them with olive, coconut(melted), and sweet almond or vitamin E oil.
Store calendula infused oil in a pantry or dark place for 2-4 weeks.
Strain the flowers.
CALENDULA SALVE
6 half pint jars of calendula infused oil, strained
5 oz beeswax pellets
5 oz refined shea butter
You’ll be creating a double boiler- Bring a large pot of water to a simmer. Place a stainless steel or glass bowl inside the pot of bowling water.
Fully dissolve the beeswax and calendula infused oil, stirring occasionally.
Add the refined shea butter and stir until it’s completely dissolved.
Let cool for just a few minutes before handling the hot bowl. Carefully pour the mixture into 4 oz jars or back into your 8 oz jars. This recipe makes approximately 12- 4 oz jars or 6- 8 oz jars.
As mentioned previously, take care that you use the whole dried flowers when making oils and salves, as calendula's medicinal resinous oils are found mostly in the involucres (green bases of the flower heads). Sometimes calendula is sold as “petals” only; this is a weaker medicine for topical use.
Dried Calendula Flowers – If you don't grow calendula flowers, I recommend purchasing dried calendula flowers and other dried herbs from Farmhouse Teas. Carrier Oil – I use olive oil to make an herbal oil, but almond, jojoba, and sunflower oil are also popular choices.
If you want to make a stronger tea for external medicinal use, use about 1/3 cup of dried calendula flowers in 1 cup water and leave to steep overnight.
Using calendula flowers, you can make your own healing salve with this easy recipe. Beeswax acts as a preservative, giving this salve a shelf life of about six months. After that time, it will develop a rancid odor letting you know it's shelf life has expired.
Calendula might cause sleepiness and slowed breathing. Some medications, called sedatives, can also cause sleepiness and slowed breathing. Taking calendula with sedative medications might cause breathing problems and/or too much sleepiness.
Calendula tinctures, ointments, and washes are often applied to the skin to help burns, bruises, and cuts heal faster, and to fight the minor infections they cause.
Erfurter Orangefarbige is the ideal calendula for use in oils and tinctures, is the preferred commercial strain used for medicinal flower production. Calendula is used medicinally in skin ointments and lotions.
The soothing and moisturizing texture of Calendula Cream is ideal for use on dry or chafed skin. The cooling effect of non-greasy Calendula Gel is ideal for relieving razor burn on the face or legs. Calendula Ointment stays on skin longer to promote healing by moisturizing the irritation.
If you choose to use fresh flowers for infusing your oil, let them wilt overnight to release their moisture. This reduces the chance of mold developing during infusion!
Our favorite anti-inflammatory blends with Calendula are Lavender and Chamomile because of their complementary soothing properties and lovely aromas. Yarrow and Comfrey are good pairings in a healing salve due to their respective healing properties.
If you're allergic to ragweed, daisies, marigold, or plants in the Asteraceae/Compositae family, you shouldn't use calendula. You also should not use calendula if you're pregnant or breastfeeding.
For example, you could use 1/5 cup dried calendula and 1 cup of coconut oil. Put the calendula flowers and coconut oil in a slow cooker or a pot on the stove, and set to the lowest possible heat setting. Allow them to infuse for 24-48 hours.
Pour olive oil over the calendula petals, making sure to cover the petals by at least 1 inch. Secure the lid and allow the petals to infuse at room temperature for 4- 6 weeks. Shake or stir the jar daily. After 4-6 weeks, strain the petals from the oil.
To harvest calendula blooms, simply pick or cut off the flower where it meets the stem. Yes, take the whole head! The most medicinal value is actually found in the green pedestal, not just the flower petals. While harvesting calendula, your fingers may get a bit sticky from the resin.
The flower is widely used as a medicinal plant whose antibacterial, antifungal, and anti-inflammatory properties make it a strong ingredient for healing. In addition to using whole petals, Calendula flowers can be ground into powder or made into oils, creams, and ointments.
Pour oil over the plants until they are completely submerged under oil. Fill oil nearly to the jar brim to reduce oxidation of the oil and molding of the plant matter. In the weight-to-volume method, herbs and oil are typically combined in a 1:5 ratio, but I find that 1:10 allows for easier handling.
Introduction: My name is Kelle Weber, I am a magnificent, enchanting, fair, joyous, light, determined, joyous person who loves writing and wants to share my knowledge and understanding with you.
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