What are the effects of marigold?
The important active ingredients of calendula include triterpene saponins, flavonoids and essential oil. Together they exert a wound-healing and anti-inflammatory effect. Studies have also described other effects: Calendula has antiviral and antifungal effects (virucidal and fungicidal), acts against microorganisms (antimicrobial), and influences the immune system (immunomodulatory).
Folk medicine also uses calendula for other ailments. These include, for example:
- Chilblains
- Varicose veins
- boils
- Eczema
- Hemorrhoids
- conjunctivitis (eye compresses soaked in calendula tea)
However, these applications are not medically recognized.
How is the calendula used?
Calendula as a home remedy
Calendula decoction helps externally with wounds and inflammation of the mouth and throat: pour 150 milliliters of hot water over one to two grams of calendula flowers and let the infusion steep for ten minutes before straining the plant parts. You can gargle or rinse the mouth several times a day with the cooled infusion.
For poorly healing wounds often rub the calendula oil. You can make it yourself:
- Put three handfuls of marigold flowers in a screw-top jar or bottle (boil the jar beforehand!).
- Then pour in cold pressed olive oil until the flowers are well covered. Close the jar and leave it in a warm place for about six weeks. During this time, you should shake it well every day.
The marigold oil will keep for about a year. By the way, instead of olive oil, you can also use another good quality fatty oil, such as cold-pressed sunflower oil.
Marigold tea?
Home remedies based on medicinal plants have their limits. If your symptoms persist for a long period of time, do not improve or even get worse despite treatment, you should always consult a doctor.
Ready-made preparations with marigolds
The cosmetics industry uses the plant, for example, for the production of ointments, soaps, creams, bath oils and sunscreens (especially also for infant care).
What side effects can marigold cause?
There are no known side effects. However, allergic reactions to calendula cannot be ruled out.
What you should bear in mind when using calendula
Allergic reactions can occur especially with preparations that contain sepals in addition to the flowers. In this case, calendula preparations containing only calyx flowers alone should be used.
How to get the marigold and its products.
You can collect the flowers of marigold yourself. Firstly, make sure that it is Calendula officinalis and not a related species. Secondly, use only the ray flowers and not also the tubular flowers or sepals.
The application of ready-made preparations is carried out according to the respective package insert or on the recommendation of your doctor or pharmacist.
Interesting facts about the marigold
At the ends of the stem branches are yellow to orange inflorescences up to seven centimeters in diameter. They consist of a wreath of long ray florets, usually arranged in several rows, and a “basket” of funnel-shaped tubular florets.
The ring-shaped curved fruits of the plant gave it its German name Ringelblume.
