Calendula:
Where to begin? Our plan from the beginning was to have TONS of calendula. We wanted to plant a huge strip of calendula 4 feet wide by 300 feet long. Our hopes were to have this beautiful orange marigold exploding its beautiful bright orange rays of petals across our farm. We planted sooo many at first because we were a little unsure about the germination rate and this being our first time at a larger scale than what we were used to we wanted to make sure we had enough of this “orange sunlight”. We ended up having plenty. We decided to do some companion planting and added them in between the rows of ground cherries and the few heirloom tomatoes we are growing. They seem to be doing great.
Calendula has many uses. Medicinally the flowers have been used to treat anything from scorpion bites to toothaches. Tinctures of calendula flowers have been recommended in the treatment of a wide variety of ailments including cramps, toothaches, fever, flu, and stomachaches. The flowers are supposed to induce sweating in a fever, increase urination, aid digestion and act as a general tonic. Many Studies have shown Calendula to have anti – viral and anti-inflammatory properties.
To make an infusion pour 1 cup of boiling water onto 1-2 teaspoons of flowers and leave to infuse for 10-15 minutes.
To make a calendula oil. Fill up a 1 quart container with fresh or dried calendula flowers. Slowly add olive oil until all flowers are covered under the oil. Leave this in a cool dark place for a few days shaking and opening up and smelling (to make sure oil didn’t go rancid) everyday. When ready use to sooth skin rashes and other skin ailments.
Heating up the oil and adding beeswax can be a wonderful way to create a healing skin salve that you can use for the whole family.
Heating up the oil and adding beeswax can be a wonderful way to create a healing skin salve that you can use for the whole family.
