Calendula: an edible, medicinal, and beautiful flower!

'Pacific Beauty' calendula. Photo courtesy of MI Seed Library Network.

by Sara Swanson, Manchester Seed Library

This year the Manchester Seed Library is participating in One Seed, One State. Each year, seed libraries all over Michigan come together to promote growing, saving, and sharing seeds. A seed is chosen by the Michigan Seed Library Network that is an open-pollinated, heirloom variety. This year the selection is ‘Pacific Beauty’ Calendula. The Michigan Seed Network explained why they selected a calendula variety, "Calendula is a popular, easy-to-grow heirloom annual known for its daisy-like flowers in shades of yellow, gold, and orange that attract pollinators to the garden. Calendula is also a healing herb widely grown for its edible petals that are used in salads, teas, and skin remedies. Calendula thrives in sunny spots and is great for borders, containers, and cutting gardens. It is not bothered by light frosts, which makes it a great season extender for northern gardens." This is both the first year the Manchester Seed Library has participated in One Seed, One State and the first year a flower has been selected.

Would you like to try growing Pacific Beauty calendula this summer? Stop by the Manchester Seed Library, located in the vestibule of the Manchester District Library at 912 City Road and pick up a free packet of seeds. If this is the only variety of calendula you end up growing, this fall consider letting some of the flowers dry on the plants, collecting the seeds, and donating some back the seed library to be given back out to be grown next summer.

If you are wondering how to use calendula after you grow it, Michigan Seed Library Network has provided the following information:

Calendula

Calendula is one of the most versatile herbs in common use today, and even beginners can make a tea or salve. The flowers bring beauty as well as healing, and it is easily grown and used. If you are new to growing and using herbs, calendula is a great herb to start with. A comforting tea can be made from fresh or dried flowers, as simple as pouring hot water over the herb. Calendula tea can be used as a drink, but it is also used topically for many kinds of irritations and inflammations. It is considered safe to drink 1-3 cups per day, however people who have an allergy to flowers in the aster/daisy family should proceed carefully. Calendula should not be used internally by pregnant women or animals. Observing those two precautions, organically grown calendula is considered one of the safest and most useful herbs in the modern herbal medicine chest.

Uses for calendula tea and salve include:

• Drink as a tea to soothe heartburn or ulcers, mouth or throat irritation, swollen lymph nodes, and relieve constipation
• Calendula tea is antibacterial and antiseptic - use it to wash scrapes and cuts and follow with calendula salve
• Inflamed skin or rashes (including chicken pox, shingles, and radiation dermatitis) can be treated with calendula tea spray, cloth compresses soaked with tea, or calendula salve
• Use as a facial toner for beautiful skin and for breakouts and acne
• Add to your bath for healing irritated skin and sensitive regions, postpartum care
• Use as a foot bath for wounds, sores, or fungal infections, including athlete’s foot 
• Mouth rinse for irritated gums, canker sores, or thrush 
• Gargle for sore or irritated throat, tonsillitis
• Use as a hair rinse for itchy, dry scalp or dandruff
• Strain tea through a coffee filter to use as a soothing eye wash for itchy, dry, or inflamed eyes 
• Soothe and heal baby’s diaper rash - wash with tea and apply calendula salve
• Freeze into cubes and use for first aid for scrapes, sunburn, and bug bites
• Equally gentle & effective for treating pets and livestock - good for hot spots & bug bites

Calendula has been used since ancient times by healers and mystics for potions, rituals, dyes, decoration, and cooking. Calendula is still an important culinary herb for flavor and nutrition and adds a golden color to soups, breads, butter, and cheese. The fresh blossoms can be floated in punch and the petals mixed into quiches, gazpacho, scrambled eggs, or herbed butter. In Britain, it is often referred to as “Pot Marigold” because of its use in the stew-pot. This nickname still persists, but calendula is not from the same family (Tagetes) as ornamental marigolds. While having uses of their own, marigolds can’t be used interchangeably with calendula.
Calendula is still used to this day as a natural dye for textiles.

Using Calendula: For teas and oils, use organic whole flower heads as many healing properties are in the green bracts at the base of the flower. For cooking or fresh eating, use the petals. Whole flowers can be used in soups and stews if put in a net bag so they can be easily removed after cooking. Home-grown calendula flowers are easy to dry in a dehydrator or low oven.

Calendula Tea
For drinking: Pour 1 cup simmering water over 1-2 tablespoons of fresh or dried calendula flowers, steep for 15-20 minutes. Add lemon or sweetener if needed for flavor.
For external use: Pour 1 cup simmering water over ⅓ cup fresh or dried calendula blossoms, let steep overnight. Refrigerate until needed, up to one week.

Calendula Oil (recipe for oil courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs)
Ingredients:
Organic calendula flowers (use dried calendula because fresh blossoms have too much moisture and may spoil the salve)
Organic olive oil
Directions:

1. Fill a glass jar 2/3 of the way full with dried calendula flowers. If using fresh calendula, wilt for 12 hours to remove most of the moisture (too much moisture will cause the oil to go rancid) before adding to the jar.
2. Pour olive oil into the jar, making sure to cover the flowers by at least one inch with oil so they will have space to expand.
3. Stir well and cap the jar tightly.
4. Place the jar in a warm, sunny windowsill and shake once or more daily.
5. After 4 to 6 weeks, strain the herbs out using cheesecloth.
6. Pour the infused oil into glass bottles and store in a cool, dark place.

Calendula Salve (recipe for salve courtesy of Mountain Rose Herbs)
Ingredients:
4 oz. organic calendula herbal oil (recipe above)
1/2 oz. coarsely chopped beeswax or beeswax pastilles
20 drops organic lavender essential oil (optional)
Directions:

1. Combine beeswax and calendula oil in a double boiler.
2. Heat until beeswax has melted and mixture is incorporated.
3. Remove from heat.
4. Quickly stir in lavender essential oil. (optional)
5. Pour into tins or upcycled glass jars with lids
6. Allow salve to cool completely before placing lids on containers.
7. Label and store in a cool, dry place. If refrigerated, salves can last 2 to 3 years.

Like the Manchester Seed Library, One Seed, One State is run by volunteers and funded by donations. Learn more at https://miseedlibrary.org/.

by Sara Swanson

Sara Swanson is an editor, writer and a founder of the Manchester Mirror.