Did ya use the Calendula?
Calendula officinalis, otherwise commonly referred to as the pot marigold, or simply marigold.
This is a plant with a yellow or orange flower generally found in warmer weather. I have grown up seeing these plants in my childhood neighborhood. Those pretty flowers that look like a dandelion are a sunflower hybrid. I would always see these in my neighbor’s garden. She would claim that they repel the squirrels from coming and ruining her hard work. I think her method worked because she had the best garden around. I also remember secretly picking them, but, eventually I stopped because I hated their smell. My assumption is that because they smell bad, the marigolds might taste bad which is probably why the squirrels did not like them. This goes to show that their work does not end at “smelly garden decoration”.
People are all on the rave of working holistically and maintaining wellness nowadays. In our country, healthcare is a major topic as pharmaceutical companies continue to raise their prices and insurance is not always readily available for everyone. According to healthline.com, calendula oil holds beneficial properties such as being anti-fungal, anti-inflammatory, and anti- bacterial. The marigolds are likely to be used topically in the form of an oil or ointment. (Arora et al., 2013) To extract the Calendula officinalis, the flower petals were dried, powdered, then mixed into a solution for one study. (Tanideh et al., 2016) The Calendula obstructs the arachidonic acid pathway and inhibits MPO and MDA mechanisms, which are the reason that the marigolds can help heal wounds so well. (Tanideh et al., 2016) A study published in 2013 resulted in calendula and aloe speeding up the healing process of several episiotomy subjects only days after giving birth. (Eghdampour et al., 2013) Therefore, the marigolds have been tested to be used as an alternative to over the counter medications. (Arora et al., 2013)
Calendula officinalis has shown itself to be useful in other aspects outside of gardening. Because it holds benefits such as anti-tumor properties, it is being used for cancer research. In vitro studies have shown evidence that C. officinalis is cytotoxic to cancer cells.(Cruceriu et al., 2018) Who knew that some flowers you might find in someone’s garden would be used in cancer research. But, the only issue that I could think of are of allergies. People might get contact skin dermatitis especially when the marigold extract is applied topically. Regardless, the Calendula provides powerful compounds that may aid in everyday human ailments. From head to toe, in and out, and people to people.
References:
Arora, D., Rani, A., & Sharma, A. (2013). A review on phytochemistry and ethnopharmacological aspects of genus Calendula. Pharmacognosy reviews, 7(14), 179–187. https://doi.org/10.4103/0973-7847.120520
Cronkleton E. (2019) 7 Ways to Use Calendula Oil for Your Skin [Website] (Healthline) Retrieved from https://www.healthline.com/health/calendula-oil#benefits
Cruceriu, D., Balacescu, O., & Rakosy, E. (2018). Calendula officinalis: potential roles in cancer treatment and palliative care. Integrative cancer therapies, 17(4), 1068–1078. https://doi.org/10.1177/1534735418803766
Eghdampour, F., Jahdie, F., Kheyrkhah, M., Taghizadeh, M., Naghizadeh, S., & Hagani, H. (2013). The impact of aloe vera and calendula on perineal Healing after Episiotomy in Primiparous Women: A Randomized Clinical Trial. Journal of caring sciences, 2(4), 279–286. https://doi.org/10.5681/jcs.2013.033
Tanideh, N., Jamshidzadeh, A., Sepehrimanesh, M., Hosseinzadeh, M., Koohi-Hosseinabadi, O., Najibi, A., Raam, M., Daneshi, S., & Asadi-Yousefabad, S. L. (2016). Healing acceleration of acetic acid-induced colitis by marigold (Calendula officinalis) in male rats. Saudi journal of gastroenterology : official journal of the Saudi Gastroenterology Association, 22(1), 50–56. https://doi.org/10.4103/1319-3767.173759
