Hardly any other plant is as exquisite a wound healing herb by nature as the marigold. The sight of it alone is a blessing - the popular, easy-care garden plant delights us from early summer to late autumn with its bright yellow and orange flowers. The active ingredients of the marigold are particularly geared towards closing wounds: If you gently squeeze a bunch of freshly cut plants in your hand a few times, a somewhat sticky, balsamic substance coats all parts of the plant, exuding a wonderfully warm aroma - and ensuring rapid wound healing. The plant got its German name from Hildegard von Bingen, who called it "Ringula" or "Ringella" - describing the curved shape of its seeds. In Hildegard's time, marigold was also used to dye fibres and textiles - today it is still used as a dye in the food industry, e.g. for butter and cheese.
Anti-inflammatory effect - from the inside and the outside
Unlike other composite flowers, calendula does not contain any allergy-causing sesquiterpene lactones, which is why allergic reactions are extremely rare. This is why calendula is also very popular in infant and child care products. Herbal medicine uses the versatile calendula in the form of tea infusions, aqueous extracts, tinctures, extracts and ointments. Due to its strong anti-inflammatory effect, calendula is used for all types of wounds - especially those that fester or heal poorly - as well as for burns and frostbite of the skin and bruises and lacerations. Diluted calendula mother tincture is a boon for the sensitive mucous membranes of our body: as a rinse for sore throats, gingivitis or periodontitis, taken for stomach and intestinal ulcers. Calendula has a very similar effect to its sister, arnica. However, it is much better tolerated.
Love and Weather Oracle
"He loves me, he loves me not ..." As with the daisy, this question has been asked for centuries while the petals are plucked in rows. More reliable, and very popular with the farmers, was the weather forecast using marigolds: if the flowers were already open in the morning, this promised a beautiful, sunny day. If they remained closed until after 7 a.m., rain had to be expected.
Plant information on marigolds (Calendula officinalis)
- Growth habit: 30 to max. 70 cm tall, herbaceous plant, mostly annual
- Synonyms: marigold, marigold flower (regionally very different)
- Plant family: Compositae (Asteraceae)
- Parts of the plant used: whole or crushed flower heads or the dried ray florets
- Applications: rashes, skin inflammations, poorly healing wounds, stomach and intestinal ulcers, menstrual cramps, cycle irregularities
