Herb of the Month: Calendula

Calendula flowers are a garden staple in the Bay Area, their sunny orange flowers coming into bloom as the rainclouds clear.  Beyond being simply beautiful, however, calendula is a powerful plant ally for skin, lymph, and inflammatory conditions of the digestive system, such as gastritis, peptic ulcers, and colitis.    Internally, Calendula is a wonderful plant to assist with detoxification, and is often used to treat toxic-buildup that leads to infection and systemic skin disorders, such as eczema and acne.  It helps cleanse the liver, as well, and this action combined with its gentle yet strong lymph-draining qualities has led to its reputation as a powerful purifier.  Less well known, however, is that it can also be used as a calming and nourishing mouthwash after tooth-extraction or mouth surgery. Externally, Calendula is renowned as a skin-beautifier and healer.  It is often used infused in oils or as a salve or in creams to tonify, nourish, and protect skin as well as being used in first-aid for burns, rashes, and other red or inflammed skin conditions.     Calendula  Latin: Calendula officianalis Common Names: Calendula, Pot Marigold, Summer's Bride, Butterwort. Taste / qualities: slightly bitter, pungent, drying, gently cooling Actions: anti-inflammatory; relieves muscle spasms;    astringent; prevents hemorrhaging; heals wounds; antiseptic; detoxifying; mildly estrogenic.     Infused Calendula Oil     1c     Calendula petals, dried 1c     Organic Almond Oil Pint-Sized Mason Jar Paper Towels Cheesecloth Strainer 1. First fill your bone dry half pint jar half way with dried calendula blossoms. Just put them in loosely packed.    2. Pour almond oil over the flowers to fill the jar, leaving 1/4 inch space at the top. 3. Stir to release any air bubbles. 4. Cover the jar with paper towel secured with mason jar ring or a rubber band. Covering your oil in this way will allow any extra water in the plant material to evaporate while it is infusing. Water content on the plant material or jar can lead to mold in your oil. 5. Stir these oils every day for a week, smelling it each day and observing the oil and the plant material. Make sure all the plant material is under the oil each day. Exposed plant material can also cause mold. 6. After this first week you need not stir your oil, but continue to make daily or every other day observations. Heat and exposure to oxygen can cause your oil to go rancid and water content can lead to mold, so you will want to watch this preparation carefully. 7. Allow your oil to infuse for about 3 weeks, continuing to observe the color of the oil and the flowers. When the flowers become translucent the oil has completely saturated them, and the oil is ready to strain. 8. Strain your oils through cheesecloth, squeezing as much oil as possible from the flowers or leaves. You can compost the flowers, leaves and cheesecloth. 9. Store your finished oil in a capped jar with very little air space at the top.  This will help your oil stay fresh for as long as possible.