Herbal Aromatherapy |

by Nancy Bluestone

Perhaps one of the most revered formulations for skin care in natural medicine has been Calendula flower oil. Gentle and effective for children, the elderly, and everyone in-between, many generations have been mothered with the soft touch of this wonderful oil. At the same time, its use was rather limited; but now, Calendula essential oil has become available on a wide scale, allowing folks to make use of the recently elucidated VERY broad range of healing properties.

The Brilliant Calendula Flower

Calendula flowers, a particular kind of Marigold, is a genus of 20 species of herbaceous plants in the Daisy family. Calendula infused oil — made by soaking the flowers in olive oil — is highly regarded as a base of soothing skin formulas, with cooling and hydrating effects. It has been a popular ingredient in formulas for eczema and baby’s needs — or anywhere skin irritation is being addressed. The infused oil had limitations in that the base oil needed to be the infused oil itself, limiting other carrier or base oils included in the formula. Even very small quantities (1-3%, or 8-24 drops per ounce) of the essential oil added to your recipes can have dramatic results

The Healing Potential of the New Calendula Extract

The Calendula essential oil concentrate is often labeled as Calendula CO2, meaning all the lipid-soluble components of the plant have been extracted using pressurized, liquified carbon dioxide. At the end of the process, the carbon dioxide is released and only the essential oil remains. A search through the data provided by the US Nation Library of Medicine uncovers hundreds of references to Calendula officinalis extract. The database is hosted at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov — simply search for the therm “calendula” for pages of facinating results to browse through.

The Data Is In: Calendula Has A Wide Range of Therapeutic Activity

The researchers, prompted by the great historical use of this flower as medicine, have investigated a great many of its healing properties. These include the speeding of wound healing, potent anti-inflammatory action, strong anti-oxidant activity, and a myriad of protective effects to various organs. The research notes that the extract actually increases the speed at which skin cells form, has uniquely strong antioxidant activity due to the red and orange pigmentation, and prevents damage to the liver and kidneys when they’re exposed to toxic chemicals. The conclusions of these studies indicate quite clearly the efficacy of the flower extract in a wide variety of applications. So how can we make use of this oil?

Home Care Formulas Using the Essential Oil

Simply adding a few drops of Calendula essential oil to topical wound healing and pain relief formulas is the most simple means. Calendula will synergize with essential oils such as Helichrysum, Lavender and Tea Tree depending on your needs. For wound healing, with the possibility of scar and hematoma reduction, try 5% Helichrysum, 3% Calendula, 3% Lavender and 3% Tea Tree in a base of virgin Tamanu and Coconut oils. This formula can prevent infection, sooth the injury, and speed the overall healing process. For joint and muscle pain, or injuries to muscles and connective tissue, increase the amount of Helichrysum essential oil to up to 25%, and use 5% Calendula in any carrier oil as a base. Helichrysum is known to be very effective at relieving pain and reducing inflammation, as is Calendula — the two together may provide an even more profound healing effect for many people. Calendula’s profound antioxidant activity make it a first choice for beauty care preparations as well, as its radical-scavenging activity will likely prevent premature skin aging.

Using Your Feet to Protect Your Organs

Calendula’s organ-protective effects can be utilized by applying the essential oil to the feet, which are highly receptive to the energetics of essential oils. The liver and kidney points are directly behind the ball of the foot, at the front of the arch. One can make one ounce of an organ-supportive blend by using 3 milliliters of Calendula, 1 and 1/2 milliliters each of Helichrysum italicum, Blue Tansy and Carrot Seed essential oils in organic Coconut. Regular massage in the area described with this blend is intended to ‘clear’ these organs and support their healthy function. With further dilution, this formula can be massaged in the low back and abdomen for further therapeutic support.

An Excellent Safety Profile

Calendula essential oil has been listed by the FDA as being safe for ingestion in commonly-used amounts. What does this mean? When essential oils are ingested, they are typically consumed by the drop, and usually in the range of only 1-3 drops per day. Ingesting the oil may be a way to utilize the liver and kidney anti-toxicity protective effects described in the research. While typically essential oil ingestion is frowned upon in the United States, the real challenge is proper education about dosages. Calendula CO2 extract specifically should be quite tame, although perhaps the most tasty thing one has ever put in their body! Ingestion of 3 drops daily, put in an empty cellulose capsule if you like, may impart a range of benefits, from antioxidant activity, to chemo-protective, to antibacterial and antiparasitic potential actions.

Calendula: Now One of the Most Highly Regarded Natural Medicines

The flowers of the Calendula plant have an exceptionally rich history of medicinal, therapeutic use — backed by a large amount of scientific data. This data elucidates the mechanisms for the medicinal actions, and allows us to make better use of Calendula extract than ever before. Calendula essential oil has such a wide range of healing properties that it really deserves a place in everyone’s natural home care kit. It is safe for use with children and elderly, and addresses many of their common ailments. The essential oil is exceptionally easy to use, and could even be blended into preparations you may already have on hand. For all its beauty (the flower) and its healing potential (the extract) Calendula officinalis is certainly worth a closer look.

About the Author:
The author has made available much information about aromatherapy, such as using pure patchouli and other oils at http://www.anandaapothecary.com/essentialoilswholesale.html.