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Open Source Apothecary At Home / The herbs
The best first garden project in this handbook — a flower for topical use you can grow and use in one season. — Calendula officinalis
remedyCalendula (Calendula officinalis) is grown almost entirely for its flowers, and almost entirely for topical use: infused oil, salve, cream and compress.
The evidence is for skin, not for swallowing. Calendula preparations have been used in wound and skin-irritation trials, and there is some randomised evidence for topical use in radiation-induced skin reactions, nappy rash and minor wound healing. The mechanism attributed is anti-inflammatory and mildly antimicrobial from the resinous flower constituents.
What it does not do. Calendula is not an antibiotic and is not for infected wounds. It is a soothing topical for intact or cleanly healing skin — which is exactly the niche where a garden herb can genuinely compete.
The preparation that matters is the infused oil. Dry flowers steeped in a carrier oil extract the resinous compounds; that oil is then the base for a salve with beeswax. It is the best first apothecary project because it uses a harvest you can produce in year one and the result is visibly useful.
The shelf-life catch. Infused oils go rancid. Calendula oil lasts 6-12 months refrigerated and must be checked by smell; a rancid oil on skin is worse than no oil.
This review found preliminary data in support of the efficacy of topical calendula for prophylaxis of acute dermatitis during radiotherapy and Traumeel S mouthwash in the treatment of chemotherapy-induced stomatitis.PubMed 19370613 ↗
There is a need for larger, well-designed randomized control trials to assess the effect of calendula on wound healing including complications.PubMed 31145533 ↗
Skin washing, including gentle washing with water alone with or without mild soap, should be permitted in patients receiving radiation therapy to prevent acute skin reaction.PubMed 16758176 ↗
Bao Yuan Gao yielded measurable skin-protective effects, suggesting potential benefits beyond Calendula.PubMed 40480289 ↗
This randomised controlled trial showed no difference between Calendula and standard of care (Sorbolene) for the prevention of radiation-induced dermatitis.PubMed 32965030 ↗
| | | |---|---| | Life | Annual; reliably self-seeds | | Sowing | Direct-sow after last frost, or start indoors | | Light | Full sun; tolerates part shade | | Soil | Any reasonable soil; not fussy | | Spacing | 30 cm | | Harvest | Open flowers, daily at peak | | First harvest | 8-10 weeks from sowing | | Dry | Shade, ambient, on a screen |
Harvest daily — flowers left on the plant set seed and stop producing. Dry whole flowers until crisp, then strip the petals for oil. Save seed from your best plants.
Infused oil (the main preparation) — dried flowers covered with a carrier oil (olive, sunflower or jojoba), warmed gently at 40-60 C for 2-4 hours or left 2-6 weeks in a warm dark place. Strain through cloth, press the flowers, bottle in dark glass. 6-12 months refrigerated.
Salve — infused oil plus beeswax, roughly 15-20 g wax per 100 mL oil, melted together. Pours into tins and keeps well.
Compress — a strong infusion on a cloth, for irritated skin.
Tea — drinkable but the internal evidence is much weaker than the topical.
Cream — infused oil with a little emulsifying wax and water for a cosmetic cream.