Calendula Flowers

Calendula's reputation is old and well documented in herbals, but none of it is a medical claim. Here is how the flower has traditionally been used, in the kitchen, in the bath and on the salve bench.

• The classic skin-infusion flower — herbalists have steeped calendula into oils, washes and salves for centuries.
• A gentle everyday tea — mild enough that plenty of people drink it plain, warm, in the afternoon.
• Poor man's saffron — petals have colored rice, broth, butter and cheese since long before food dye existed.
• Baths and steams — a handful in a muslin bag turns bathwater faintly gold and smells like a hayfield.
• A natural dye flower — the same carotenoids that color oil will tint wool and cotton a soft yellow.
• A blender's base note — calendula adds body and color to a tea without changing its flavor much.

• Botanical name: Calendula officinalis
• Plant part: Flower
• Cut: Cut & sifted
• Sizes: 0.5 oz and 1 oz
• Origin: Packed at our Virginia farm-based apothecary
• Contains: 100% calendula flowers. Nothing else.

• Tea: 1-2 teaspoons per 8 oz, steeped covered 5-7 minutes, then strained.
• Skin rinse: brew as above, cool completely, then use as a wash or compress.
• Infused oil: cover dry petals with oil, steep 3-4 weeks out of the light, strain.
• Kitchen: crumble a pinch of petals into rice, broth, butter or bread dough.
• Patch test on your inner arm before using it on skin for the first time.

Petals fade in daylight faster than almost anything else on the shelf, and faded calendula does little for a cup or an oil. Keep it sealed, dark and cool, well away from the stovetop. Handled that way the color holds for a year; when the orange goes pale straw, use it in the bath and buy fresh.

Calendula is one of the gentler herbs on our shelf, which does not make it right for everyone. The cautions worth knowing come down to the daisy family, pregnancy and a sensible patch test.

• Asteraceae allergy. Calendula is a daisy relative. If ragweed, chamomile or arnica give you trouble, patch test before drinking or applying it.
• Avoid drinking it during pregnancy. Calendula tea is traditionally set aside in pregnancy; external use is a question for your provider.
• Keep it away from deep or infected wounds — those need a clinician, not a flower. Stop applying it if skin turns red or itchy.
• It may add to the effect of sedatives. If you take sleep or anxiety medication, keep it modest and ask your provider.
• Nursing, on prescription medication, or managing a health condition? Run it past your healthcare provider first.

Serene Tree Apothecary is a small Virginia farm-based apothecary. We buy our botanicals in small lots, taste and smell every batch before it goes on the shelf, and pack to order so what arrives is fragrant rather than dusty. Nothing here is a filler blend, a flavoring, or a mystery powder — it is one plant, cut and sifted, exactly as it appears on the label.

Two things. First, we buy the whole-flower cut rather than petal-only, because the resin in the green base is what makes a decent infused oil — pretty petals alone are a weaker starting point. Second, we buy in small lots and keep the flowers in the dark, since calendula fades fast. What arrives should be orange, not straw — and the half-ounce and one-ounce sizes exist so it never has to sit for years.

Calendula is where most people start a home apothecary, so it should be a batch you can trust. Ours is one plant and nothing else, cut and sifted, packed to order at our small Virginia farm-based apothecary — in sizes deliberately small enough that the color is still bright when you reach the bottom of the pack. If you have not used it before, take the half ounce and see.