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Calendula; Uses/ Indications, Dosage, Side Effects

Calendula officinalis is prepared from the marigold plant of the daisy family. It’s used in herbal tinctures and homeopathic potencies to soothe, control infection, and stimulate healing in skin wounds and lacerations. It can be used either topically (directly on the skin) or internally in homeopathic potencies. Calendula is listed in my repertory for painful wounds, wounds that do not heal, chronic effects from wounds, wounds that tend to break open and heal again, dissecting wounds, festering wounds, gangrenous wounds, gaping wounds, inflammation of wounds, neglected wounds, suppurating wounds, and lacerated, torn or ragged wounds. As you can see Calendula and wounds are best buddies.

Calendula prevents too early scab formation at the wound site and stimulates the growth of epithelial cells. It keeps the healing agents actively working on the site until the wound is healed. This helps to inhibit scars and infections. Avoid frequent changing of the bandage, because this interferes with the healing process, and causes too early scab formation, which can result in scarring. Remember when cleaning a wound always clean outwardly away from the wound.

Materia Medica of Calendula

Mind – Irritable; holds everything in contempt. Full of desires, for what they know not.
Head – Bones of skull feel crushed or bruised. Pain extends to teeth and root of the tongue.
Eyes – Inflamed, red. Pain through eyeballs. Profuse lachrymation. Cornea dim. Eyes tire from near vision. State of vision constantly changing. Spasm of accommodation from the irritable weakness of the ciliary muscle. Nausea from looking on moving objects.
Face – Blue rings around eyes. Periodical orbital neuralgia, with lachrymation, photophobia, and smarting eyelids.
Nose – Coryza, with stoppage of nose and nausea. Epistaxis.
Stomach – Tongue usually clean. Mouth, moist; much saliva. Constant nausea and vomiting, with pale, twitching of face. Vomits food, bile, blood, mucus. Stomach feels relaxed as if hanging down. Hiccough.
Abdomen – Amebic dysentery with tenesmus; while straining pain so great that it nauseates; little thirst. Cutting, clutching; worse, around the navel. Body rigid; stretched out stiff.
Stools – Pitch-like green as grass, like frothy molasses, with griping at the navel. Dysenteric, slimy.
Female – Uterine hæmorrhage, profuse, bright, gushing, with nausea. Vomiting during pregnancy. Pain from navel to the uterus. Menses too early and too profuse.
Respiratory – Dyspnœa; constant constriction in chest. Asthma. Yearly attacks of difficult shortness of breathing. Continued sneezing; coryza; a wheezing cough. A cough incessant and violent, with every breath. Chest seems full of phlegm but does not yield to coughing. Bubbling rales. A suffocative cough; the child becomes stiff, and blue in the face. Whooping-cough, with a nosebleed, and from the mouth. Bleeding from lungs, with nausea; feeling of constriction; rattling cough. Croup. Hæmoptysis from slightest exertion (Millef). Hoarseness, especially at end of a cold. Complete aphonia.
Fever – Intermittent fever, irregular cases, after Quinine. Slightest chill with much heat, nausea, vomiting, and dyspnœa. Relapses from improper diet.
Sleep – With eyes half open. Shocks in all limbs on going to sleep (Ign).
Extremities – Body stretched stiff, followed by spasmodic jerking of arms towards each other.
Skin – Pale, lax. Blue around eyes. Military rash.

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Indications of Calendula

Injuries and Wounds

All types of wounds – open, torn, cut, lacerated, ragged, infected or suppurating.
Abrasions, incisions, and bed sores.
Wounds that threaten infection.
Infected ulcers.
Surgical wounds with poor healing and slow closure.
Stems bleeding from lacerations.
Chapped hands.
Helpful for skin conditions in which topical cortisone may otherwise be needed.

Dental Problems

Stems bleeding from dental extractions reduces the risk of infection and promotes healing.

Mental-emotional Symptoms

May have anxious thoughts that “something bad” will happen.

Uses & Effectiveness

Anal tears (anal fissures) – Early research suggests that that applying calendula to the affected area may reduce pain in people with anal tears who do not respond to treatment with sitz baths and the medication nifedipine.
Diabetic foot ulcers – Early research shows that using a calendula spray in addition to standard care and hygiene might prevent infection and decrease odor in people with long-term foot ulcer from diabetes.
Diaper rash – Some early research suggests that applying a calendula ointment to the skin for 10 days improves diaper rash compared to aloe gel. But other early research shows that applying calendula cream does not improve diaper rash as effectively as bentonite solution.
Peeling lips (exfoliative cheilitis) – Early research shows that using calendula ointment for 15 days might help stop peeling lips.
Gum inflammation – Early research shows that rinsing the mouth with a specific calendula tincture for 6 months might decrease plaque, gum inflammation, and bleeding by 10% to 18% compared to using water to rinse. Other early research shows that rinsing the mouth with a combination mouthwash containing calendula, rosemary, and ginger for 2 weeks decreases plaque, gum inflammation, and bleeding compared to placebo mouthwash. In fact, it the combination mouthwash seems to work as effectively as chlorhexidine mouthwash.
Insect repellant – Applying calendula essential oil to the skin does not seem to repel mosquitoes as effectively as applying DEET.
Ear infections (otitis media) – Early research shows that applying a specific product that contains mullein, garlic, calendula, and St. John’s wort to the ear for 3 days reduces ear pain in children and teenagers with ear infections.
Pressure ulcers – Early research shows that using a specific calendula product might improve the healing of long-term pressure ulcers.
Skin inflammation due to radiation therapy (radiation dermatitis) – Early research suggests that applying calendula ointment on the skin might reduce radiation dermatitis in people receiving radiation therapy for breast cancer. However, other early research shows that using a calendula cream is no different than petroleum jelly for reducing radiation dermatitis.
Thinning of the wall of the vagina (vaginal atrophy) – Early research suggests that applying a gel containing calendula, Lactobacillus sporogenes, isoflavones, and lactic acid to the vagina for 4 weeks reduces symptoms of vaginal atrophy such as vaginal itching, burning, dryness, and pain during intercourse.
Vaginal yeast infection – Early research shows that applying calendula cream inside the vagina for 7 days does not treat yeast infections as effectively as using clotrimazole cream.
Leg ulcers – Early research shows that applying a calendula ointment to the skin speeds up the healing of leg ulcers caused by poor blood circulation.
Wound healing – Early research shows that applying calendula ointment along with routine care does not improve the healing of the surgical cut of the vagina made during childbirth.
Cancer
Fever
Hemorrhoids
Muscle spasms
Nosebleeds
Promoting menstruation
Treating mouth and throat soreness
Varicose veins