All posts tagged Calendula

Top Marigold Beneficial Properties You Should Know About

April 12, 2019

Marigold, also known as Calendula, is a biennial, aromatic flower native to the Mediterranean, North and South America. Its flowers range from bright yellow-orange to white. Normally, Marigolds have a pungent odor.

While most people grow these aromatic flowers for their ornamental value as the flowers are vibrant, attractive and brighten up gardens and homes, only a handful know about Marigold’s therapeutic properties which are great for making home remedies.

[Note: The Right Flowers is not a medical site. Knowledge of and information about the therapeutic benefits and applications of flowers, while known through the ages, does not constitute medical advice. If you are having health issues, you should consult with a physician.]

Marigold history
The name Marigold was coined in the early days of Christianity when people named it Mary’s Gold in honor of the Virgin Mary. Later the name was shortened to Marigold. The plant got its botanical name from Romans who discovered that it bloomed during the “calends” or first days of every month.

For years, ancient Romans had used Marigold for medicinal purposes including treating scorpion bites, burns, healing wounds and relieving skin irritations. The Aztecs, Indians and Pakistanis also used Marigold to flavor food, keep off bugs and for medicinal purposes.

Marigold Medicinal properties and uses
Today, just like during the ancient civilizations, botanical research has shown that Calendula flowers contain carotenoid, calcium, vitamin C and E, acids, essential oils, flavonoids and saponins. These properties are responsible for the flower’s pungent smell which repels bugs and fungi.

Skin treatment
Marigold is packed with antioxidants, this explains why its extracts are used in ointments to soothe sunburns, relieve acne, manage dry skin, and heal blisters and wounds. In addition, salves made from Calendula are used to treat candida, anal tears and fungal infections in the genital area.

Lowers inflammation
Calendula’s antioxidant properties are what give the petals bright yellow or orange colors. These properties are known to reduce inflammation by lowering cytokine levels and C-reactive protein in both animals and humans which protect cells from being destroyed by free radicals. The presence of free radicals is one of the leading causes of cell deterioration and aging. Calendula not only reduces oxidative deterioration of cells that affect delicate body tissues such as those in the eyes, but it also protects the body against infections.

Treats bacterial and fungal infections
A study published in the National Library of Medicines indicates that Calendula extracts contain antiseptic and antibiotic properties. When applied in drop form to the inside of the ear canal, the extract is highly effective in treating bacterial ear infections and reducing pain. The extract is also effective in managing swelling and inflammation in the inner ear within 48 hours.

Protects against cancer
Antioxidants in Marigolds help the body to resist and combat growth of cancer cells. According to a study in the Journal of Nutrition, scientists from Washington State University concluded that lutein, extracted from Marigold, reduced breast cancer tumors significantly. In addition, the extract prevented new cancer cells from growing. Apart from breast cancer, Marigold is also effective against leukemia, colon and melanoma cancer cells.

Eases spasms and cramps
Marigold’s antispasmodic properties are highly beneficial for managing stomach cramps, muscle spasms and menstrual cramps. Extracts from the flower are known to improve blood flow to the irritated area, reduce cramping and inhibit the body’s response to inflammation.

Marigold tea for soothing the digestive system
Marigold tea has been used for generations to deal with digestive problems including relaxing constricted digestive muscles and easing bowel movement. To make Marigold tea, crush dry Marigold petals before adding them to boiling water. Allow the mixture to steep for about 5 minutes and drink several cups daily based on the severity of your problem.

The Marigold medicinal properties and uses stipulated above prove that this brightly-colored flower is not only good for your eyes, but also great for your health.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Beneficial Properties of Flowers, Calendula, Flowers by Type

Make These 5 DIY Spa Treatments Using Flowers

June 1, 2017

Flowers are gifts to us in so many ways. They’re beautiful to look at, they filter our air and they provide nourishment. In addition to using flower recipes to give the inside of our bodies’ nutrients, we can use them topically to heal and soothe.

The following are some ways you can incorporate flowers into DIY spa treatments.

1. Lavender Massage Oil

If you have aches and pains, and even if you don’t, you may like getting a massage from time to time. And, you might love the massage oils that are used on your body. To make own massage oil, combine 1/2 cup of coconut oil with 6 drops of lavender essential oil. This massage oil smells great, is relaxing, and helps alleviate pain.

2. Peppermint and Calendula Foot Scrub

To make a refreshing spa-like foot scrub, just combine 2 cups of sea salt, 1/3 cup olive oil, 8 drops of peppermint essential oil and 1/4 cup calendula petals. Scrub this onto the top and bottom of your feet, making sure that you get your toes. Massage for 3 to 5 minutes, rubbing in circles as you work the invigorating and healing ingredients into your skin.

3. Apricot Rose Face Scrub

Treat your face to a DIY spa scrub by stirring together 1 cup of organic sugar, 1/4 cup apricot kernel oil, 3 drops of pure almond oil and 2 tablespoons of shredded rose petals. This will give you a big enough batch of face scrub that you can store it covered and use it for up to 3 weeks. You just need to massage a bit of the scrub into your face every day to enjoy glowing, radiant skin.

4. Bentonite Clay and Hibiscus Mask

Make a spa-worthy face mask by combining 1/2 cup bentonite clay, 1 cup of coconut water and 1/4 cup torn hibiscus petals. The clay draws out impurities in the skin and the coconut water keeps the skin hydrated. The hibiscus offers natural soothing and nourishment. Spread on your face, allowing the mask to dry for 15 minutes. Then, wash it off with warm water.

5. Milk and Rosemary Body Scrub

It’s easy to make a hydrating milk body scrub. Mix 1/2 cup sea salt, 1/4 cup coconut milk or almond milk, 1 tablespoon almond oil, 2 drops of rosemary essential oils and 1/4 cup rosemary leaves together. Lather your milk scrub all over your body when you’re in the shower. Allow it to soak in as you scrub your feet or wash your hair. Rinse off and you’ll feel soft skin immediately.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Calendula, Roses

Flowers and Kids: Planting for a Fun Summer Project

June 23, 2016

Looking for fun summer projects to do with your little ones? Consider planting flowers with kids.

There are many beautiful blooms that you can plant with your kiddos, in a garden or even in a pot to keep near the window inside of your home. A trip to a local garden center, or perhaps a farmers’ market, should uncover some beauties that your family can easily turn into décor – and good times!

If you can’t find any flowers near you, there are always websites that sell seeds, and young plants, which are perfect for tiny hands to work with. The following are some of the best blossoms of summer that you might want to look for when taking on this fun kid-friendly project.

Johnny Jump-Ups (Violas)

Johnny Jump-Ups are perfect for kids to plant because children usually love the flowers’ bright colors, and it’s kind of funny to say the flowers’ name. Johnny Jump-Ups need a moist bed to thrive, so consider this if you’re trying to decide to plant them indoors or outside. While your children will likely have a thrilling time sowing seeds into dirt, or covering the roots of a juvenile plant with soil, you can think of the edible goodness you’ll receive when the blooms are fully grown. Johnny Jump-Ups are pretty and delicious in salads.

Arugula

Arugula is often a plant that people grow to consume, but you and your child can grow it to see the gorgeous little flowers that pop up. Did you know that arugula grew flowers? They’re delicate and white, and you can eat them just like the rest of the plant. Arugula will self sow, so think about planting it outdoors or in a large window box that gives it enough room to spread.

Calendula

Another kid-friendly plant that offers bonuses for adults, calendula puts out cute daisy-like blossoms in bold shades of yellow and orange. Calendula flowers are also edible. They can be steeped into a tea or placed on top of baked goods. Grow calendula to give your family a natural, effective, and homemade salve for summer bug bits and accidental scrapes too.

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The Right Flowers to Add to a Spring Salad

March 17, 2016

Did you know that you can gather pretty spring flowers and put them into a salad? Not any spring flowers, but those that are of course edible and those that taste incredible.

We love to prepare flowers with salads to bring to Easter potlucks, Mother’s Day brunches, and any special events that are happening during springtime. Usually guests at these gatherings are surprised, and delighted, to find our beautiful salads and to learn that they can eat what looks like mere decoration.

We love sharing the fact that many edible flowers not only provide beauty, they also offer nutrition by way of vitamins and minerals and they give the body powerful doses of antioxidants.

If you’re going to a special event this spring, and even if you’re not but you like making beautiful meals at home, think about preparing your favorite salad and including petals from the following flowers:

Pansies

Pansies are the largest of the violas, flowers that are tasty to eat and have a bit of a lettuce flavor. The pansy’s texture is velvety, so these petals will go down smooth in every bite.

Carnations

If you like a spicy and sweet salad, add carnation petals. The carnation’s flavor is unique, and quite surprising, so taste these petals first to gauge how many you want in your salad.

Calendula

Calendula is one of the more traditional flowers used in food. The yellow or orange petals are daisy-like in appearance, which makes them perfect for inclusion in dishes served during the daytime when it’s sunny and cheerful outside.

Bachelor’s Button

Bachelor’s button is a spiky flower, so be warned that the texture will be somewhat like radicchio. This flower comes in colors that are exquisite, however, which makes it worthy of adding to any salad.

In addition to these, you can also use nasturtium and rose petals in your springtime salads. Be creative with flower petals and you’ll end up with a meal that offers amazing visual and palate appeal.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Calendula, Carnations, Pansy

How to Grow Flowers You Can Eat

March 16, 2016

If you want to grow a flower garden that will supply you and your family with yummy food to eat, you’ve come to the right place. We’re going to show you how to grow some flowers that you can mix into salads, teas, lemonades, and even baked goods. Most of the flowers we’ll introduce you to can be cultivated easily in a home garden or indoor window garden. They don’t need a lot of care, they’re cheap to grow from seed, and they’ll give you colorful blooms that are nourishing and gorgeous to add to meals and drinks.

Here are some of our favorite flowers that you can grow to eat, and guidelines on how to cultivate them:

Bachelor’s Button

Bachelor’s button is a flower that tastes a bit like cucumber, so it’s great for adding to salads or pasta dishes. It has a frilly texture, like radicchio, and it’s perfect for eating in its entirety (the bloom) or eating a petal or two. Plant bachelor’s button (an annual) in full sun and make sure it has moderate water. Sow seeds in spring (or in autumn if you’re in the desert) and you’ll have blue, pink, purple, or white blooms to use in your food the following season.

Calendula

For a mildly tangy flavor in tea, salads, and baked goodies like lemon cupcakes, add calendula. This flower is beautiful and flavorful. It has delicate and thin yellow petals (these are all you’ll want to eat) that add visual and palate appeal to dishes prepared for spring, summer, or fall. Grow calendula in full sun, offer it moderate water, and make sure it has soil with good drainage. Calendula flowers typically give color to a garden for a full season.

Violas

Violas, including pansies, have a velvety texture that makes them ideal for using on fancy desserts like wedding cakes and holiday cheesecakes, and in decadent cocktails. These flowers are perennials, but they’re usually grown as annuals. They prefer full sun to partial shade, and they need regular water with well-drained soil. Violas grow in low, bushy plants and they come in solid colors or “whiskered” varieties.

In addition to these flowers, you can grow carnations, nasturtiums, and herb flowers like lavender to add to food and beverages.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Calendula, Carnations, Fun Flower Facts

Flowers for Eczema Relief

January 14, 2016

 

Chamomile

Chamomile is an anti-inflammatory and antiseptic flower that’s also hypoallergenic. It has the ability to neutralize many substances that irritate the skin and it’s shown effective in treating eczema in clinical trials. Chamomile has been studied in several trials for its potential as an powerful ingredient for use in healing skincare. One study documented in Germany shows that chamomile was 60% as active as .25% hydrocortisone when used topically on eczema patients.

Chickweed

Chickweed is a pretty uncommon herb, but its been used for healing in Chinese medicine for hundreds of years. Today, many herbalists recommend chickweed as an anti-inflammatory and anti-viral medicine. This flower contains polysaccharides that work to heal and soothe irritated skin naturally.

Calendula

Calendula is a flower that’s been used for generations to treat a variety of skin conditions. It’s an herb that has anti-inflammatory properties, which is exactly what someone suffering from eczema needs. Calendula also eliminates bacteria and helps heal any skin lesions associated with eczema.

Since eczema is characterized by a chronic inflammation of the skin, it makes sense that a person looking for a gentle anti-inflammatory treatment would turn to the flowers that we’ve mentioned.

If you’ve had experience using flowers to treat eczema, feel free to drop us a note below. We’d love to hear about your experience and about which flowers helped clear up your condition.

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Flowers to Make Healing Ointments

December 31, 2015

Did you know that many flowers can be made into healing ointments? We love to keep flowers like lavender and calendula around because they offer relief for a variety of conditions, such as dry skin, burns, and rashes. In addition to offering a bit of natural medicine for some of our ailments, these flowers (and several others) are quite beautiful to look at, so we make sure we frequently have some in our garden in or a vase indoors.

The following are a few flowers that you can use to make healing ointments with. Simply take the flower’s petals, whole or crushed, and add them to a neutral plant oil base like almond or coconut oil.

Lavender

Lavender is one of the top flowers for healing. It offers a calming aroma that can help out with bouts of stress, headaches, or insomnia. And, it possesses properties that promote healing when used topically. You can bring lavender’s spirit-soothing benefits into your life by using fresh, or dried, aromatic lavender flowers in potpourris, temple balms, and bath soaks. To heal skin conditions like eczema, or skin that’s painful to the touch, turn to crushed lavender petals infused into a carrier oil like olive oil. Lavender is an anti-bacterial flower too, so apply it with a plant oil to treat acne.

Calendula

Some of the many healing powers of calendula include treating rashes and eczema, speeding up the healing time of cuts and burns, and reducing inflamed skin. Also known as the pot marigold, calendula is a plant that you can easily grow yourself if you want an on-the-spot remedy to calm the stomach, nerves, and skin. Put calendula petals in apricot kernel, oil or another plant oil, and apply your formula on the skin to prevent wound infection and soothe irritation.

Comfrey

Comfrey is regarded as “one of nature’s greatest medicinal herbs.” It’s no wonder why. This super healing herb makes a great ointment, when mixed with a thick oil like coconut oil, to heal a variety of health problems, including broken bones! Comfrey ointment applied topically can shorten the time it takes for bones, muscles, and skin to heal. This flower, when used with a carrier oil, also helps treat diaper rash.

These are just a few of the flowers we like to turn to for natural healing. Do you have any flowers you make healing ointments with? If so, let us know in the comments below. We’d love to hear about them!

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Flowers to Bring Color to Winter

December 10, 2015

In the dead of winter, when most everything is white or a shade of gray, there are certain flowers that burst through the monochrome with bold, vivid color. Which flowers are these?

They’re the following beauties, and they’re ones you should consider planting if you live in an area with mild winters.

Calendula

Daisy-like calendula blooms from late fall through spring. It provides easy color for a garden, and you can bring this color into a home by placing them in a vase.

Calendula gives winters a hint of what spring and summer will offer by showing off pretty hues of yellow, orange, apricot, and cream.

Cyclamen

Cyclamen are known for being popular winter flowers because this plant hardly ever loses its dramatic color. Cyclamen come in sweet shades of pink, rose, and red. Sometimes you’ll find them in white, but we love the colored versions. Cyclamen resemble little butterflies or shooting stars.

Iceland Poppy

Iceland poppies have tall, leafless stems that seem to dance in the wind, which is why they’re perfect for winter. When cold breezes kick in and chill the bones, you can look at Iceland poppy to warm your heart. Iceland poppies are typically seen in colors like orange, pink, rose, yellow, and salmon.

If it’s winter where you are, you can plant these flowers in spring to have them viewable for the following winter. If you’re in full summer mode where you live right now, plant these flowers right away so they’ll be ready for you soon.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Calendula, Poppies

Flowers to Companion Plant in a Vegetable Garden

December 10, 2015

If you have a vegetable garden and are looking for the right flowers to plant to keep critters away, we have some ideas for you.

The following plants do a great job discouraging bugs and animals from getting into your vegetable garden. They are functional, for sure, but they look amazing too. So try some of these beauties in your veggie garden!

Alyssum

Alyssum are gorgeous plants that spread along the ground and produce hundreds of tiny flowers. These blossoms bloom all season long, and they come in purple, white, and pink varieties. You can plant Alyssum with basil, lettuce, sprouting broccoli, and bush beans for a stunning aesthetic.

Calendula

Yellow and orange calendula flowers bring a bit of brightness to a cool-season vegetable garden of cabbage, carrots, collards, and kale. Tall calendula varieties can grow up to 18 inches tall, and they’re less prone to mildew, so we suggest you plant these in your garden. As a bonus, you can pluck your calendula petals to use in tea and in beauty products.

Cosmos

There are two common types of cosmos: C. sulphureous, which comes in orange, red, and yellow and Cosmos bipinnatus, which produces the familiar pink and white flowers sometimes called “Sensation” mix. Cosmos keep creatures you don’t want near your flowers away. And, it attracts beneficial bugs and pretty birds.

All of these flowers for a veggie garden are pretty common, which means you should be able to find them in your local nursery. But, if you can’t, you can always order them (or their seeds) online.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Calendula, Cosmos, Flowers by Type, Fun Flower Facts
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Flowers for Healing

December 1, 2015

Do you know that there are some sicknesses that can be treated with flowers?

Certain flowers offer healing because flowers they can lift the spirit and bring a positive mindset to an ill person. Which will surely help the regenerative process. But, flowers can also be consumed to health the body. Some flowers, after ingestion, can help you get well. And, there are particular flowers that, when applied to the body topically, promote healing.

We’re going to tell you about some of these miracle flowers. We’re going to talk about a few flowers that you can use to get over the common cold, certain stomach conditions, and even respiratory issues.

Here are some of our favorite flowers to use:

Calendula

Calendula is an amazing healing flower because it can help reduce a variety of symptoms, inside and outside of the body. If you’re suffering from a cold or the flu, turn to calendula tea to help you kick it. When you’re dealing with eczema or have other skin ailments, like cuts and burns, you can use calendula petals mixed with olive oil as a salve for healing.

Angelica

Angelica has many healing uses, but it’s often given to the elderly and to children as a system-strengthening tonic. Angelica can be used to treat the digestive system, coughs, colds, and more. It’s extremely fragrant, so consider making a tea with Angelica if you think a warm soothing drink before bedtime will pick up your spirits when you’re sick.

Gardenia

Chinese medicine relies on gardenia for cleansing the blood, urine, and other internal fluids. Gardenia can help with physical injuries when its petals are applied in a carrier oil like coconut oil. This healing flower’s fragrance also works as a mental healing agent by helping to reduce depression, anxiety, and stress.

Rose

Roses contain vitamin C, so feel free to make up a bit of rose water to drink when you’re trying to get rid of a cold or flu. Many people don’t know that roses are extremely safe for human consumption. Rose petal tonics can help mild cases of constipation and rose tea can assist with blood circulation. Creams and pastes made with rose petals offer amazing benefits to dry and cracked skin.

We love flowers and we enjoy finding ways to bring them into our lives beyond just standard uses as tabletop arrangements. We hope that you will turn to some of these floral remedies if you find yourself feeling under the weather or hurt. Of course, we do recommend that you consult your physician before you consume these flowers.

Comments: 0 Posted by: Categories: Calendula, Flowers Generally, Roses
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