Herbal Profile ~ Flower Power ~ Calendula

 Hello my plant loving and mighty magical buddies,

I thought I would start the HERBAL new year off with a flower this time, even though us herbalists use it as a very revered herb.

I have grown these in my garden for years and use the flowers quite regularly in oils, balms and mixed into herbal teas and incenses - they are superb little flowers for skin irritations (hence I use them in salves and balms) plus the bees just love them.  They always remind me of summer with their bright colours.  So let's do a mini-deep-dive into the majestic

            CALENDULA                       

Orange Calendula from my garden 2025

 

BOTANIC NAME ~ Calendula Officinalis.
AKA ~ Common Marigold, Pot Marigold, Gold bloom, Holligold, Mary bud, Marygold, summer's bride, spousa solis, bride of the sun.

GENDER ~ Male (Hot)

ELEMENT ~ Fire
DEITY ~ Apollo, Brigid, Freya, Ra, Virgin Mary.

PLANET ~ Sun

CRYSTAL ~ Citrine.

FOLKLORE ~ Ancient Egyptians used Calendula to rejuvenate their skin from the harsh Egyptian sun.  In India, garlands have Calendula mixed in them for weddings and religious rituals and ceremonies.

NOTED ~ Calendula is noted for it's soothing properties, especially if used in salves or balms.  Bathing in a Calendula infusion is thought to give one a healthy, sunny glow that would draw attention and respect from one's community.

USES ~ Add fresh flowers to salad greens to promote good health and strengthen the immune system.  Calendula is anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial and is good for pain relief... BUT BE WARNED... over consumption will cause issues with your tummy...
Can be used in herbal tea blends.

ALLERGIES ~ If you are allergic to ragweed, daisies, chrysanthemums, marigolds or any plants related to the Asteraceae or Compositae species ~ best avoid this one as well....

Another from my garden..

  IN THE GARDEN ~ Plant Calendula or Marigold (which has the same properties) in between your vegetables to protect them from unwanted pests.  They are a beautiful start to any summer garden as they are as bright as the sun and come in many different shades of orange, yellow, apricot and cream - some even have pink tinges... However, they do self seed prolifically so it is best to trim the flower heads once they are spent - this promotes more flowers and stops the seeds from going everywhere (unless that is what you want).

 

My little book of Herbal Notes....

WITCHCRAFT USES ~

Place a flower beneath your head at night (maybe in the pillowcase) to induce prophetic / clairvoyant dreams.

Can be added to love sachets.

Place a pot of Calendula outside your front door to repel enemies from entering your home

Used to influence legal matters - brighten your lapel with one to attract good outcomes.

Can be used (dried) in incense blends for protection from evil.

HARVESTING ~ Calendula or Marigold should be harvested at noon when the sun is high in the sky and the morning dew has had time to evaporate.

I like to dry mine naturally over a few weeks to make sure there is no moisture left - then I store them in a glass jar until I get to use them.                       

SO there you have it, my mini-deep-dive into the beautifully sunny Calendula.

Do you like this flower?

Do you use it, or just have the flowers placed in a vase within your home to bring the sunshine in?

Let me know in the comments....

Until next time, have a lovely week ahead.  Catch you with another mini-deep-dive next week...I'm thinking ROSES....🌹

Blessing to you all,
Annette )O( xxx