Calendula officinalis

Wikipedia

Wikipedia

NAME: Calendula officinalis

FAMILY:  Asteraceae

COMMON NAMES:  Marigold, Pot Marigold, ruddles

LOCAL NAMES: Ododo-Maria

MORPHOLIGICAL DESCRIPTION: Calendula officinalis is a short-lived aromatic herbaceous perennial. The flowers maybe orange or yellow. The plant grows to about 30cm with branching stems that are slightly or moderately hairy or sticky.

USEFUL PART(s): flower, leave and root

GENERAL USES

  • Pot marigold florets and leaves are edible.

  • They are often used to add color to salads and food generally

  • It also has medicinal benefits.

GEOGRAPHICAL DISTRIBUTION

  • Australia and New Zealand

WHY IS IT GREEN?

  • treating sore throat and mouth,

  • menstrual cramps,

  • cancer

  • pain and swelling (inflammation)

  • stomach and duodenal ulcers.

ENVIRONMENTAL IMPACT

  • Calendula may cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae family.

FUN FACTS

  • Pot marigold is one of the few plants which is considered astringent despite not being high in tannins.

  • Plant pharmacological studies have suggested that Calendula extracts may have anti-viral, anti-genotoxic and anti-inflammatory properties in vitro

FURTHER READING

Efstratiou, E., Hussain, A. I., Nigam, P. S., Moore, J. E., Ayub, M. A., & Rao, J. R. (2012). Antimicrobial activity of Calendula officinalis petal extracts against fungi, as well as Gram-negative and Gram-positive clinical pathogens. Complementary Therapies in Clinical Practice. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ctcp.2012.02.003

Lastra Valdés, H., & Piquet García, R. (1999). Calendula officinalis. In Revista Cubana de Farmacia. https://doi.org/10.1055/s-2006-952092

Ong, H. C., Mahlia, T. M. I., Masjuki, H. H., & Norhasyima, R. S. (2011). Comparison of palm oil, Jatropha curcas and Calophyllum inophyllum for biodiesel: A review. In Renewable and Sustainable Energy Reviews. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.rser.2011.05.005

Preethi, K. C., Kuttan, G., & Kuttan, R. (2006). Antioxidant potential of an extract of Calendula officinalis flowers in vitro and in vivo. Pharmaceutical Biology. https://doi.org/10.1080/13880200601009149

Roveroni-Favaretto, L. H. D., Lodi, K. B., & Almeida, J. D. (2009). Topical Calendula officinalis L. successfully treated exfoliative cheilitis: A case report. Cases Journal. https://doi.org/10.1186/1757-1626-2-9077