Miss McGlaughlin was supervising the playground on a summer afternoon when one of the first grade boys suddenly began shrieking and running around in circles. She quickly determined that he had been stung by a yellow jacket on the upper arm. Casting wildly about for help, her eyes fell on the calendula flowering against the south wall of the school. She pulled the boy over to the flower bed and picked a large blossom, popping it in her mouth. Having heard that masticated calendula quickly relieves the pain of bee stings, she was ready to give it a try. But the flower tasted funny. As she spit it in her palm and applied the soothing mash directly to the sting, she realized that she had chewed up a fat, black “calendula bug” along with the flower. The injured boy had quit crying and was observing her with rapt curiosity. He’d never seen anyone eat a bug before . . .

Calendula (Calendula officinalis)
Family: Asteraceae

Plant description: Calendula is an annual or short-lived herbaceous perennial growing from 1 to 3 feet tall. Calendula makes flowers of orange or yellow, with single rows of petals or “doubles”—they glow like the sun. Calendula is a cultigen, meaning that the plant we currently use is the product of ages of human selection (mainly occurring in southern Europe) from the wild Mediterranean ancestor (wild calendula = Calendula arvensis). The plant is a prolific self-seeder. The part used is the whole flower, either fresh or dried.

Calendula seed: Calendula seed is an after-ripener. That is, the seed germinates better after 6 months of storage than if planted immediately after maturity. This is an adaptation that allows the calendula seed to lie dormant and unsprouted in the soil all winter long, germinating only in the spring. The calendula seed itself comes in various shapes. The black ones that look like coiled alligators make nice plants, but the big beige calendula seeds that may easily be mistaken for pieces of chaff actually make stronger seedlings. Quality calendula seed is the result of careful selection of the mother plants, combined with great care in the picking, curing, sifting, cleaning and storage of the seed. On our organically certified seed farm we grow no more than 2 varieties in a single year, keeping them at a distance to disallow hybridization. The strains we offer (orange calendula, yellow calendula, mixed calendula and wild calendula) have been selected and developed on our farm over the past decade to produce open-pollinated flowers of highest medicinality. We water, cultivate and side dress the calendula plants with compost throughout the summer, resulting in the production of large flowers rich in active resins and flavonoids, flowers that give way to fat, viable seed.

Cultivation:Calendula is easily grown from seed and may be sown directly in the garden from early spring on into summer, with plenty of time left to get a good harvest of flowers. Tolerant of poor soils, calendula will grow in partial shade or full sun. The plant requires regular watering. Sometimes known as “pot marigold,” calendula is easily grown in pots on the doorstep or in window boxes. Ideal for children, the seeds are large and easily handled, and germination is almost assured even if planted by the inexperienced gardener. Sow about ¼ inch deep and pat down the row. Keep weeded and thin to 6 inches to 1 foot apart. The first flowers are produced only 40 to 50 days after seed germination.

Harvesting and processing the flowers: Harvest is best done in the late morning, after the dew dries. As soon as the flowers come into their prime, pick them off. After the first harvest, pick again in a few days, when the newly developing flowers reach maturity. Spread the calendula flowers on screens to dry, in the shade, and turn and stir them several times daily. As soon as the calendula flowers are dry, store them in plastic bags or glass jars. A forced-air dehydrator is preferred for large-scale production of calendula flowers.

Practical uses: Calendula is usually used externally for its antiseptic and healing properties in treating skin infections, cuts, punctures, scrapes, burns and chapped or chafed skin or lips. The tea or the tincture in water can be swished and swallowed in order to help heal oral lesions, sore throat, or gastric ulcer. Calendula has a good history of external use in the treatment of varicose veins. The fresh flowers are masticated, reduced to a paste with water in a blender, or rubbed directly onto affected areas. The dried flowers are best made into an aromatic infused oil, tea, or tincture. To test the tincture for quality, apply one drop to the surface of a hand-held mirror and wait until the alcohol dries off. Once dry, there should remain a raised droplet of sticky, golden resin. For more information on the preparation and use of calendula flowers in home herbal medicine, see the book “Making Plant Medicine.”