Herbs in Focus: Calendula

If you've been following our Herbs in Focus series, you may have noticed something. The herbs we highlight tend to have a long history. Walk into any apothecary, any naturopath's dispensary, any well-stocked herbalist's cabinet, and you'll find them. They've been there for centuries. Calendula is no different.

Found in wound salves, gentle teas, and the kind of preparations grandmothers made without a recipe because the knowledge was just passed down in families and from healer to healer, calendula has earned its place.

We use it in our hemp balm, and we think it deserves a proper introduction. If you've ever reached for a healing salve or a bottle marked "gentle" and "soothing," there's a very good chance calendula was already in your corner. You just may not have known its name.

Quick Links:

• What is Calendula?
• A Brief History of Calendula in Herbal Traditions
• Calendula Benefits
• What Is Calendula Good For and Who Benefits?
• Choosing a High-Quality Botanical with Calendula

What is Calendula?

Calendula officinalis, also known as pot marigold, is a member of the Asteraceae family, the same big botanical family as sunflowers and daisies. It's native to southern Europe and the Mediterranean, though you'll now find it growing cheerfully in gardens and fields across the globe. It's easy to grow, self-seeding, and given the cheeriness of its family members, annoyingly easy to fall in love with.

Calendula grows to about 12 to 18 inches tall, with daisy-like flower heads in shades of orange, yellow, and everything in between. What you're really seeing when you look at that flower head isn’t a single flower; it’s a composite, hundreds of tiny florets arranged together. 

What parts of calendula are used?

In herbal tradition and modern supplements, the flowers are the primary player. The dried petals and flower heads are where the most studied compounds, including the carotenoids, the flavonoids, and the triterpenoids, live. It’s these compounds that give calendula its well-documented skin-supporting, anti-inflammatory properties (1). That said, the seeds also have their own fascinating biochemical story, which we'll get into shortly.

A Brief History of Calendula in Herbal Traditions

Calendula is one of those plants with such a long history of human use which makes it deserving of some praise. It’s been here all along, across wildly different times and places, doing its thing.

Everyone from the ancient Egyptians and Greeks to nomadic tribes in northern Africa and communities all across India have cultivated and used calendula medicinally. Documented use stretches back to at least the 12th century in formal records, though folk use likely predates that (1).

In the Ayurvedic tradition, the leaves and flowers are classified as antipyretic, anti-inflammatory, and antimicrobial; these are some of the oldest pharmacological categories humans ever developed (2).

Here in the United States, during the Civil War, field surgeons used calendula flowers as a wound treatment. It was applied directly to wounds to slow bleeding and support healing, essentially a battlefield herb running on reputation and results (2).

By the 20th century, calendula had made it into formal herbal pharmacopeias and was recognized by bodies such as Germany's Commission E, which approved it for treating inflammation of the mouth and throat as well as for wound and burn care (3).

What makes this kind of longevity both impressive and meaningful isn't just the time span. It's the consistency. Wound healing, skin support, inflammation, and digestive health. Different cultures, different centuries, all with similar observations and experiences. That kind of pattern is what naturopathic medicine focuses on.

Calendula Benefits

Like many other herbs, calendula is often doing double duty. Because naturopathy is focused on systemic support, some herbs are work horses. In this case, calendula is like a trusted multi-tool. It keeps showing up wherever the body needs support with healing, soothing, or clearing.

Calendula Flower Benefits

As we mentioned, the flowers are the real star. When you see "calendula" in an herbal supplement, it almost always means the flower or petal extract.

Wondering why? Calendula flowers are loaded with carotenoids, including lutein, beta-carotene, and others; these are the same compounds that give both carrots and tomatoes their color. In calendula, these carotenoids contribute to anti-inflammatory activity.

The flowers are also rich in flavonoids like quercetin and isorhamnetin, which are among the most studied plant compounds for their antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. And then there are a group of triterpene compounds called faradiol monoesters which have been identified as among the most potent contributors to calendula’s anti-inflammatory properties (1).

What does this mean for naturopathic and botanical support?

• Skin support and wound healing — This is calendula's best-known and most well-documented use. The flower extract has been used for centuries on minor wounds, burns, rashes, and skin irritation, and modern research has largely supported the traditional view. Several clinical studies have examined calendula in conditions ranging from radiation dermatitis to diaper rash (1).
• Anti-inflammatory support — Calendula flower has demonstrated anti-inflammatory activity in both lab and clinical settings, particularly in topical applications and in support of mucous membrane health (2).
• Lymphatic support — In traditional Western herbalism, calendula has long been classified as a lymphatic herb, used to support the movement of fluid and help to clear congestion (4).
• Antimicrobial activity — Studies have shown calendula flower extracts can help fight a range of bacteria and fungi; this suggests that even before research, traditional use on wounds and infections recognized this benefit (2).
• Digestive support — Did we say calming and soothing? That’s not just for skin. In addition to topical applications, calendula has traditionally been used for abdominal cramps, ulcers, and sluggish digestion. Laboratory research has found saponins in the plant that exhibit gastroprotective activity and spasmolytic effects in the gut (1).

There's a reason calendula shows up in everything from wound ointments to ear drops to mouthwashes to baby products. The research has caught up to what traditional herbalists have known for centuries: this is a genuinely versatile, well-tolerated, and effective botanical.

Calendula Seed Benefits

We don’t often talk as much about the seed in herbal circles, but it's worth understanding, especially if you're curious about the full picture of what calendula has to offer.

Calendula seed is studied, predominantly, because of its oil which is dominated by a fatty acid called calendic acid. This compound has been studied for its anti-inflammatory properties in both in vitro and in vivo settings (5).

Calendula seed oil is also notably high in tocopherols (including members of the vitamin E family), as well as linoleic acid, a polyunsaturated omega-6 fatty acid. These compounds give the seed oil its antioxidant profile and make it of ongoing interest in both nutraceutical and industrial research (5).

In practical terms, calendula seed oil is primarily found in topical applications that benefit from its fatty acid profile and skin-nourishing properties. It's less common in oral supplement formulas than the flower, but the seed adds more depth to the versatility of this plant.

What Is Calendula Good For and Who Benefits?

In naturopathic tradition, calendula is what practitioners call a restorative herb. It’s not something you might reach for when there’s something dramatic or acute happening. Instead, calendula is what you reach for when the body is tired, inflamed, and struggling to heal on its own.

The pattern is pretty consistent across traditions: where there's inflammation, stagnation, or tissue that needs support, calendula shows up and helps. Simple as that.

On the skin, it's often the first herb herbalists and naturopathic doctors reach for to sooth irritated and reactive skin conditions that flare and linger or wounds that are slow to close cleanly. Both centuries of use and the research backs this up (1).

In the gut, it works on that same soothing principle. It’s traditionally used for ulcers, cramping, and irritated tissue throughout the digestive tract. It's not the herb you'd choose for a dramatic overhaul. It's the one that calms things down and lets healing happen.

In the lymphatic system, calendula has one of its most interesting traditional roles moving congestion and supporting the flow in the upper body and throat. In short, it helps the body clear what needs clearing.

So who tends to benefit most from Calendula?

Usually, it's people dealing with the chronic end of common problems: persistent inflammation and pain, skin that never fully clears, a cough or immune challenge that lingers past its welcome, digestive discomfort that's become the background noise of daily life. It's also an herb that fits beautifully into a formula meaning it plays well with others, often amplifying and supporting rather than overwhelming.

In naturopathic medicine, it’s recognized as an herb that supports the body's natural healing mechanisms, not around them.

Choosing a High-Quality Botanical with Calendula

You'd be forgiven for thinking all calendula products are the same. The dried flowers in everything from loose-leaf teas and salves to tinctures, capsules, and serums. But quality in botanical medicine is not just a marketing claim. It's the difference between a product that works and one that makes a promise in a pretty font.

At SuperTrees Botanicals, we've been doing this long enough to be a little picky—and we think you should be too. Here's what to look for.

Know the source

Good calendula starts with responsible sourcing. This is one of the places where organic matters. Since you're often putting this herb directly on or into your body, you don't want pesticide residue to come along for the ride.

Match the formula to your goals.

Calendula shows up in a lot of different kinds of products because it's versatile. A topical salve, an oral tincture, and a capsule formula are all doing different things with the same herb. Make sure the product you're choosing is designed for the support you're actually looking for.

Look for clinical oversight.

Herbal formulas developed with naturopathic oversight and clinical testing are a different category than supplements developed by marketing teams. Ask how long the formula has been in development, whether it's been used in clinical settings, and whether a licensed practitioner had a hand in its design.

At SuperTrees Botanicals, our products, including our hemp balm, which features calendula, are developed under naturopathic supervision with clinical testing that often spans a decade or more before we bring them to market.

We work with local farms, organic when possible, and maintain ongoing relationships with our growers, because we know that what goes into the soil shows up in the finished product.

Calendula is a generous herb, but like all good things in herbal medicine, it's only as good as the hands that prepare it. Start with quality, and let it do what it's been doing for centuries.

Have questions about calendula or our hemp balm? We'd love to hear from you.

Sources:

1. Shahane, K., Kshirsagar, M., Tambe, S., Jain, D., Rout, S., Ferreira, M. K. M., Mali, S., Amin, P., Srivastav, P. P., Cruz, J., & Lima, R. R. (2023). An updated review on the multifaceted therapeutic potential of Calendula officinalis L. Pharmaceuticals, 16(4), 611. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC10142266/
2. Arora, D., Rani, A., & Sharma, A. (2013). A review on phytochemistry and ethnopharmacological aspects of genus Calendula. Pharmacognosy Reviews, 7(14), 179–187. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3841996/
3. American Herbal Products Association. (n.d.). Herbs in history: Calendula. https://www.ahpa.org/herbs_in_history_calendula
4. Herbal Reality. (n.d.). Calendula (Calendula officinalis). https://www.herbalreality.com/herb/calendula/
5. Dulf, F. V., Oroian, I., Vodnar, D. C., Socaciu, C., & Pintea, A. (2013). Fatty acid composition of lipids in pot marigold (Calendula officinalis L.) seed oils from different genotypes. Chemistry Central Journal, 7, Article 8. https://pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC3560196/