Calendula, Calendula officinalis
A relative of the sunflower, calendula grows to one or two feet in height. The daisy-like flowers range from a deep orange-yellow to almost red. A member of the aster (Compositae) family, it is a native of the Mediterranean but grows wild (as an introduced species) throughout the northeastern states of the United States. The whole flowers are used medicinally.
Calendula is one of those plants with a long history of medicinal use. It was used in ancient Greece, Rome, Arabia, and India not just for healing but also for dye, and as food.198 Its use in Europe dates back at least to the Middle Ages, where it was used medicinally and also as a dye for cheese. Today it is not just a medicinal plant but a decorative one, adorning parks and gardens in Europe and throughout the world. Plants sold in your local gardening center under the name “marigold” are not typically calendula, however.
What is it good for?
Soothing wounds, especially abrasions, cuts, sunburn. The traditional evidence for calendula’s use as a treatment for wounds is strong. It has been used for centuries, first in the ancient Near East, eventually in Europe and North America for wounds, especially those that required a treatment with soothing properties (for example, irritations, eczema, scrapes, and insect bites). Italian folk medicine used it as an anti-inflammatory.199 The Eclectic School cites its use as a vulnerary for ulcers, and burns.
Laboratory analysis reveals possible bacteria-fighting chemicals,200 antiviral chemicals,201 and triterpenoids,202 which are anti-inflammatory compounds that have been shown to speed wound healing in animal studies.203 A very preliminary, poorly controlled, 2004 study showed that women receiving radiation treatment for breast cancer experienced less severe dermatitis (skin irritation, redness and pain due to radiation burns) when they were treated with calendula cream twice a day.204 A second study with five volunteers found that artificially induced abrasions healed more quickly when treated with calendula.205 A third showed accelerated healing of venous leg ulcers that were treated with calendula.206 Though human trials are still small scale and poorly controlled, the tradition combined with the laboratory and animal evidence is strong enough that Germany’s Commission E recommends it for wound healing, especially slow healing wounds.207
Fungal infections. Reports of calendula’s anti-fungal properties are mixed. We have no experimental evidence for anti-fungal properties.208 The tradition as a treatment for fungal infections is not as strong as that for wounds. However, the soothing properties of calendula may be a welcome relief from an itchy fungal infection.
Warts. European tradition says that a poultice of crushed stems and leaves can help soften warts and make them easily removable. Calendula may also have some antiviral properties, though we don’t know that it kills wart virus. In short, we have no scientific or cross-cultural corroboration for this use.
How do you use it?
Infusion. Make an infusion for use as a wash or compress. Pour 1 cup of boiling water over ½ teaspoon of dried flowers and infuse for 10 minutes.209
Infused oil. Infused oil can be made by adding 3 ounces fresh ground calendula petals to 10 ounces oil. The oil is made using the hot infusion method.210
Tincture. Two options are possible for calendula tincture: 1:5 tincture in 90% alcohol211 or 1:9 in 20% alcohol.212 Dilute the tincture at least 1:3 with freshly boiled water for topical use213 or use two droppers full of the tincture to a cup of water to make a mouth rinse good for canker sores.
Ointment. Powdered calendula can be mixed into a carrier ointment for topical use.214
Commercial preparations are also available.
Dosage: How much do you use?
No toxic reactions have been reported for calendula.215 A probable effective dosage is one gram of the whole flower, 1–2.5 teaspoons (5–12 ml) of the tincture per day, split into three doses. The ointment or tincture can be applied topically several times per day.216 A 2–5% preparation has been deemed safe by the German Commission E and the European Scientific Co-operative on Phytotherapy (ESCOP).217
What should you be aware of before using it?
Evidence for effective topical use is much stronger than the evidence for effective internal use. Though tradition has it that internal use of calendula is safe,218 the long-term effects of internal use have not been studied. Using calendula topically only is a conservative, but reasonable course of action.
Though calendula has a largely safe reputation, adverse reactions, including skin and eye irritation, have been reported.219 In one study, 2% of the people using topical calendula had an allergic reaction to it. Calendula can also magnify allergic reaction to other substances used in conjunction with it (fragrances, other herbs, etc.).220
If you are allergic to ragweed or any other plant in the Aster/Compositae family, you are likely to be allergic to calendula as well. Allergies to calendula can be severe. At least one case of anaphylactic shock is on the books.221
Some herbalists advise against using calendula during pregnancy.222 We don’t know enough to know whether it’s safe or not.
Calendula may lower blood pressure when taken internally. Use caution when combining it with other drugs or herbs that also lower blood pressure. (See Chapter 5 for a list.)
We don’t know enough about calendula to know if it’s safe for children.223
Calendula is also used in homeopathic medicines. If you buy calendula cream, be aware of whether the cream is prepared as an herbal remedy or a homeopathic remedy because the two preparations are very different.
Calendula is only one of several plants in the Asteraceae family that bear the name “marigold.” Other marigolds—corn marigolds, desert marigolds, and the French marigolds commonly seen in the lawn and garden section of home improvement stores—do not have the same medicinal properties.
Capsicum
Scientific name: Capsicum spp., especially Capsicum frutescens
Also known as capsicum, chilies, chili peppers, Tabasco pepper, paprika, cayenne, peppers
An assortment of peppers of the Capsicum genus
Capsicum, the pepper genus, contains at least fifty varieties. Among the best known are Capsicum annuum, which includes bell peppers, jalapeños, paprika, and the chiltepin; Capsicum frutescens, which includes the cayenne and Tabasco peppers; Capsicum chinense, which includes the mouth-searing habanero and Scotch bonnet peppers; and Capsicum pubescens and Capsicum baccatum, lesser known South American peppers. Originally native to South America, peppers are now grown throughout the world both for medicinal and culinary purposes. It is the fruit of this plant, the whole red peppers, that contain the medicinal compound. They are picked when fully ripe, dried, and often ground to a powder.
The substance that gives chili peppers their medicinal value is also what gives them their heat. This compound, capsaicin (8-methyl-N-vanillyl-6-nonenamide), is an irritant that serves to protect the pepper from herbivores. Plants with more capsaicin were less likely to be eaten and so were more likely to reproduce. Over the generations, that process naturally selected