In All Our Brightness: Calendula Plant Profile

It feels appropriate that just before Beltane, the start of the summer season in the wheel of the year, I’m writing about a plant with a common name of Summer’s Bride. Calendula is a celebrated in traditional western herbalism as a reliable, inexpensive, and easy to grow plant ally.

For me, the magick of Calendula is in the way that the blossoms seem to chatter amongst each other, encouraging each other to shine brighter, to unfold just a bit further, to scatter seeds wider across the landscape. The plant has a community energy to it and to sit amongst a Calendula plant in bloom is to be privy to a steady energy of encouragement. “Who said you shouldn’t shine so bright?!” Calendula will ask you, shocked. “Better shine brighter then!”

I hope you find a bit of bright inspiration reading about Calendula!

image by author

Calendula
(Calendula officinalis)

Common + Folk Names : Pot marigold, ruggles, holigold, gowan, bull's eye, Mary bud, ringelblume, summer's bride, spousa solis

Element : Fire, Earth

Zodiac Signs : Sagittarius, Leo, Taurus

Planets : Sun, Venus

Moon Phase : Full Moon

Tarot Cards : Temperance (sacredness of balanced incarnation), Judgement (consciousness raising), Four of Wands (celebrations), the Sevens (healing of all wounds). Learn more about the intersections of herbalism and the tarot.

Parts used : Flower

Habitat : Native to Eurasia but found worldwide.

Growing conditions : Full sun and thrives in a variety of soil types. 

Collection : Collect the flowers as they bloom. Deadheading the plant will guarantee flowers for much of the growing season.

Flavor : Bitter, pungent

Temperature : Slightly Cool to Cold. Alternatively, the Greeks classified Calendula as Warm.

Moisture : Dry

Tissue State : Cold/Depression, Heat/Excitation

Constituents : Iodine, manganese, potassium, saponins, caretonoids, flavonoids, polysaccharides, mucilage, bitters, phytosterols, polysaccharides, resin.

Actions : Alterative, antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, antispasmodic, antiviral, astringent, calmative, choleretic, demulcent, diaphoretic, emmenagogue, immunostimulant, probiotic, vulnerary.

Main Uses : I love Calendula. It's one of the first flowers to bloom on the land I live with and it's endlessly interesting in the variety of colors and shapes a single plant can produce. And Calendula will continue to flower for months if you continue to pick the blooms, being sure, of course, to leave plenty to go to seed so they can pop up again next year.

Calendula is prized as a healer of wounds and many herbal students, myself included, made batches of sunny colored salve from its flowers to use on all variety of skin healing needs from simple cuts to recovery from surgical procedures. Calendula assists in the healing of skin through promoting the formation of granulation tissues and in addition to its tissue repairing qualities, the herb protects against infections like E. coli and staph by stimulating the production of white blood cells. The plant brings restorative sunlight to the body and spirit after a period of damp and unwanted darkness. 

image via @myriamzilles

Use Calendula in helping to clear congestion both from the lymph nodes and from the gut. As a cleansing herb and digestive aid, Calendula helps to eliminate worms and parasites while clearing out accumulations of toxins in the gut. An indication for Calendula is excess heat in the gut which causes gastritis and inflammation. Anne McIntyre points out that Calendula is helpful in reducing excess pitta and kapha from the body - while not a perfect comparison, in TWH we would say that excess heat and inflammation (pitta) combined with damp stagnation (kapha).¹ Some of the signs of damp heat are swollen glands, congestion both digestive and in the upper respiratory system, a feeling of over-fullness, and thirst but not a strong impulse to drink. Another general indication for Calendula for damp heat is yellowishness to the skin, eyes, and in mucous.

Notice how your fingers are sticky after picking Calendula? That's from the plants' rich resin content which is why it is such a prized topical treatment for the skin. Topically the herb is used for wound care in a variety of forms including as an oil, compress, liniment, herbal wash, and hydrosol. It is a well-loved and effective vulnerary, helping skin and tissue to heal after wounding and bruising. Use as a gargle for gingivitis and mouth sores, in nasal washes for sinus infections and nosebleeds, as well as an eyewash for conjunctivitis as well as tired, irritated or scratched eyes. Useful as a compress for eye strain from staring at screens too long. Helpful in clearing up acne.

It is useful in treating varicose veins, leg ulcers and abscesses, ringworm, as well as aiding the skin after exposure to the elements including sun and wind burn and general air pollution. For animal and insect bites, it can be used topically and internally to help prevent infections. Those who are suffering from sore nipples because of nursing can find relief through Calendula compresses followed by application of the herbal oil. Include the herb in sitz baths for hemorrhoid relief and postpartum care. Use as a douche for vaginal infections.

Many herbalists I know, myself included, add the bright petals of Calendula, carefully preserved from spring and summer, into autumn and winter tea blends, The brightness of these petals bring a certain warmth and magick to the tea cup and help to enliven weary spirits who perhaps struggle with the darker half of the year.

One more note on the astrological correspondences of Calendula. You'll usually find Calendula categorized as a herb of Leo given its color and that it is an herb of the Sun, Leo's Guardian Planet. Or it is classified as a Sagittarian herb because of its deep connection with the skin. While there are certainly a number of ways that Calendula embodies Leonine and Sagittarian energies, I also use it as a Taurean and Venusian herb. As already discussed, within Traditional Western Herbalism it is primarily used for topical skin complaints (especially wound care), general inflammation, and as a digestive aid, all of which are associated with Venus' healing powers. The plant self-seeds, grows abundantly and is beautiful and cheering to see, qualities found amongst Taurean and Venusian plants. So I use Calendula for Leo to help balance their leonine energies and effectively direct solar power, as well as a Taurean plant and Venusian ally.

Magickal Uses : Calendula makes it appearances on altars from India to Mexico and is a beautiful plant of offering and devotion. Scott Cunningham recommends picking the flowers in the middle of the day under bright sunlight to create charms to strengthen and gladden the heart.² Albertus Magnus has further recommendations for the gathering of Calendula including picking it in August when the Sun is in Leo while wearing a crown of Bay leaves and then adding a tooth of a wolf to what you've gathered to create a charm where only peaceful words will be spoken to and about you.³ These days just a Bay leaf with Calendula petals and perhaps the photo or drawing of a wolf would suffice in making a similar charm.

In more ways than one the plant is protective and garlands can be hung throughout the home to keep out unwanted energies and spirits. Use the plant in incense and infusions to help you find a thief and to locate your stolen goods. Add the petals to dream bundles to aid you in your night visions and psychic dreaming. Cunningham describes a curious tradition whereby if a girl walks barefoot on Calendula she'll be able to understand the language of birds - useful for witchfolk and those with avian familiars.

image via @yoksel

The Calendula Personality : Admittedly, it was a bit hard to try and succinctly sum up the Calendula personality. The plant and its accompanying spirit have a wide light cast with ease and abundance - it reminds me of Mustard Flower Essence but with more diffusion and broader application. It's a great essence for most folks and you really feel that when sitting amongst a wild spreading bush of Calendula blooms. As I continued to sit with Calendula one message that came through was that they were an essence that helped folks who have been told that they are a bit much - whether repeatedly since they were a child or situationally such as women frequently being dismissed as "a bit much" by male colleagues. Leonine energies of the essence can help support us in the work of confronting microaggressions brought on by misogyny, racism, homophobia, etc. Calendula helps us to take up space instead of bending ourselves into that were never big enough to hold us.

Calendula also offers lessons in learning to live with the abundance of self-expression for those who live with greater intensity than the general population. It helps folks to learn moderation when necessary but more importantly the essences helps folks to open back up to the warmth and light of close relationships after being shut-down by their peers for being "too much." Calendula helps us to make wise decisions on who we relate to through accepting the beauty of our intensity and sensitivity and finding others who are ready to do the same.

Contraindications : Generally regarded as safe, but avoid during pregnancy because of emmenagogue qualities.

Drug interactions : None known. Caution with sedatives and insulin/hypoglycaemic medications.

Dosage : Dry before tincture for a more potent extract. Standard dosage.

Bright Calendula is a plant that I carefully preserve for my winter apothecary and it’s been making an appearance in my winter solstice recipes for years and years. For other summer inspired magick, here’s my guide to weeds and witchcraft of the hottest season. Calendula is part of The Plant Ally Library where you can find all of my plant ally profiles from all of my courses in one easy to access and download space.

Calendula is a great herb for herbal baths and is an all around friendly and easy to grow herb to get to know. I hope you find yourself amongst their blooms one of these days.

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Footnotes

1. Anne McIntyre, Dispensing with Tradition: A Practitioner's Guide to using Indian and Western Herbs the Ayurvedic Way (Cheltenham: Artemis House, 2012), 34.

2. Scott Cunningham, Cunningham's Encyclopedia of Magical Herbs (St. Paul, MN: Llewellyn, 2001), 169.

3. Paul Beyerl, A Compendium of Herbal Magick (Custer, WA: Phoenix Publishing, 1998), 239.