Marigold Offers Natural Health Along with Natural Beauty

Marigold, officially referred to as Calendula Officinalis, is a gorgeous flower that can be used as a natural medicine for different conditions. This herb has found a place in books related to the cancer disease and its cures, due to its anti-bacterial, anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties. This plant has also been found to be quite useful for treating wounds and has been proved to be an excellent remedy for stings, impetigo and burns. Alongside providing wonderful results for treating corns, calluses and warts, these flowers are used as a cure for many skin conditions like varicose ulcers, eczema and others.

The name “Calendula Officinalis” has been taken from ‘Kalendae’, a Latin word and Roman calendar’s first day. This flower blooms throughout the year except for the day when the rain is going to shower, so it is also termed as ‘flower of rain’. This is a wonderful garden flower that can be used to line up many gardens and is commonly found on several mountains.

Avoid Confusing with Arnica Flowers

One is likely to confuse the Calendula with the Arnica flowers, which needs to be avoided as the latter is toxic and needs to be used under supervision only. Tea made from Arnica flowers can be dangerous for heart patients. The normal height of marigold flowers is 40 cm, which are of yellow to orange colors with sticky feeling leaves. Another indication of these flowers is as rain doctor, which do not open up during the early morning if the rain is going to shower during the day. You must take precautions while picking flowers, which should be picked only during the midday time and in bright sunshine where August is referred to as the best month for the purpose.

One can extract the juice from these flowers or its leaves or use the dried flowers to make tea, which is considered to be the easiest way.

Making Tea

In order to infuse the flowers or make a tea, you must first boil the water and then add flowers of 1 tablespoon quantity to the pot, allowing them to steep. Avoid boiling water by adding dried flowers to it when cold. This tea is known to purify blood, so it is advised to drink it regularly.

This remedy is considered as a perfect treatment for curing several ailments like diarrhea, hepatitis, liver problems, intestine inflammation, glandular and herpes swellings and expels worms. However, a mixture of this tea with horsetail is known to cure non-healing wounds, ulcerated legs, cracked feet and growth of tumor and cancer.

Sitz Bath

A sitz bath is referred to as a sit-in bath, which can be used for several things like healing the wounds of after childbirth stitches, bladder infections, genital herpes and vaginal infections. Though, an old fashioned technique, this method is very effective for treatment purposes. To proceed with the same, place a cup or two of fresh or dried flowers for one day in cold water. After placing the flowers in the same manner for a day, heat them to a temperature just below boiling and then add them to a hip-level warm bath. Relax in this bath for as much time as you can, where the aroma alone is sufficient to provide a soothing effect to your spirits.

Fresh Juice

Both the stems and the flower itself can be used to create a juice, which need to be washed before being extracted. The sap of this flower is very strong, which can be eased by adding it with some apple or carrot juice. This remedy is a perfect cure for the treatment of scabies and warts, where a fresh juice without any mixture is a recommended remedy for warts.

Ointments

To make ointments, add some chopped fresh flowers to the coconut oil and let the mixture cool after heating them slightly. Some vegetable oil can also be added to the ointment to make it spread easily over the skin, which is considered to be a good cure for the pains. This remedy is quite helpful for different ailments like nose scabs, eczema, varicose veins, athlete’s foot and skin infections.

Tinctures

Marigold tinctures are known to regulate menstrual periods and treat anemic patients, which are prepared using either raw apple vinegar or alcohol. For this purpose, you need to use the cloudy form of raw apple vinegar that would never appear to be clear, if you don’t prefer using alcohol for religious or any other reasons. Get some flowers and allow them to sit in the liquid for a period of 20 days, under the sun. At the end of 20 days, you can get the tincture ready by draining the vinegar out from the flowers.

Thus, marigold offers a beneficial treatment for several diseases and ailments and can be used daily to avoid many health problems. Dried flowers can be obtained from herbalists, where buying from a reputed supplier is recommended.