Calendula officinalis Marigold |
Apart from being a popular old-fashioned
cottage garden plant, the marigold has a long history of medicinal use.
A tea made from the flowers is used for internal spasms and gastric disorders,
but its main reputation is as an antiseptic and anti-inflammatory healer
of wounds. It is a common ingredient of many proprietary salves and ointments.
The Shakers used it to treat gangrene.
Petals can be used as a hair rinse, as a colouring agent in butter and cheese, and as a substitute for the colour of saffron. It is also used in cooking as a garnish, and whole flowers are boiled to make a dye. The marigold is a perennial herb, usually grown as an annual or biennial. The cultivated forms bloom in a range of yellow, orange and reddish-brown, often double. Seeds should be sown in situ in full sun or light shade. Dead-heading regularly will prolong flowering. Although plants thrive best in heavier ground, they tend to self-seed more successfully in light soils. |