In 2020, I was locked in a dark room for two weeks in the macabre Victorian government practice of hotel quarantine. I still get the horrors thinking about it. I had never been so grateful to come home and see the bright oranges and yellows shining in the depths of our southern winter. I burst into tears at the sight of them. It really was a welcome home.
Whilst it is impossible to pick a favourite, calendula is loud in it's ability to command my attention. In the winter gloom it smiles and it dances in the sunshine. It plants itself in the cracks of the garden path so I don't have to bother. I see it from the kitchen window and the bedroom too. I bought the seeds years ago on a trip to Bali and they've been happily showing off in my garden since. I don't understand why everyone doesn't plant them.
The seeds are so abundant and I usually pick them to gift to people or scatter about so they grow everywhere.
My Nana was a calendula fan. She would make balm by infusing the flowers in lard. Thats the oil they had readily available at the time. Personally I'd prefer olive oil or coconut or even jojoba because a calendula infused jojoba is kind for the face. I think of my Nana all the time when I think of calendula. She'd use it on dry skin and excema.
Some people say to put the oil in sunlight but I prefer to soak them in oil in the dark for six weeks. There's something about the gentleness of this, and all good thinks gather strength in darkness. I use the dry flowers as the damp ones might encourage mould. You can also gently warm the oil in a double boiler on very low heat for a few hours. The oil turns a beautiful yellow. Then it's just a matter of mixing in some beeswax and voila: salve. It's antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial - so think anything skin irritation or wounds from nappy rash and excema to insect bites and sunburn. It’s also used as an antiseptic. I like the idea of combining it with lemon balm after reading @traisto post where she she uses melissa to a similiar purpose.
I also use calendula as a sprinkle on nearly every meal I make. As I collect veggies from the garden, I always throw a few in the basket, ripping off the petals to garnish meals. I don't know how much one has to eat to gain benefit but I am a big believer in ingesting a wide variety of nutrients through plants and ones fresh from the garden have a particular vitality to them don't you think? And ingesting calendula and it's cheerful sunniness seems a lovely thing to do.
This post was written in response to The Herbal Hive's community challenge which comes out every month. It asks which herb or medicinal plant you are most grateful for. Which herb 🌿 do you feel gratitude for?
With Love,
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realy? I dindt know tat this flower had function likethis. Thank you for sharing @riverflows.
Beautiful flower. I wonder how far back its use goes. How did your Nana know about it? Do the local indigenous people use it? Fascinating.
Oh yes. She was German, so I presumed it was something passed down through the generations there, along with chamomile. What is upsetting is that that kind of knowledge has stopped somewhat. That's why I am keen to pass it on to everyone I know!
Those wily Germans know stuff. It's no coincidence that they were the ones who thought up Jägermeister ;) What a wonderful (and beautiful) piece of knowledge to pass on. I'm happy you shared it with us.
Haha my father jokes that German engineering is the best and they only ever buy German toasters, vacuum cleaners and even cars... Both VWs. 😂 I do like to think I channel my Nana's practical know how. I wonder where I get my emotional and wordy side from - maybe that's just my own.
In general, it seems to me that Germans do pay attention to the exhaustive details of a system, so they're good at designing the thing that goes in the thing that goes in the thing.
Maybe that's uniquely Australian, who in my experience, tend to be relatively extroverted. You do give me a Celtic vibe, so maybe your ancestors come from the wild pagan tribes of the isles 😄
Hmm maybe yes. Half English half German. Who knows. I'm actually more introverted than anything, with a facade of extro. I think that's also a me thing.
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Calendula ! You fully converted me :)
I can imagine your feeling, arriving home and seeing all those little suns everywhere 💛
I also get more and more (completely now) what your saying about their capacity to catch our attention, I think I found in love for those flowers - But shh, don’t tell the others ..!
Thanks you for your testimony here about, can’t wait to get enough flowers to try a balm or maceration :)
Ha, was thinking of you as I wrote this! They do fairly shout at us dont' they?
Times ago, I was in the Middle Way practice, now we're in the calendula one haha :D
Even without flowers yet, I can already hear them grumbling at me... but they are words of love too !
Haha I love that - @artemislives just said
The middle way indeed!
Hehe, best way I found until know..! Extreme, even “good” ones are always bad :)
Hi @riverflows! I too am very thankful for the calendula
We'd love to see a POST from you in our challenge about what herb YOU are MOST THANKFUL for. 🤗
Look at this one. I was truly amazed to know such information about this plant. Plus it has a gorgeous flowers. What a blessing from nature. Maybe we have this kind of plant also here in the Philippines. Now that I read this, I will search for this one.
This is a good read @riverflows 😊.
Thanks for sharing.
Hey @jhero22 - nice comment... 😊
How about a POST in our Herbal Hive Challenge about a local Philippine's herb that you're thankful for? Could be a flavour oyu add to food for health, or a medicinal herb. We all enjoy learning and the PH culture is rich in herbal traditions!! Hope you can manage something..
I'm a big believer also in eating a wide variety of plants and vegetables and fruits. Much better than supplements I believe although supplements still have their place. Scary to hear of your quarantine experience. Quite horrible what Covid has done to us.
Oh it was just insane. Was trying to find my writing about it for you on https://hivesearcher.com
Was in India when the pandemic broke out. Escaped and we were locked down in UK three months. Made it home to jail for two weeks, just awful. Then we had one of longest lockdown in world here bar Beijing I think which went for age too.
Great to hear about another believer in plants, fruits, vegetables and all things natural. We love that. 😍 Joining us for this challenge with a POST about the herb YOU are MOST THANKFUL for?? Fingers crossed.... 😊
I made calendula salve the first time years back. My home help at the time had surgery and used it on the scars to great effect. The calendula is still the only thing flowering in the New Herb garden, but probably not for much longer as the temps are to drop a lot in the next week or so.
Oh wow, amazing to know it's also good for scars!
I love calendulas in all their shapes and forms. I have plenty of seeds, but somehow I never use them up, because some years ago when I visited my late neighbour he said they just self seeded in his garden and I can take as many as I want, cause he often just pulls them out if they’re in his way 🙈
So I took a few, planted them in my garden and they self seed every year since. Whenever I see them, I think of my late neighbour Andy. Such a nice reminder 🥰
Yours however are on another level! They’re huge and gorgeously abundant. Now I feel like I need to plant more of them next season as well.
I never tried to eat them or make oils/salves of them. You gave me some good ideas 😁💙
Oh they are just abundant GIFTS aren't they? I'll send you some seeds if you like, find me on insta and message there @kylbeebee.
I’m not on insta! 😂 One platform I never joined 🙈 also not on tiktok actually.
Ah yeah totally and I get why that is!!!! I just have always loved sharing photos of my life and now that FAcebook bought it what am I meant to do ? They do have the monopoly over us and all my friends and fam are on it too. So I often use it as my primary message source. Discord?
Yes, I’m on Discord. Nickname fantagira, fantagira7 on Telegram and Twitter.
I do use fb to connect with some of my friends too, but I stopped posting there long time ago. Occasionally I’ll share a picture or two. I use it mainly to check what salsa parties are on at the weekend 😂
Oh yes that's why I stay on Facebook, for social occasions and marketplace. They sure knew how to create a business model.
riverflows#4691 discord
I dont use telegram much as the alerts don't work and I only know like three poeple on it
Yes, fb was the first and they learned well over the years. Shame they spoiled it with all the ads and other things.
I’m on TG mainly for all the crypto groups. I also moderate a few of them there, so need to stay on top of it 😉
I’ll find you in Discord 💙
I'm sorry to hear about your COVID experience in quarantine... It must've been so soothing coming home to see these beautiful plants. I didn't know flowers could be herbal too, this kind reminds me of sunflowers. I would love to see those in person, they must smell really nice. And it'd be of good use to my skin.
You've got a pretty garden 😍.
Oh yes, well, that's how the Herbal Hive qualifies them - 'plant medicine', really. Herbalism embraces flower medicine!
Something so profoundly OPTIMISTIC about the bright calendula flowers!! The longer one spends in Asia, I think the more one equates the colour orange with healing, meditation and balance.
I'm super glad you opted for this beauty - made me SMILE just to see it. Marigolds are EVERYWHERE in Thailand but almost never see calendula - I'm gonna try and get me some seeds!!
LOVELY entry to our challenge - appreciated!! And reblogged with pleasure.
I can send you some seeds if you like @artemislives !
Yes!!! Part of reason I bought them but then they exploded into my heart and are part of my life now in many ways.
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Adore the bright, bubbly calendula, but EVEN MORE THAN THAT I'm stoked to see yor garden gate!! Damn, that's like Melbourne circa 1975. Took me right back, immediately!! WE had a VERY old man in the lot behind ours, and he had a side gate exactly the same.
Herbal balms are just SUCH a nice thing to create and use.... 🌿
I love those gates but they sell here for silly money. I picked mine up from a garage sale for a tenner.. clearly this person didn't know the "vintage' value of it!
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STOPI aspire to have an affair with nature like yours and @trucklife-family's 🌞
Y'all inspire me to source everything I need from it. Thank you for sharing about the benefits of this beautiful flower. Will keep an eye out for seeds.
Beeswax is a secret ingredient to so much!
Beeswax is amazing. Some people use a plant wax but that can be quite unethical too. I get beeswax from local beekeepers so it's great.
I feel extremely grateful to calendula as well @riverflows.
For her bright color, the benefits she offers to us and the garden. Such a supportive, protective and healing plant.
The photos in your garden are awesome!
Nice combination, lemon balm and calendula :)
I like to add some aloe too!
Lovely post :)
Oh aloe is a great idea!!
Hi, @riverflows your post is really great. I am thankful for your choice of herb Calendula. I read a lot about it.
You explained very nicely about your balm recipe. We use it for the salad and for decorations. first time I saw them here in Norway. Before I used calendula essential oil at my work for some skin-related elements. Here in Norway, many gardens bloom with this beauty of nature. This summer we had a lot of them in our garden today I picked the last ones. just before the snow started. many Norwegians know a few benefits of it. thanks for the calendula greetings ❤️😊
Wow that's beautiful flower