A vibrantly bright orange calendula heirloom from my homeland, England. Selected for it's strong medicinal properties.
The botanical name for this member of the Aster family comes from the Latin calendulae, meaning ‘throughout the months’ - a reference to the long flowering period of Calendula. The pot marigold (different from the other French ornamental variety) is sometimes called Solis Sponsa, its blooms opening in the morning, and closing at the close of day at sunset.
Medicinal uses of calendula are manifold. Many date back centuries. It was once said that ‘where Calendula is, no pus will form’, and it’s most famous for wound healing, reducing inflammation, and as an antiseptic, so used to treat countless skin conditions from skin ulcerations to eczema. Such large amounts of calendula are grown for medicinal use in the former Soviet Union that it has earned the plant the nickname ‘Russian penicillin’.
