Calendula Recipes

Oh, beautiful sunny flower, silky smooth upon my skin

Heal me inside and out, keep my boundaries strong and supple

Help me find cool words when conversations become heated

Soothe my fever, my aching body, my frazzled mind

Calendula, you are a balm to my being

—Danielle Quimby Currey

Here we are, nearing the end of March and our time focusing on Calendula. We have explored the healing this flower offers, we have looked at how healthy skin on our outside and through our digestive tract functions and how active it really is. Now let’s take some time to play with some herbal medicine recipes. For this month, I will divide the recipes into three categories: Calendula oil, fresh flowers, and dried flowers. Each preparation gives us different options.

Calendula Oil

This is a simple recipe that uses fresh flowers, good quality oil, a mason jar, sunshine, and time.

Fill a glass jar with calendula flowers leaving about two inches of room at the top. Pour in oil - to cover the flowers leaving one inch of room at the top of the jar. Put in a sunny window and let it sit for 3-4 weeks. Strain and use liberally. If you would like to make a stronger oil, repeat the process pouring in your first infusion over a new batch of flowers.

I prefer using olive oil for my herbal infusions, but other oils can be used as well.

Calendula and Friends Body Oil:

This is my personal favorite blend of herbs to use on my skin when I hop out of the shower. I infuse each herb in oil individually as outlined above and then combine them all into one container. I like to use an old olive oil bottle for storage next to my shower.

Plants to infuse: Plantain, Self Heal, St. John’s Wort, Calendula

Simple Calendula Salve:

Salves are really easy to make and use. My basic recipe is to combine 2 Tbsp of grated bee’s wax per cup of herbal oil. You will want to use a double boiler to melt the wax into your oil and then pour into containers. You can blend different herbal oils together to create a specific salve for your needs. I like to include garden sage and St John’s wort with calendula for a wound healing salve.

Digestive Salad Dressing:

Herbal infused oils are great for internal use as well as external use. When using olive oil as your base, you can substitute Calendula oil in your favorite recipe. To add more digestive support, add Apple Cider Vinegar and some garlic or ginger to your favorite recipe.

Basic salad dressing:

• 3 Tbsp Calendula infused olive oil

• 2 Tbsp Apple Cider Vinegar

• 1/2 tsp minced ginger

• pinch red pepper flakes

• salt to taste

Fresh Calendula Flowers

First, try eating the petals on their own, they have a mild sweet flavor and silky texture. Then sprinkle them on salads, soups, oatmeal, or cookies. Get creative!

One of the best medicines you can make for an upset stomach is fresh calendula juice. All you need is flowers and a blender. Simply add the flowers to your blender and blend. If needed, add a bit of water to help mix things together. Strain out any remaining particulates and drink as desired. This makes a great addition to a smoothie, it can be added to juice, used to make a sparkling elixir by adding in fizzy water, or sipped on by itself.

If you want to make your calendula flower juice last longer, add a bit of alcohol until your mixture contains 30% alcohol by volume. You now have a calendula succus which can be taken internally like a tincture or used topically as a wash or compress for minor wounds.

Dried Calendula Flowers

Dried herbs keep their potency for about 6 months up to a year. Powdered herbs are good from 3-6 months after grinding. Dried herbs make a great substitute when fresh aren’t available and can be added to soups and stews or used to make an oil infusion. Fresh is best, but dry is pretty good too.

I usually use dried calendula flowers to make teas. Especially teas to help soothe my digestive tract if I’ve been experiencing any heartburn or other irritations. I like to combine it with other flowers like chamomile, rose, or Lavender to make a soothing flowery blend. If you like, you can also add these to your bath for an herbal soak. Simple add the herbs to a muslin sack or sock and throw in the tub. As you soak, you can use the sock as an eye bag or blot areas of inflamed skin to add to your experience.

Flowers are quite fragile and do not need to be boiled like roots. A simple infusion in hot water works best. You will want to use 1 Tbsp of your herbal blend per 8oz of hot water. You can always make a bigger batch and sip on it through the day warm or cold. Most herbal teas can be kept in the refrigerator for up to 3 days.

Stomach Soothing Calendula Tea

Blend equal parts of the following herbs:

• Chamomile flowers

• Calendula flowers

• Marshmallow root

• Plantain leaves

Cover 1 Tbsp of blend with 8 oz hot water, cover mug and allow to infuse for 15 minutes. Strain and enjoy. If you desire extra sweetness, pick up a bag of dried stevia leaves and add 1-2 per cup. A little really goes a long way with stevia!

Do you have additional ways you like to work with Calendula that you would like to share? Has this inspired you to try new ways of working with plant medicine? I would love to hear from you. Please feel free to reach out and share by commenting on this article, engaging with me on instagram or facebook, via email, or by scheduling a visit where we can discuss your health needs, your health goals, and what herbal medicine you desire to work with.

To our health!