Marigold

Garden marigold is an ancient medicinal plant from the family of composite plants. The garden marigold is the parent plant of Calendula offcinalis and of Calendulae flos (marigold flowers).

Because of their spasmolytic, choleretic and diaphoretic effects, they are still used internally to a small extent. Ready-to-use preparations for gargling, rinsing and as tea as well as healing ointments, wound tinctures, wound powder, hemorrhoidal ointments, gingivitis and ulcus cruris preparations are probably based on their anti-inflammatory and granulation-promoting effect. Recently, garden marigold is again being touted in many organic and natural cosmetics books.

Allergological information: Allergens unknown. Possibly the sesquiterpenlakton Calendin, not yet identified in the structure, plays a role. Sensitizing potency: Weak. Frequency of sensitization: Rare (but recently more frequently observed).

Clinical manifestation: The experimentally proven weak sensitizing capacity of the garden marigold is in good agreement with the clear case descriptions of contact dermatitis in the literature.

A sesquiterpenlacton has been detected in the plant, the maximum content of which is indicated as 0.01%. Whether this plays an allergological role or perhaps one of the many other compounds identified, such as terpenes, saponins, flavonoids and essential oils (see Calendulae flos below), is still unclear.

Befelka® Oil, Calendula, Calendumed, Cesrasanol®, Dr. Klinger's Bergische Bladder and Kidney Tea, Dr. Klinger's Liver and Gall Tea, Urine Tea 400, Kytta Ointment®, Lymphdiral® L Ointment, Kidney Tea, Phoenix Calophoen Ointment, Presselin®, Rheuma Tea Stada®, Calendula Healing Ointment, Unguentum lymphaticum, Wound Healing Ointment S

1. Goadsby PJ (2003) Herbal medicine. N Engl J Med 348: 1498-1501
2. Hausen BM, Vieluf K (1997) Allergy plants, plant allergens. Ecomed publishing house, Landsberg/Munich, S. 85-87