Marigold

Marigolds grow to a height of 30 to 50 cm, have a branched, downy-haired stem with elongated, felty-haired leaves and large, orange flower heads. Flowering time June to September.

The flowers (marigold flowers - Calendulae flos) are used phytotherapeutically.

The drug on the market is mainly imported from Poland, Hungary and Egypt.

Marigold flowers contain flavonoids, triterpene alcohols, triterpene saponins, carotenoids, polysaccharides and essential oil.

Origin and distribution: Southern and Eastern Europe, Near East. Home is probably the Mediterranean area.

The garden marigold is an ancient medicinal plant from the composite family.

Herba Calendulae, the marigold herb (dried leaves, stems and flowers) is assessed negatively by Commission E, i.e. therapeutic use is not recommended.

Systemic use: In general, marigold extracts are only used internally to a limited extent due to their spasmolytic, choleretic and diaphoretic effects.

External use: Ready-made preparations for gargling, rinsing and as tea as well as healing ointments, wound tinctures, wound powders, hemorrhoidal ointments, gingivitis and ulcus cruris preparations are justified by their anti-inflammatory and granulation-promoting effect.

Recently, the garden marigold has once again been praised 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

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2. Hausen BM, Vieluf K (1997) Allergy plants, plant allergens. Ecomed Verlag, Landsberg/Munich, pp. 85-87
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4. Wenigmann M. (2017) Phytotherapy medicinal drugs, phytopharmaceuticals, application. Urban & Fischer, pp. 179-180
5. https://pflanzen.fnr.de/industriepflanzen/arzneipflanzen/pflanzen-datenbank
6. https://www.awl.ch/heilpflanzen/calendula_officinalis/ringelblume.htm