Calendula Essential Oil: Getting Superior Healing From This Important Botanical

Infused Calendula oil has long been used as a component of natural skin care preparations for its special soothing properties. The oil of the flowers had not been available as an essential oil for most of its history, as the flowers had been too delicate to process in the typical steam distillation process. With the recent introduction of the Supercritical cold-extraction process, a concentrated Calendula CO2 essential oil is now readily available, making it very easy to include this wonderful concentrated in any skin care and wound healing recipe. This new Calendula extract has been the subject of much research over the last several years, confirming its nearly miraculous regenerative, antioxidant and anti-inflammatory actions -- further encouraging its use for natural skin care products, whether purchased already blended or for you to make a personal formula at home.

Calendula Flowers: Nature's Gentle Healer

Calendula flowers, a particular kind of Marigold, is a genus of 20 species of herbaceous plants in the Daisy family. Calendula infused oil -- made by soaking the flowers in olive oil -- is highly regarded as a base of soothing skin formulas, with cooling and hydrating effects. It has been a popular ingredient in formulas for eczema and baby's needs -- or anywhere skin irritation is being addressed. The infused oil had limitations in that the base oil needed to be the infused oil itself, limiting other carrier or base oils included in the formula. Even very small quantities (1-3%, or 8-24 drops per ounce) of the essential oil added to your recipes can have dramatic results

Calendula Essential Oil Made Available By High Technology

The Calendula essential oil concentrate is often labeled as Calendula CO2, meaning all the lipid-soluble components of the plant have been extracted using pressurized, liquified carbon dioxide. At the end of the process, the carbon dioxide is released and only the essential oil remains. A search through the data provided by the US Nation Library of Medicine uncovers hundreds of references to Calendula officinalis extract. The database is hosted at ncbi.nlm.nih.gov -- simply search for the therm "calendula" for pages of fascinating results to browse through.

A Look at the Research

The research focuses on several of Calendula's healing properties. Scientists have investigated the following effects of Calendula: an increased rate of wound healing, treatment of radiation burns from chemotherapy, powerful antioxidant activity, inflammation reduction, liver protection, plus anti-parasitic, antibacterial, antiviral, antispasmodic and even anti-tumorial effects. Most of the conclusions of these studies straightforwardly hail the healing effects of Calendula; in Volume 20, 2009 Journal of Basic Clinical Physiology and Pharmacology, Indian scientists note "The data indicate potent wound healing activity of Calendula officinalis extract". Other researchers concluded in the 2009 Indian Journal of Experimental Biology: "Results suggest a protective role of the flower extract of C. officinalis against...hepatotoxicity (liver toxicity) and cisplatin induced nephrotoxicity (kidney toxicity)...has been found to contain several carotenoids of which lutein, zeaxanthin and lycopene predominate...action of the flower extract may be due to its antioxidant activity". One can read a great many of these studies coming to the same conclusions -- that Calendula extract (ie. the CO2 essential oil) has nearly miraculous healing powers. So then, how to use it? Let's have a look at some classic methods.

Making Healing Recipes at Home

Simply adding a few drops of Calendula essential oil to topical skin and beauty care, wound healing, and pain relief formulas is the most simple means of using the oil. Calendula will synergize with essential oils such as Helichrysum, Lavender and Tea Tree depending on your needs. For wound healing, with the possibility of scar and hematoma reduction, try 5% Helichrysum, 3% Calendula, 3% Lavender and 3% Tea Tree in a base of virgin Tamanu and Coconut oils. This formula can prevent infection, sooth the injury, and speed the overall healing process. For joint and muscle pain, or injuries to muscles and connective tissue, increase the amount of Helichrysum essential oil to up to 25%, and use 5% Calendula in any carrier oil as a base. Helichrysum is known to be very effective at relieving pain and reducing inflammation, as is Calendula -- the two together may provide an even more profound healing effect for many people.

Using Your Feet to Protect Your Organs

Calendula's organ-protective effects can be utilized by applying the essential oil to the feet, which are highly receptive to the energetics of essential oils. The liver and kidney points are directly behind the ball of the foot, at the front of the arch. One can make one ounce of an organ-supportive blend by using 3 milliliters of Calendula, 1 and 1/2 milliliters each of Helichrysum italicum, Blue Tansy and Carrot Seed essential oils in organic Coconut. Regular massage in the area described with this blend is intended to 'clear' these organs and support their healthy function. With further dilution, this formula can be massaged in the low back and abdomen for further therapeutic support.

An Excellent Safety Profile

Calendula essential oil has been listed by the FDA as being safe for ingestion in commonly-used amounts. What does this mean? When essential oils are ingested, they are typically consumed by the drop, and usually in the range of only 1-3 drops per day. Ingesting the oil may be a way to utilize the liver and kidney anti-toxicity protective effects described in the research. While typically essential oil ingestion is frowned upon in the United States, the real challenge is proper education about dosages. Calendula CO2 extract specifically should be quite tame, although perhaps the most tasty thing one has ever put in their body! Ingestion of 3 drops daily, put in an empty cellulose capsule if you like, may impart a range of benefits, from antioxidant activity, to chemo-protective, to antibacterial and antiparasitic potential actions.

Calendula: Now One of the Most Highly Regarded Natural Medicines

Calendula is a profoundly-healing plant, with both great historical AND scientific backing supporting its use. The most obvious and easy use of the essential oil is for treatment of skin irritation and wound healing of all varieties. Calendula synergizes with Helichrysum essential oil to speed wound healing, reduce inflammation, and provide support for injuries to the musculoskeletal system (painful joints, muscles, tendons and the like). Calendula extract has also been noted by researchers as protective for the liver and kidneys, and has other protective effects for nearly every aspect of our physiology. The extract can be safely ingested in small amounts, offering a range of supportive activity. You'll readily find Calendula CO2 essential oil on websites offering therapeutic grade essential oils -- look for one that's described as a thick liquid rather than a paste, as it will be easier to work with for all needs. If these effects of Calendula seem like something you or your family members could use, its long history of medicinal use, along with scientific validation, make it a worthwhile product to investigate further.