Calendula Salve

Hello Everyone!

For the past couple weeks, we have been picking calendula flowers from our garden and used them to make salve. Calendula, or calendula officinalis, is pictured to the left and belongs to the marigold family. The word "calendula" means through the calendar and was given to the flower because it blooms regularly and throughout the year in Europe. Historically, calendula was used in soothing eyewashes, jaundice, headaches, toothache and to strengthen the heart.

The flowers were picked just before full bloom and allowed to dry 24 hours. They were then steeped in pure extra virgin olive oil for two weeks. Next, the oil was strained with cheese cloth and the flowers were discarded. Finally, this was combined with melted beeswax and allowed to set in small glass jars.

Calendula salve can be used externally to speed the healing of cuts, burns, bruises, stings, insect bites, and rashes. It can help with boils, ulcers, acne, eczema, vericose veins, and hemorrhoids. The salve cleans wounds and fights and prevents infection. Internally, calendula salve can soothe inflamed conditions of the mouth, throat and digestive tract. It can be used as a blood tonic and cleanser and can help you sweat out toxins in addition to helping with circulation and stimulating the immune system. It also has mild estrogenic effects and can help with PMS and irregular menstruation. The pictures below show some beautiful tomatoes recently picked, along with the small yellow jar of salve and a larger jar of flowers steeping in oil.