BREAKING NEWS: Purifier Plus Hand Sanitizer and Conditioner has won 1st Place in the World Wide CertClean Clean Beauty Awards 2022!
BREAKING NEWS: Purifier Plus Hand Sanitizer and Conditioner has won 1st Place in the World Wide CertClean Clean Beauty Awards 2022!
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What's Calendula? 11 Impressive Ways It May Benefit You

Calendula Flowers Bright Yello

Ingredient: Calendula Flower Extract

Botanical name: Calendula Officinalis

  • Calendula = Of Latin origin referring to the calendar (specifically, the first day of every month) because of this plant’s long flowering period.
  • Officinalis = Latin adjective meaning it was an official medicinal herb.

Just like the name says, this is an extract of Calendula flowers, commonly known as marigold flowers. The fresh petals are soaked in water like a giant cup of tea, and then the herb extract concentrate is filtered out.

Calendula- Marigold flowers sitting next to a tea cup of marigold water with petals

Calendula is a plant that has been used for centuries for ornamental purposes, as well as culinary, cosmetic, and for alternative medicinal reasons. Even if you’re not quite sure what it is, you probably are familiar with marigolds. This plant is in the same species as marigolds and often called by the alternative name, pot marigold. Extracts can be made from the whole flower, the seeds and the oil. The medicinal part of the plant is found in the beautifully colored orange and yellow flower extracts which are most commonly used in cosmetics and personal care products. These colorful petals are rich in flavonoids—naturally occurring compounds found in vegetables and fruits—that have been shown to exhibit extraordinary powers you’ll hear more about in this article.

A few reasons to love the Calendula Plant:

  • It’s a natural and renewable resource.
  • It’s a true gift from nature that’s effective and safe.
  • It’s easy to source in the southern USA States and grows plentifully as it tolerates many soils and climates.
  • It continues blooming for months on end.
  • It takes little effort to process into raw ingredients.

Young Women at the spa having calendula face oil placed on her face

Studies are still underway on Calendula but current studies suggest multiple benefits to support your skin. Here are 11 Ways Calendula Oil might be beneficial to you:

  1. Functions as skin conditioning agent.
  2. Improve skin firmness and hydration. 
  3. Naturally soothing. Calms irritation, possibly may soothe eczema and has been found an effective treatment in diaper dermatitis in children up to two years of age. (Guala 2007) According to the Journal of Clinical Oncology, calendula appears more effective than typically recommended topical agents at reducing and preventing dermatitis caused by radiation used for breast cancer treatment. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15326546/ 
  4. Petals contain high levels of antioxidants in the form of carotenoids and flavonoids which are found in fruits and vegetables. Calendula also contains amino acids, lutein, and beta-carotene which the body absorbs and converts to vitamin A.
  5. Contains moisturizing properties to help dry and damaged skin.
  6. Adds a lovely natural fragrance to the product.
  7. It contains high concentrations of Linoleic Acid, a  natural anti-inflammatory.
  8. Has anti-cancer properties. Calendula has been shown to help fight cancer and irritation due to chemotherapy and radiation. Animal studies have shown that it not only fights carcinogenic activity within tumors but it also activates the lymphocytes, which fight foreign and infections invaders. https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/15326546.
  9. Antibacterial properties make it a good choice for disinfectants and cleaning products. 
  10. Antibiotic properties suggest it might be helpful in healing wounds. Studies suggest it promotes statistically significant acceleration in wound healing. (Duran 2005)
  11. Antifungal/Antiviral herb possibly useful in treating vaginitis.

Calendula Oil in jar surrounded by marigolds

With so many benefits, it shouldn’t be surprising Calendula Flower Extract is one of the star ingredients in our conditioning hand sanitizer Purifier PLUS.  It’s also no surprise we see it appearing in other products we use. Are you familiar with Arnica Gel? We’ve received incredible help from this over-the-counter product to heal bruising. With my strong connection to cancer, even animal studies showing that Calendula can discourage cancer, grabs my attention. Be an advocate for your own health by doing your own research. It’s exciting to learn how nature can help you fight so many physical challenges in a healthy way.

Because Calendula is such a powerful herb, it’s important to be aware of side effects. If you’re allergic to plants in the Asteraceae/Compositae family, you shouldn’t use Calendula as it may cause an allergic reaction. Other plants in this family include ragweed, daisies, chamomile and echinacea. Women who are pregnant or breastfeeding should also avoid calendula because ingesting calendula may affect your hormone levels and induce menstruation. Anyone taking medication, supplements or scheduled for surgery should discuss calendula use with their physician first. You should also know Calendula is not approved by the FDA. We advise always taking precautions to help keep you safe.

Our Educational Series, Face-to-Face Friday, will continue next week - same day - same place to help you learn more about the Super Star Ingredients that make our products shine.


Written by Rebecca Adams

CEO and Co-founder My Alchemy Skin Care, Cancer Survivor


Sources:

https://www.cosmeticsinfo.org/ingredient/calendula-officinalis-flower-extract

https://www.healthline.com/health/calendula-oil

http://earthsciencenaturals.com/ingredients_glossary/10028/Calendula-Officinalis-Flower-Extract.html

https://www.honest.com/blog/wellness/ingredients/what-is-calendula-officinalis-flower-extract/18570.html

https://draxe.com/nutrition/calendula/

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/16677386/

https://www.verywellhealth.com/health-benefits-of-calendula-4582641

https://naturallydaily.com/calendula-oil/








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