Calendula is THE herb for those with gut issues that accompany our modern lifestyle and environment - antibiotic use, leaky gut, food intolerances, gut inflammation, IBS and bloating. 

The key reason for this is mostly due to its lymphatic & drying effects. Modern diets and lifestyles lead to the common presentation of ‘damp heat’ in the digestive system. 

• Any combination of stress, not chewing food, eating on the run, a lack of bitter foods in the diet, medications, an abundance of oily/damp foods, and highly processed, refined and sweet foods, all come together to negatively impact gut function.

• Alone or combined, the above factors reduce digestive function and fire, which means it fundamentally cannot digest and assimilate nutrients as well. The gut lining and microbiome then also become inflamed and damaged, with ‘leaky gut’ and dysbiosis developing. 

• This triggers the activation of the gut-based immune system, which is the lymphatic tissue in and around your digestive system, and actually comprises 70-80% of your body’s entire immune system. 

• Once activated, there is the continual migration and clustering of immune cells into the gut, causing the lymphatics and hence gut to become congested with fluid, foreign particles, cells and cellular debris. That is the ‘damp’ aspect. Inflammation and cell damage ensues, which comprises the ‘heat’ part. 

• In terms of symptoms and condition states that we would understand and see, this ‘damp heat’ presentation looks exactly like the picture I’ve painted above - an inflamed, leaky, IBS, bloated, reactive and damaged gut. This damage can also occur from repeated exposure to antibiotics. 

When harvesting calendula, or buying it from a grower, it’s vital for this amazing gut and wound healing effect that it has, that you collect the whole flower, including the leaves and little part of the stem beneath it, wherever possible. This is because the stem holds a white kind of resin, which is super sticky when you touch it (see video below!). 

Think of this resin like a glue, that sweeps over an inflamed and leaky gut, healing and sealing all of the damaged tight junctions and gut cells back together so digestion is strong and healthy again. 

You’ll know upon tasting it that Calendula is a bitter herb, meaning it will stimulate digestive function and fire from the top down, helping food be broken down properly from the get go. 

It’s also a gently lymphatic herb, helping this vast amount of immune and lymphatic tissue surrounding your digestive organs (and whole body) to move efficiently and cleanse the blood of any foreign or leftover bodies present in the digestive lymphatic tissue or blood (e.g. food proteins that evoke intolerance reactions, medications, immune cells etc). 

If you have gut issues, food intolerances, experience IBS symptoms or have had repeated rounds of antibiotics that you know have negatively impacted your digestive system, then Calendula is the herb for you.   

Topical Use/ Wound Healing:

Whilst I have focused on Calendula’s less known use as an internal medicine here, due to it being in tincture form, you can certainly still use this medicine for the wonderful healing effects Calendula is most commonly known for on the skin. 

Again, due to the lymphatic and drying effect Calendula has, it is well indicated for sores and wounds that have that inflamed or infected element, say where pus may be present. Calendula will help to draw out the inflammation, fluid and immune cells present, and heal the wound. For a tincture, Calendula also has a higher alcohol content, which offers good anti-microbial effects also. 

Dosage Instructions:

Shake well before use.

Apply 20 drops (1mL) onto the tongue or into a glass of water 1 to 3 times daily.

Breathe deeply and connect with Calendula.

Topically: Mix ¼ to 1 dropper with a carrier oil or cream and apply to inflamed skin (e.g. rashes, dermatitis) or sores as needed. 

Calendula Mini Monograph

Latin Binomial: Calendula officinalis

Plant Part Used: Flower

Plant Energetics: Mildly warming and drying herb. 

Planetary Ruler: Sun. When you see a bright, smiling, yellow or orange Calendula flower that looks exactly like the sun, and the fact that it has these warming, drying properties, it's not hard to see the affinity! 

Main Chemical Constituents:

Flavonoids, triterpenoids, carotenoids (such as lutein and zeaxanthin), volatile oils, saponins, and mucilage. 

Emotional/Psycho-Spiritual Properties:

The effect Calendula will have on someone's mood and emotional body relates very much to its planetary ruler - the Sun. Due to this affinity and likeness, Calendula is a great herb for enhancing vitality and encouraging a sunny disposition. Therefore, it's well indicated for people that can develop a melancholy or depression with a lack of sun, when it's cold or damp, a classic presentation of this being Seasonal Affective Disorder (SAD). 

Due to its remarkable effect on the gut, it’s also wonderful for people who have a strong gut-brain connection, where inflammation in the gut from dysbiosis, food intolerances or antibiotics use causes mood fluctuations and feeling flat and sluggish mentally. 

Top Health Indications:

• Digestive System: Due to its bitter, drying, healing and lymphatic effects, Calendula helps to stimulate digestive function, reduce the lymphatic congestion that occurs with disturbed gut function, dysbiosis, food intolerances, and antibiotic use, and heal the the gut lining when inflamed and damaged. 

• Lymphatic System: Stimulates the movement of lymph and drainage of toxins.

• Liver: The bitter element of Calendula helps to stimulate the production and flow of bile, needed for optimal digestive function and digestion of fats, and the liver's detoxification processes. 

• Skin: Supports the healing of wounds and inflammatory skin conditions. 

• Amenorrhoea/ absent or infrequent period: While gentle, Calendula’s drying and bitter action stimulates fluids to move down and out of the body, which also includes the uterus. A common herbal action Calendula is called on for more commonly in European herbals is its capacity to stimulate menstruation, showing use for women with irregular menstrual cycles.

Main Contraindications and Drug Interactions:

• Allergy: Avoid oral and topical use if known allergy to plants in the Asteraceae family (which includes marigolds like Calendula). 

• Pregnancy: Avoid oral use during pregnancy due to its potential emmenagogue effect. 

• Menorrhagia/ excessive menstrual bleeding: Avoid, due to its potential emmenagogue effect. 

• Bile Duct Obstruction: Avoid, as it may stimulate bile production and exacerbate the issue.

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