Herb library · Herb · Calendula officinalis
Calendula
The orange garden marigold, whose flowers go into creams, ointments and mouth rinses for minor skin and mouth complaints. The EMA accepts it as a traditional herbal medicine for these uses based on long-standing use; the trials so far are small and flawed.
Traditional use
A garden flower native to southern Europe and the East. The flowers have long been made into infusions, tinctures and ointments for minor wounds, skin inflammation and a sore mouth or throat. The EMA registers calendula flower products in the European Union as traditional herbal medicines for minor skin inflammation (such as sunburn), as an aid for minor wounds, and for minor inflammation in the mouth or throat, a status based on at least 30 years of use rather than on clinical trials.
Traditional energetics
Galenic (hot or cold, dry or moist)
Hot in the second degree. Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 233 (opens in a new tab)
What studies show
- Limited
Skin conditions and wounds: trials have looked at calendula for burns, leg ulcers, diaper rash and skin inflammation, but the EMA's assessment says most are small with methodological weaknesses, and many used preparations of the whole plant rather than the flowers. It judged the evidence not enough to call the benefit established.
- Limited
Skin reactions during radiation therapy for breast cancer: results conflict. One 2004 trial of 254 women found fewer severe skin reactions with a calendula ointment than with trolamine, but a 2013 trial of 411 patients found no difference between a calendula cream and another skin cream.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AllergyDo not use it if you are allergic to calendula or other plants of the daisy family (Asteraceae). Skin sensitization has been reported, and one case of anaphylactic shock after gargling with calendula tincture has been described.
- ConditionIf a wound or rash shows signs of infection, or gets worse, see a clinician. If symptoms last longer than a week, the EMA advises seeing a doctor or qualified health practitioner.
- ConditionChildren: the EMA does not recommend it on the skin for children under 6, or in the mouth and throat for children under 12, because there is not enough data.
- PregnancySafety in pregnancy and breastfeeding has not been established, and the EMA does not recommend its use then.
- InteractionNo interactions with medicines have been reported.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“The French and the African marigold of our gardens, Tagetes erecta, Linné, and Tagetes patula, Linné, respectively, natives of the tropics, have been sold for true calendula, and it is believed that much of the fluid preparations of calendula are prepared from these plants.”
Sources
- European Union herbal monograph on Calendula officinalis L., flos (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Assessment report on Calendula officinalis L., flos (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.