Calendula

Calendula officinalis L.

By Emily Gupta and Stephen Vickery

Botanical Description

small, bushy,

cool-weather

Grows annually

Light green,
lance-shaped leaves

http://bp1.blogger.com/_9d3eviT3TsM/RdcSXP2IQBI/
AAAAAAAAAPA/ZR0aTFMjdV8/s320/Calendula1.JPG

yellow-orange flowers that can grow up to 3 inches

in diameter [1,2].

Scientific Classification

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta
(Flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida (Dicots)

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae (Aster)

Genus: Calendula L. (marigold)

Species: Calendula officinalis L.

(pot marigold)

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAOF

Nomenclature Contd
Common

Names

calendula
marigold
pot-marigold
ruddles
Scottish-marigold
Scotch-marigold

History of Calendula
Native

of the Mediterranean

Used

as an additive in foods, specifically

butter, cheese, bread, and soups [2,6].
petals color butter and cheese
dry petals in soup for flavor

Calendula comes

from the Latin word

kalendae for first day of the month,
the plant starts blooming in the beginning months

of the year [5,6].

Nowadays,

it can pretty much be cultivated

anywhere in the United States.

Processing/Preparations
Dried,

whole or fully cut open flowers,

with petals removed from the
receptacle [3,4].

Used

in lotions, poultices, extracts,

and ointments.

Calendula On the Market

PRODUCT NAME

MANUFACTURER

TYPE

Horsechestnut Pro

MMS Pro

Soft gel
capsules

Calendula Extract

Herb Pharm

Liquid extract

Calendula Plus
Cream

NF Formulas, Inc.

Cream

Calendula Flower Oil

Gaia Herbs, Inc.

Oil

Calendula Oil

Trinity Alps Botanicals

Oil

Calendula Gel

VitaminUSA

Gel

Calendula Ointment VitaminUSA

Ointment

On the Market Contd

Traumeel:

anti-inflammatory and
and analgesic

http://www.nutritiondynamics.com/
featured_product/traumeel.jpg

Organic

lip balms
http://www.ecolips.com/
Products.aspx

Weleda,

Inc.: all sorts of products

Diaper Care
Face Cream
Oil
Ointment
Shampoo

Soap
Tooth Gel
Body Lotion
Wound Care
http://shop.weleda.com/
images/items/large/8816.jpg

Standard Dose
5

ear drops placed in affected ear 3x daily

(Otikon Otic and NHED [19])

2%

to 5% ointment 3-4 times daily as

needed
(German Commission E and the European Scientific
Cooperative on Phytotherapy)

1:1

tincture in 40% alcohol

1:5 tincture in 90% alcohol
diluted at least 1:3 with freshly boiled water,

apply to skin as a compress 3-4 times daily

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-calendula.html

Medicinal Properties
Used

as a lotion to alleviate sprains and

wounds, and for inflamed eyes [8]

Folk

healers used it to induce menstrual

flow and cure jaundice [7,9]

19th

century American physicians used it

to treat liver problems and conjunctivitis
[9]

Medicinal Properties Contd

Demonstrates

astringent and antiinflammatory activity [10,11].

Some

herbalists recommend the plants

oils as a treatment of yeast infections [6].

Preparations

have been used for skin and

mucous membrane inflammations (such
as pharyngitis and leg ulcers) [4,6].

Calendula Constituents
Carotenoids

[17]

Main pigments:
flavoxanthin
Lutein
Rubixanthin
-carotene
-carotene
lycopene.

Polysaccharides,
Proteins,
Fatty

acids,
Flavonoids,
Triterpenoids,
Saponins [20]

Adulterants
No

found adulterants, but

Used

as an adulterant in saffron [21]

Pharmacology
Calendic

acid is the omega-6 fatty acid

chain present in Calendula which is one of
the factors that gives Calendula officinalis
its medicinal properties.

Pharmacodynamics

Laser activated Calendula extract shows

inhibition of cell proliferation in G phases of cell
cycle [20]

High levels of enzyme activity (especially

naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase and acidic
phosphatase) found in fresh juices of the plant
[22]
therapeutic effect might be directly related to the

quantity and activity of plant enzymes

Pharmacokinetics: Couldnt find any studies on

ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and
excretion)

Contraindications
Very

few concerns and warnings in regards

to Calendula, however:
Internal use of Calendula preparations should

be avoided during early pregnancy due to its

ability to cause menstruation [12].
Allergic hypersensitivity may be an issue for
persons sensitive to Calendula or to other
members of the Asteraceae family [12].

Research
Calendula

has shown promise in

numerous arenas such as antimicrobial,
anti-HIV, and wound healing [4,7].

One

in vitro study stated that B-calendic

acid showed anti-cancer properties
against malignant colon cells [13].

In vitro Studies

Antioxidant Properties [15]

possessed better scavenging and antioxidant activity than

Calendula arvensis
Water extracts had the best antioxidant properties; 0.75
mg/ml extracts completely eliminated hydroxyl radical

Genotoxic and Chemopreventive properties [16]

Aqueous and ethanol extracts of Calendula officinalis

showed reversion of diethylnitrosamine unscheduled DNA

synthesis (DEN effect)
Concentrations producing genotoxic damage were three
orders of magnitude above concentrations that conferred
total protection [from DEN effect]

Anti-tumor therapeutic effect: cytotoxic tumor cell

activity and lymphocyte activation [20]
70-100% inhibition of tumor cell proliferation when tested on

a wide variety of human and mouse tumor cell lines

Non-Laser Activated Calendula Extract only produced slight
tumor inhibition (they think its excited carotenoids)

Animal Studies
Anti-tumor

& Anti-Inflammatory
Properties[14]
Triterpenes are thought to be the reason

for these properties

taraxastanes and helianol levels lead to
inhibitory effects of inflammation of mouse
ears

Clinical Trials
Highly

effective for the prevention of acute

dermatitis of grade 2 or higher [18]
Single blind study
occurrence of acute dermatitis of grade 2 or

higher was significantly lower (41% v 63%; P .

001) using calendula instead of trolamine.
less frequent interruption of radiotherapy and
significantly reduced radiation-induced pain.
more difficult to apply, but self-assessed
satisfaction was greater
should be proposed for patients undergoing
postoperative irradiation for breast cancer.

Clinical Trials Contd

Reduces pain of acute infection and inflammation

of the middle ear in children [19]
Concluded an herbal extract solution may be

beneficial in treatment of ear pain

Administered to 180 children, double blind
Best effects were the [calendula officinalis flores (28%),
hypericum perforatum herba tota (30%), and verbascum
thapsus flores (25%) in olive oil and the essential oils
allium sativum in 0.05% in olive oil (10%), lavandulla
officinalis (5%), and tocoferol acetate oil (2%)] with
amoxicillin
Concludes that the findings did not account for a lot of
the pain resolution and best idea for physicians is to
prescribe 3 days to give the body a chance to repair
itself

Conclusions

There is definite proof that ointment containing

Calendula officinalis helps prevent skin irritation,
redness, and pain

Pain-relieving properties may be present, but

more studies are needed to investigate this
possibility

There hasnt been many animal studies to prove

that it really does reduce skin inflammation

There need to be clinical trials to determine if it

helps with wound and burn healing

Works Cited

1. Bown D. The Herb Society of Americas New Encyclopedia of

Herbs and Their Uses. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited,
2001.
2. Tucker AO, Debaggio T. The Big Book of Herbs. Loveland,
CO: Interweave Press; 2000.
3. European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy. ESCOP
Monographs. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme New York; 2003
4. Wichtl M, ed. Brinckmann JA, Lindenmaier MP, trans. Herbal
Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. 3rd ed. Stuttgart:
Medpharm GmbH Scientific Publishers; 2004
5. Talbert R. Whats in a Name! In: Calendula: An Herb Society
of America Guide. Kirtland, OH: Herb Society of America;
2007
6. Foster S, Johnson RL. National Geographic Desk Reference
to Natures Medicine. Washington, DC: National
Geographic; 2006
7. Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, editors. Herbal
Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monograph. Austin,
TX: American Botanical Council; Boston: Integrative Medicine
Communications; 2000

8. Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Vol. 2. New York: Dover Books;

1971
9. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural
Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics. 2nd ed.
New York: Wiley-Interscience; 1996
10. Foster S. 101 Medicinal Herbs: An Illustrated Guide.
Loveland, CO: Interweave Press; 1993
11. Tyler VE. Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of
Phytomedicinals. New York: Pharmaceutical Products
Press; 1994
12. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 3rd
ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications; 2001. Plus
online updates and additions, August 26, 2007.
13. Yasui Y, Hosokawa M, Kohno H, Tanaka T, Miyashita K.
Growth inhibition by all-trans-conjugated linolenic acids on
human colon cancer cells. Anticancer Res 26 (3A): 185560.
14. Akihisa, T. et al., Triterpene alcohols from the flowers of
compositae and their anti-inflammatory effects,
Phytochemistry 1996; 43(6): 1255-60.
15. etkovi, G. S. et al., Antioxidant properties of marigold
extracts, Food Research International 2004, Vol. 37(7):
643-650.

16. Prez-Carren, J. I. et al., Genotoxic and anti-genotoxic

properties of Calendula officinalis extracts in rat liver cell
cultures treated with diethylnitrosamine, Toxicology in Vitro
2002, 16(3): 253-258.
17. Pintea, A., et al., HPLC analysis of carotenoids in four
varieties of Calendula officinalis L. flowers, Acta Biol. Szeged.
2003, 47: 3740.
18. Pommier P, et al., Phase III Randomized Trial of Calendula
Officinalis Compared With Trolamine for the Prevention of
Acute Dermatitis During Irradiation for Breast Cancer, J
Clin Oncol 2004.
19. Sarrell EM, Cohen HA, Kahan E., Naturopathic treatment for
ear pain in children, Pediatrics 2003, 111: e574-e579.
20. Jimenez-Medina E., A new extract of the plant Calendula
officinalis produces a dual in vitro effect: cytotoxic
antitumor
activity and lymphocyte activation, BMC
Cancer 2006; 5:
119
21. Kafi, M., Saffron (Crocus Sativus) Production and
Processing, Science Publishers 2006, 209.
22. Chudnicka, A. and Matysik, G., Research of enzymatic
activities of fresh juice and water infusions from dry herbs,
Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2005, 99(2): 281-286.