Calendula officinalis
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
| Calendula officinalis | ||||||||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
 |
||||||||||||||||||
| Scientific classification | ||||||||||||||||||
|
||||||||||||||||||
| Binomial name | ||||||||||||||||||
| Calendula officinalis L. |
Calendula officinalis, known as Pot Marigold or Scotch Marigold, is a plant in the Calendula genus. It was used in ancient Greek, Roman, Arabic and Indian cultures as a medicinal herb as well as a dye for fabrics, foods and cosmetics.
The leaves and petals of the Pot Marigold are edible, with the petals added to dishes as a garnish and in lieu of saffron. The leaves can be sweet but are more commonly bitter, and may be used in salads.
Calendula officinalis is a cultivated herb and can be grown easily in sunny locations in most kinds of soils.[1]
Contents |
[edit] Pharmacology
Calendula officinalis is used for the treatment of skin disorders and pain, and as a bactericide, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. The petals and pollen contain triterpenoid esters (an anti-inflammatory) and the carotenoids flavoxanthin and auroxanthin (antioxidants, and the source of the yellow-orange coloration). The leaves and stems contain other carotenoids, mostly lutein (80%) and zeaxanthin (5%), and beta-carotene. Plant extracts are also widely used by cosmetics, presumably due to presence of compounds such as saponins, resins and essential oils.
[edit] Gallery
 C. Officinalis in the process of opening |
 Calendula officinalis at Noida Flower Show 2009 |
 Calendula officinalis at Noida Flower Show 2009 |
[edit] References
- ^ Carrie Mayes (2001). "Calendula officinalis" (HTML). Herb Information Greenpaper. The Herb Research Foundation. http://www.herbs.org/greenpapers/calendula.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-17.
[edit] External links
 |
Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Calendula officinalis |
- National Institutes of Health. "Calendula" (HTML). Herbs and Supplements. U.S. National Library of Medicine. http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-calendula.html. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
- "Calendula officinalis - L." (HTML). Plants For A Future. June 2004. http://www.pfaf.org/database/plants.php?Calendula+officinalis. Retrieved on 2007-12-19.
 |
This Asteraceae-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
 |
This vegetable-related article is a stub. You can help Wikipedia by expanding it. |
