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 Cont’d
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
Gaia Herbs, Inc.
Trinity Alps
Botanicals
VitaminUSA
Oil
Calendula Flower
Oil
Calendula Oil
Calendula Gel
Calendula Ointment VitaminUSA
Oil
Gel
Ointment
On the Market Cont’d

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 Cont’d

“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
 β-carotene
 γ-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: Couldn’t 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 it’s 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 Cont’d
 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 hasn’t 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
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1. Bown D. The Herb Society of America’s 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. What’s 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 Nature’s 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
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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. Ćetković, G. S. et al., Antioxidant properties of marigold
extracts, Food Research International 2004, Vol. 37(7):
643-650.
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16. Pérez-Carreón, 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: 37–40.
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.