Calendula is a beautiful herb. It’s yellow-orange flowers (not to be confused with marigolds) brighten our herb gardens. In addition, they make a brilliantly colored moisturizing salve when infused in oil and blended with beeswax.

Hildegard prescribed the use of herbs based on the ancient four-humor system. She recommended calendula to be used as an antidote to “noxious humors” including poison (keep in mind, she was writing long before modern medicine and emergency rooms). In Physica, she wrote that calendula has a strong vital energy. She prescribed it to be consumed as well as used topically.

The calendula herb grows in our backyard raised herb box. In the future, we plan to increase its presence in the front gardens. Our primary use of it here in our gardens has been for skin care.