A glimpse into herbal medicine and - calendula - the queen of lymphagogues

Sep 6

As a plant-lover, herbalist, and skincare maker, I take great pleasure getting to know plants for their generous gifts that can help us heal in different ways - mind, body, and spirit. I love Calendula so much, I have made it the main plant featured in our upcoming AUTUMN WELLNESS Box - You will find it infused in the body oil, blended with green tea, in a tincture for calming, and in my classic lip balm. It is a plant aligned with our gut-skin-immune-lymphatics. Which is why it’s one of my favourites!

I had known of Calendula’s skin soothing properties for awhile before I heard it was a Lymph-helper too!

I was studying one day, and stumbled across the term Lymphagogue in a course or herbal reference book, I’ve forgotten where I first saw it to be honest. But it left an impression on me. You see, up until then, I had been scouring my books and taking notes in classes looking for ways to understand the herbs from a lymphatic health perspective, often catching myself thinking, ‘Yeah, that’s all great and everything, but how does this plant help our lymphatic system? You know, our inner ocean, our giver of life that touches every one of our cells?!’

The problem wasn’t that there wasn’t much on the Lymphatic System about herbs, but that I was looking in the wrong place for it. Having arrived at Herbalism’s door through the gates of Western Herbalism. much like western medicine, much attention isn’t paid to the Lymphatic System.

It was when I turned my gaze to the East, towards ancient traditional medicine like Ayurveda, TCM, and began exploring Indigenous Plant Medicine here in Turtle Island, that is when I found what I was looking for! These ways of knowing prized water as a giver of life and had a much more thorough and complex understanding of how water moves through the body. They worshipped water for her life giving abilities and magic. I’ll save that deep explanation for another day, but hope it interests you to know there is a deep ‘well’ of information out there on the Lymphatic System and I’m so excited to share it with you soon! I’m working on a course as we speak on Traditional Folk Medicine view of the Lymphatic System.

So what the heck is a Lymphagogue?

In herbalism language it means a plant that is aligned with the Lymphatic System energy of the body. It is capable of moving fluids, opening channels, breaking up stagnation and encouraging flow to return where it is stuck. When water flows, it is alive. When stagnation happens in the body, is when trouble brews, leading to inflammation, pain, and disease.

CALENDULA - MATERIA MEDICA

Calendula, also know as potted marigold, or marigold and it’s latin name is Calendula officinalis. I like to refer to it as the Queen of the Lymphagogues!

Calendula originated in Europe, but can be found around the globe today. The beautiful yellowy orange flowers, open when the sun rises and close when the sun sets, have a naturally sunny disposition and brighten our surroundings.

Once upon a time, Calendula flowers used to be a common ingredient in soups, teas, baths, and stews in the cold winter months for this reason. They were thought to promote a sunny disposition and good health in the colder months boosting our lymph-flow, which is our immune highway in the body. Carotenoids give it its colour and what made it a favourite plant for dyeing fabrics and colouring cheese in medieval Europe, as well as being a source of beta-carotene for our skin and gut.

It was said that picking the flowers under the noon day sun will strengthen and comfort the heart. I have felt this myself when harvesting, as well as getting sticky fingers when the flowers are abudnant with resin. Not to worry, the resin comes off easily with a dab of oil rubbed into your skin.

With such a wide variety of actions, she’s a welcoming herb in your garden, and is easy to grow. She blooms from spring to late fall and will keep blooming especially if you pick the flowers regularly.

Parts Used: Yellow petals, flower buds.

Constituents: Saponins, flavonoids, salicylic acid, triterpenes, mucilage, carotenoids, resin.

Actions: Anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, astringent, vulnerary, lymphagogue, hemostatic, diaphoretic, anti-fungal, anti-bacterial, anti-viral, cholagogue, emmenagogue

Medicinal uses:

Calendula has a variety of actions, which makes it a wonderful addition to both internal and external preparations. It may safely be used wherever there is an inflammation on the skin. A powerful vulnerary, with anti-inflammatory and hemostatic properties, caretenoids and resins , all work together to help the body heal wounds by calming inflammation and promoting cell repair and growth. It is my go to herb when making body oils, bath salts, balm, and teas because of Calendula’s soothing, wound healing, and lymph-loving properties.

Topical: It is a common ingredient in infused oils, salves, balms, and creams. Topically, Calendula can be used to treat bruises, wounds, burns, sores, sunburns, infections, rashes, ulcers, itching, and scarring. It is a safe herb for babies and toddlers alike because of its potent and gentle properties. It is one of the more popular herbs in treating cradle cap, diaper rash, and other skin irritations.

Calendula flowers infusing in olive oil.

Internal: It can be eaten fresh, and makes a great addition to a salad, soup, tea or even decoratively on cakes and desserts! The flowers can be dried and used year round. you can infuse them into oils for your body or for your favourite salad dressing oil. You can also infuse them into an apple cider vinegar as well to reap the benefits of Calendula.

They can be brewed into a tea to aid in digestive complaints as well as to help cleanse and nourish the lymphatic system. This herb works well with other lymph cleansers such as burdock root, red clover, cleavers, dandelion flowers, plantain, and chickweed. Lymph cleansers are particularly helpful in addressing skin conditions from the inside out. The lymphatic and immune system work closely together and thus the skin sometimes represents issues going on internally because that is one way in which the body detoxifies - through our largest organ, the skin.

AUTUMN WELLNESS Box - Check out our box for this upcoming season and find Calendula infused in a body oil, tea blend, lip balm, and tincture and experience the healing benefits of Calendula for yourself! Click on the title of the autumn wellness box to hop over to the shop