Calendula is a plant found in Europe and North America that has certain medicinal properties in its flowers. People have used calendula for medicinal purposes for hundreds of years, prepared either as a tea, tincture, topical ointment or cream. Calendula is rarely ingested today, but you can use calendula creams topically to treat a wide range of skin-related problems. Be aware, however, that calendula cream has caused skin irritations in some people and you may have an allergic reaction to the cream.
Please consult your physician before attempting herbal remedies at home.
Minor Skin Infections & Wound Healing
If you have bruises, scrapes, cuts or burns, calendula cream may help to promote healing and prevent minor infections. Animal studies have found that applying calendula creams or ointments topically can help to speed up skin healing, says the University of Maryland Medical Center. Calendula appears to promote blood flow to wounds and production of collagen proteins to help heal skin. Calendula extracts also appear to have anti-inflammatory and antibacterial effects that can help wound healing and prevention of associated infections, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. Calendula's high concentrations of flavonoids and triterpenoids are likely responsible for the anti-inflammatory effects, and test tube studies have found that calendula may also have antiviral actions, says the University of Michigan Health System. These effects can help to treat sunburns, first-degree burns and hemorrhoids as well.
Dermatitis Prevention & Treatment
Applying a calendula cream to your skin may help to prevent or treat certain forms of dermatitis. Calendula cream can soothe dermatitis from contact with poison ivy and poison oak, says the University of Michigan Health System. Topical applications of calendula cream could also prevent acute dermatitis from radiation therapy in patients with cancer, notes the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center. The University of Maryland Medical Center points out that a study of 254 breast cancer patients who applied calendula cream discovered the cream reduced the cases of moderate to severe dermatitis during radiation therapy, compared to a trolamine lotion.
Eczema Treatment
If you have eczema, topical applications of calendula cream to the affected skin areas may help to relieve your symptoms. Historically, calendula creams and ointments have been used to treat eczema, notes the University of Michigan Health System. The triterpenoids' anti-inflammatory actions likely account for calendula cream's effectiveness in treating eczema, says the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center.
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