Harvest and make  medicine from local and organically grown Calendula flowers at the Apothecary’s Garden this Sunday

Calendula is likely one of the best  known, easiest to grow and use medicinal herbs in the Western world.

Calendula Harvest 2014 Apothecary's Garden Churchill Park Hamilton

Calendula Harvest 2014 Apothecary’s Garden Churchill Park Hamilton


With a strong affinity for healing the skin, Calendula is used fresh or dry, in an infusion, oil or salve. It quickly soothes and facilitates the healing of insect  bites and stings, burns, blisters and chafing, cracked, dry and chapped skin, itchiness, rashes, sores, cuts and scrapes, eczema, psoriasis, fungal infections, and much more. Besides its skin healing applications, varicose veins, oral inflammations  infections, thrush and candida are traditionally treated with Calendula..
Not only is it an herb that should be in every household in one form or another, but it is one of the prettiest and easiest medicinal herbs to grow at home and use as medicine.
For families it makes the best nappy creme and works wonderfully from birth for  both mothers and babies. It effectively treats many of the bangs and bumps we all receive through childhood, and works just as well for pets and domestic animals. Calendula can and should accompany us all from birth to grandparenthood as a familiar in the garden and medicine cabinet
Preparing Calendula flowers for medicine with mortar and pestle.

Preparing Calendula flowers for medicine with mortar and pestle.


I have yet to find anything that works as well as a Calendula salve to soften and moisturize rough, dry or cracked hands from gardening, carpentry,and even concrete and cement work overnight.
From an Astrological point of view, Calendula is ruled by the Sun as indicated by the shape and colour of its bright sunny flowers and healing attributes. Like our skin, Calendula flowers meet the sun head on and they share that nourishing cosmic source-energy with us readily. There is no flower that brightens up a room like Calendula. Fresh or dried it has a bright uplifting presence.
Join me in the Apothecary’s Garden at the Teaching Gardens in Churchill Park this Sunday, share in the harvest, and I will share some of the many ways Calendula can be used for everyday healing at home.
The harvest this year is abundant, so if you can’t make it this Sunday, let me know and we will repeat this on an upcoming Sunday. Why on a Sunday?  I will let you figure  it out, or come and ask me on Sunday…
The harvest is free, child friendly and all are welcome. Bring a paper bag and take notes if you like.
Dan

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