The North American garden variety marigold is the other name for Tagetes erecta. Marigold is easy to grow as the soil can be scraped a little to sow the marigold seeds which grow into plants slowly. The marigold flowers bloom during the growing season as well as during the times beyond the season by tolerating the rarely occurring frost.
Marigold will be able to flourish well in the sunny days and can withstand the dry soil conditions. Some of the plants of marigold are of three feet height while some of them are only five to six inches in height.
What is Marigold Flower?
Marigold belongs to the order Asterales, family Asteraceae, sub-family Asteroideae, and tribe Tageteae. The cultivated variety African marigold is scientifically named as Tagetes erecta. This genus is known to have 56 species constituting annual and perennial plants. The genus Tagetes is mostly native to the North America and South America.
This plant is grown in several places in the world. French marigolds are the cultivars and hybrids of Tagetes patula. Pot marigold or common marigold is named as Calendula officinalis. Calendula is native to the Southern Europe. Caltha palustris is called as marsh marigold which belongs to Ranunculaceae family.
Usage of Marigold flowers
Marigold plant was used for treating the wounds and in preventing the wounds from bacterial infections and toxins in the American Civil war and in the First World War. Being known also as Calendula, marigold is used since many years as a conventional remedy for various diseases. Marigold is abundant in flavonoids. Flavonoids are substances that function as anti-oxidants and protect the body cells from oxidation. The marigold flowers have the characteristics of antifungal, antibacterial and antispasmodic.
Marigold flower is available in the form of infusions, tinctures, liquid extracts, powder, hand cream, ophthalmic solution, shampoo, and gel ointment. The tea from marigold flowers is prepared by boiling two teaspoons of the drug in 150ml of water. The water is strained and taken as tea. The drug is mixed in water or alcohol. The diaphoretic is prepared by adding two to four ml of tincture into 500ml of water or by adding 1ml of liquid extract to 40 percent alcohol.
The ointment is prepared by mixing 3 to 5 grams of the medicine to the fatty base of the medication. The concentration of the ointment will come out as 10 to 20 percent. Another topical application can be prepared using marigold-olive oil extraction and peanut oil in the ratio of 1:10. This oil is prepared with 40 percent ethanol in 1:1 ratio and in 90 percent ethanol at 1:5 ratio.
Benefits of Marigold flower
Marigold helps in fast healing and in decreasing the inflammation. Marigold is one among the several herbs that is used to treat conjunctivitis and other inflammations of the eye. This plant is known to decrease the swelling and redness in the eye. The area in the eye that is affected will be allowed to get more blood flow with the help of marigold.
Marigold is also considered as one of the options for treating the stomach ulcers. The mouthwash done with the ingredients of marigold is known to bring soothing effect on the throat irritation and sore throat.
The anti-fungal nature possessed by the marigold helps in managing the infections caused by fungus like candida, Athlete’s foot and ring worm. Various kinds of skin problems are solved by marigold usage such as skin ulcers, eczema and juvenile acne.
The marigold has anti-spasmodic property which can aid in relaxing the muscle spasms and muscular cramps. The inconvenience that is created due to indigestion, menstrual cramps, menopausal symptoms and colitis will be resolved with the use of marigold.
The latest studies on the marigold plant reveal that this plant is known to have anti-cancer properties. There is some proof to show that marigold can help in the treatment of certain cancers like Heren’s carcinoma.
This function of marigold is carried out successfully only when it is used along with the other herbs such as Echinacea purpurea, Aconitum moldavicum and Scorzonera humilis L. The result from the study conducted by Fedkovich Chernivtsi State University at Ukraine provided the necessary evidence for marigold benefit against cancer.
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About 150ml of water is added with two grams of marigold powder according to the study conducted by Bisset in the year 1994 to treat inflammation in the throat and sore throat. About two grams of drug is dissolved in one cup of water and boiled. The tea is then filtered after 15 minutes of steeping.
This tea is used for sore throat and inflammation in the throat. Peptic ulcer tea is prepared using marigold where one to four grams of marigold is added to one cup of water and the marigold plant is made to steep inside water for nearly 15 minutes. The peptic ulcer tea is taken for at least three times per day. The marigold based ointment is prepared at 2 to 5 percent concentration and is used for wound treatment. The herb is mixed in water and used as moist compress for wound healing.
Side Effects of Marigold
There are certain cases of allergic responses of the skin to marigold. If the person is allergic to daisy flower or any flower from the aster family such as ragweed and chrysanthemum then the person might also have allergic reaction to marigold.
There are no such important documentations explaining the drug interactions of marigold. The Beth Israel Deaconess medical center research says that administering large doses of marigold supplements would reduce the blood pressure or enhance the sedation features of the medications that are used for treating the sleeping problems and anxiety problems.
If the person is using any sedative or antihypertensive medication, then it is better for him/her to consult the doctor before using marigold products. The University of Maryland medical center has revealed from their studies that marigold can influence the menstrual cycle and hence the pregnant women and breast feeding women must be careful in using it.
Pot Marigold or Calendula users found it to be healing all kind of skin problems. The ailments like dermatitis, allergic rashes and dry skin are solved by the use of Calendula oil if these problems were not cleared by cortisone cream, Benadryl and other products.