The Skin Herb · 2026

Calendula — benefits & uses

The bright orange flower behind every soothing balm — what it does for skin, and how to grow and use it.

Bright orange calendula flowers with a jar of calendula oil on a wooden table
Traditional use

Skin healing

The base of soothing salves for dry, chapped, irritated skin, and a gentle wash for minor scrapes.

How to use

Oil, salve or tea

Infuse the petals in oil for a salve, or steep as a mild anti-inflammatory tea and skin wash.

Grows like

A cheerful weed

Bright, fast to flower and forgiving — a top beginner herb and a pollinator magnet.

Bonus

Companion plant

The garden "trap crop" — pests flock to it instead of your vegetables.

Simple calendula oil: pack a jar with dried petals, cover with olive oil, infuse 2 weeks (or 1 hr on low heat), strain. Warm with beeswax for a salve. Not medical advice — patch-test first.

Grown & made, on video

Grow your own calendula

Calendula is one of the ten non-GMO seed varieties in Nicole Apelian's Medicinal Garden Kit, with her remedy guide and the salve recipes.

Herbs for skin & healing →

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