Calendula is loaded with powerful skin-healing, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties, yet is gentle enough for most people and animals to use safely.
Use as a gargle for sore throat.
Use as a mouth rinse to help relieve blisters, inflamed gums, or thrush.
Dip small cloths or clean rags into the tea and apply as a compress to scraped, itchy, scratched, or otherwise inflamed skin conditions.
Use with homemade baby wipes to help alleviate diaper rash.
Strain through a coffee filter and use as an eye rinse for itchy eyes due to allergies, dryness and viral pink-eye.
Wash your face with calendula tea nightly, if prone to acne and breakouts.
Pour some in a foot bath, for fungal conditions such as athlete’s foot.
Add some to your regular bath to help soothe and heal inflamed skin or rashes.
Use as a hair rinse, after shampooing, to alleviate itchy scalp conditions.
Pour into a small spray bottle to make a disinfecting wound spray.
Drinking calendula tea is reported to help heal gastric ulcers, congested lymph nodes and sore throat. It can potentially help break a fever by causing a sweat. Dosage is no more than 2 to 3 cups per day. (Not for pregnant women since it can stimulate menstruation. Please consult your health care provider with questions or concerns.)
Make Calendula Ice. (Freeze tea in ice cube trays. Once frozen, remove from tray and store in single layers in labeled freezer bags.) Rub a cube over rashes, scrapes, or other general boo-boos as needed.
Calendula tea can safely be used on most non-pregnant animals including: dogs, cats, horses, cows, rabbits, goats, chickens and ducks. It can be used as a soothing rinse for flea bites, eczema, scratches, scrapes, itchy coats, or to help cleanse and heal minor wounds.
For dogs prone to hot spots or other raw areas, calendula tea can be gently dabbed or spritzed on the area. This works fantastically on my senior albino dog, who frequently gets a chapped and sunburnt nose just from being outside a short while.