Calendula is a flower known as much for its beauty as for its medicinal properties, and the benefits of calendula tea are so incredibly needed in a culture suffering from widespread digestive issues. This little badass of a beauty is an incredible healer, and simple herbal teas are one of the easiest and most accessible ways to reap the abundant rewards of plant medicine.
HERE YOU’LL FIND:
Why Herbal Teas?
The Health Benefits of Calendula Tea
Calendula Tea FAQs
How to Make Calendula Tea
Recipe for Calendula Tea
Further Reading & Resources
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Herbal Teas for the Health of People & Planet
There’s rarely a morning that I don’t wake up and put the kettle on for a hot cup of tea. It’s one of the most cherished parts of my morning routine. As such a sweet and simple act to welcome in the day, it’s also an incredible opportunity to start it off with nutritive and medicinal plants that can help prime our minds and bodies for whatever the day may bring.
And what’s more is that herbal teas make lovely companions throughout the rest of the day as well. All day long, herbal teas give us an opportunity to take in the food and medicine of the plants that’s almost too easy.
The Small, But Mighty Role of Herbal Teas
Believe it or not, drinking more herbal teas can be so hugely supportive in helping us shift from a culture of there’s-a-pill-for-that to a culture of preventative medicine.
How? Herbs and spices are chock full of vitamins, minerals, and beneficial phytochemicals like anti-inflammatory antioxidants that can help to support our overall wellness, from helping with digestion to helping soothe all our aches and pains.
Herbals teas, because they are so easy to prepare & highly accessible, are a small, but mighty start in ultimately helping to reconnect people & planet.
The Health Benefits of Calendula Tea
I’ve said it before and I’ll probably continue to say it forever: where there’s an opportunity to include edible flowers into my day, count me in whole-heartedly. Flower power forever.
Calendula is probably most well-known for its benefits to the skin. It’s not uncommon to find calendula creams, salves, lotions, and soaps even at conventional grocers and drug stores.
And the same anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial properties of calendula that make such good medicine for the skin also make for a powerful internal medicine.
Nutrition Benefits
For a flower, calendula actually contains some amazing nutrients and phytochemicals. Calendula flowers contain fatty acids and they’re also high in many antioxidants such as lutein, lycopene, beta-carotene, quercetin, rutin, and more!
Many of these antioxidants are known for their roles in eye health, reducing inflammation, preventing heart disease, regulating blood sugar, and many other things.
Digestive Benefits
Perhaps one of the most profound benefits of drinking calendula tea is its potential to help support healthy digestion. Our struggling food system has lead to rampant digestive dis-ease in our culture. And if you don’t suffer from digestive issues yourself, you likely know someone that does.
In come the flowers to save the day! The medicinal properties of calendula make it incredibly soothing to the digestive tract. Considered to be a carminative herb, drinking calendula tea may be effective in helping ease and prevent heartburn and indigestion.
It’s also very soothing to internal mucous membranes and can help support the healing of gastric and intestinal inflammation associated with conditions such as Irritable Bowel Syndrome (IBS).
And when our digestive processes are functioning properly, we are better able to absorb the nutrients and beneficial phytochemicals from the food we eat.
If you’re interested in all things digestion, you might really love this article:
The Beginner’s Complete Guide to Herbal Digestive Bitters
Immune System Benefits
In addition to its digestive benefits, calendula is a powerful immune booster that can be an important player in your herbal wellness routine. When you start to feel a cold come on, a cup of calendula tea can be a great asset in helping you fight the ick. This is the reason why calendula is one of my favorite herbs to include in homemade, super medicinal veggie broths.
Other Health Benefits
And the potential health benefits of calendula don’t stop at digestive and immune health. Here are some of calendula’s other medicinal qualities:
- Antiseptic
- Anti-tumor
- Anti-fungal
- Antioxidant
- Antibacterial
- Anti-inflammatory
- Promotes wound healing
- Stimulates menstrual flow
- Supports & builds immunity
- Stimulates bile & aids digestion
- Stimulates the lymphatic system
- Demulcent (cooling, soothing, healing, relaxing)
More Calendula Recipes You’ll Love!
Calendula Lemonade
Medicinal Veggie Broth
Calendula & Honey Cheesecake
Calendula-Infused Body Oil
Are you an herbal tea lover?!
Me too! Blending your own functional herbal teas is such an empowering way to support your own herbal wellness. Check out this step-by-step guide:
How To Make Your Own Nourishing Herbal Tea Blends
Drinking Calendula Tea FAQs
What does calendula tea taste like?
Calendula tea has a sweet fragrance with an ever-so-slight spice and bitterness, not exactly what you’d expect from a sweet little flower of sunshine. A little drizzle of honey and calendula tea go together like peas and carrots.
Does calendula tea make you sleepy?
Calendula is not typically known as a sedative herb. You have to search long and hard to find any reputable information relating calendula to sleep. However, based on a few animal studies from the 1960’s and 1980’s, it at one point was recommended to use caution with calendula if already taking sedative medications. Nonetheless, at the time of this writing, there have been no human studies to support this and it is not something that most herbalists even talk about.
With that said, every body is different and may experience the therapeutic properties of herbs differently. Calendula is a soothing herb and could make a great addition to herbal sleep blends, but it’s not necessarily a sleepy time herb.
Is calendula tea safe to drink?
Generally, yes. Calendula is considered safe by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA), however it should be consumed with caution if you have allergies to other plants in the Asteraceae family, like ragweed or chamomile. And it may be contraindicated during pregnancy due to emmenagogue effects.
If you are pregnant, nursing, or taking any prescription medications, always check with a licensed healthcare practitioner before consuming medicinal herbs.
Is calendula the same as marigold?
Calendula and marigold are two different plants. A single plant can have many common names and this is where calendula and marigold get confused. Sometimes you’ll hear calendula referred to as pot marigold, but calendula and marigold are in two different genera of plants.
Calendula is of the genus Calendula, whereas common marigold is of the genus Tagetes. While both calendula and marigold are edible and both have medicinal properties, they are not the same and should not be used interchangeably.
Where do I buy calendula flowers?
I highly recommend growing them if you can! They’re such an easy flower to grow. However, I know as well as anyone that we can’t do everything for ourselves all the time. And thank goodness there are incredible herb suppliers out there for people like us.
If you have local herbalists or herb shops, they may be able to supply you with calendula flowers. Otherwise, Mountain Rose Herbs is a online retailer with an impressive variety of high quality, ethically grown and harvested medicinal and culinary herbs and spices. The quality of their products is consistently higher than other online retailers and they offer both an organic North American-grown calendula and an organic calendula from Eqypt.
How to Make Calendula Tea
Equipment You’ll Need
- Small Saucepan or Kettle (If you’re a regular tea maker and drinker, I highly recommend this temperature-control electric kettle! )
- Tea Infuser/Strainer/Ball (I love these mesh tea strainers that rest on the edge of your mug and come with their own steeping lids that double as a place to put your stainer when you’re done steeping. You could also use a large tea ball that gives the flowers enough space to expand as they soak up the hot water.)
- Your Favorite Mug
Ingredients
- Fresh or Dried Calendula Flowers (If using fresh flowers, ensure they are harvested in an area free of chemicals.)
- Water
Method
- For each serving of tea, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in either a saucepan or kettle.
- Add fresh or dried calendula flowers to a large tea infuser, one that is large enough to allow the flowers adequate space to expand as they infuse the water.
- Pour your hot water over the flowers and cover. (A small plate can be useful.)
- Allow the calendula flowers to steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Then strain or remove the tea ball and enjoy! If desired, you can sweeten with honey.
Learn More About These Other Herbal Teas!
Rosebud Tea
Chamomile Tea
Lavender Tea
Cinnamon Tea
Anti-Anxiety Herbal Tea
For more plant magic & herbal wellness in your life, be sure to follow along on ➡️ Instagram, Facebook, Pinterest, or Twitter, & snag my herbal 📚 eBooks Nourishing Herbal Gifts & Holiday Pies from the (Un)Bakery. 🌿 And please don’t forget to tag me in your snaps 📸 @_botanyculture_. I love to see all the plant magic you make happen!
Calendula Tea
Course: DrinkCuisine: Herbal Tea, RemedyDifficulty: Easy1
servings15
minutesA hot cup of this soothing calendula flower tea is full of anti-inflammatory, antimicrobial, and antibacterial qualities that are great for digestive health. Enjoy it hot or iced, and if desired, sweeten with a little honey or maybe some lavender honey syrup!
Ingredients
1 cup water
1 tablespoon dried calendula flowers (or 2-3 fresh flowers)
Directions
- For each serving of tea, bring 1 cup of water to a boil in either a sauce pan or kettle.
Add fresh or dried calendula flowers to a large tea infuser, one that is large enough to allow the flowers adequate space to expand as they infuse the water. - Pour your hot water over the flowers and cover. (A small plate can be useful.)
- Allow the calendula flowers to steep for 10-15 minutes.
- Then strain or remove the tea ball and enjoy! If desired, you can sweeten with honey.
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Further Reading & Resources
- Herbal Digestive Calendula Tea: A Remedy for Heartburn and Peptic Ulcers, Juliet Blankespoor
DISCLAIMER: The information given in this article is intended for educational purposes only. Always consult with your healthcare practitioner before consuming certain herbs & medicinal foods, especially if pregnant, nursing, or taking any prescription medications.
