CalendulaCalendulaCalendula officinalis L.

By Emily Gupta and Stephen Vickery

Botanical DescriptionBotanical Description

“small, bushy,

cool-weather

Grows annually

Light green, lance-shaped leaves

yellow-orange flowers that can grow up to 3 inches in diameter [1,2].”

http://bp1.blogger.com/_9d3eviT3TsM/RdcSXP2IQBI/AAAAAAAAAPA/ZR0aTFMjdV8/s320/Calendula1.JPG

Kingdom: Plantae

Division: Magnoliophyta –(Flowering plants)

Class: Magnoliopsida –(Dicots)

Order: Asterales

Family: Asteraceae –(Aster)

Genus: Calendula L. –(marigold)

Species: Calendula officinalis L.

–(pot marigold)

Scientific ClassificationScientific Classification

http://plants.usda.gov/java/profile?symbol=CAOF

Nomenclature Cont’dNomenclature Cont’d

Common Names– calendula  – marigold– pot-marigold– ruddles– Scottish-marigold– Scotch-marigold

History of CalendulaHistory of Calendula Native of the Mediterranean

Used as an additive in foods, specifically butter, cheese, bread, and soups [2,6].– petals color butter and cheese– dry petals in soup for flavor

‘Calendula’ comes from the Latin word ‘kalendae’ for ‘first day of the month,’ – “the plant starts blooming in the beginning months

of the year [5,6].”

Nowadays, it can pretty much be cultivated anywhere in the United States.

Processing/PreparationsProcessing/Preparations

Dried, whole or fully cut open flowers, with petals removed from the receptacle [3,4].

Used in lotions, poultices, extracts, and ointments.

Calendula On the MarketCalendula On the Market

OintmentVitaminUSACalendula Ointment

GelVitaminUSACalendula Gel

OilTrinity Alps BotanicalsCalendula Oil

OilGaia Herbs, Inc.Calendula Flower Oil

CreamNF Formulas, Inc.Calendula Plus Cream

Liquid extractHerb PharmCalendula Extract

Soft gel capsules

MMS ProHorsechestnut Pro

TYPEMANUFACTURERPRODUCT NAME

Traumeel®: anti-inflammatory and and analgesic

Organic lip balms

Weleda, Inc.: all sorts of products

On the Market Cont’dOn the Market Cont’d

http://www.nutritiondynamics.com/featured_product/traumeel.jpg

http://www.ecolips.com/Products.aspx

•Diaper Care•Face Cream•Oil•Ointment•Shampoo

http://shop.weleda.com/images/items/large/8816.jpg

•Soap•Tooth Gel•Body Lotion•Wound Care

Standard DoseStandard Dose 5 ear drops placed in affected ear 3x daily

(Otikon Otic® and NHED® [19])

2% to 5% ointment 3-4 times daily as needed(German Commission E and the European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy)

1:1 tincture in 40% alcohol 1:5 tincture in 90% alcohol

– diluted at least 1:3 with freshly boiled water, apply to skin as a compress 3-4 times daily

http://www.nlm.nih.gov/medlineplus/druginfo/natural/patient-calendula.html

Medicinal PropertiesMedicinal Properties

Used as a lotion to alleviate sprains and wounds, and for inflamed eyes [8]

Folk healers used it to induce menstrual flow and cure jaundice [7,9]

19th century American physicians used it to treat liver problems and conjunctivitis [9]

Medicinal Properties Cont’dMedicinal Properties Cont’d

“Demonstrates astringent and anti-inflammatory activity [10,11].”

Some herbalists recommend the plants oils as a treatment of yeast infections [6].

Preparations have been used for “skin and mucous membrane inflammations (such as pharyngitis and leg ulcers) [4,6].”

Calendula ConstituentsCalendula Constituents

Carotenoids [17]– Main pigments:

flavoxanthin Lutein Rubixanthin β-carotene γ-carotene lycopene.

Polysaccharides,Proteins,Fatty acids,Flavonoids,Triterpenoids,Saponins [20]

No found adulterants, but…

Used as an adulterant in saffron [21]

AdulterantsAdulterants

PharmacologyPharmacology

Calendic acid is the omega-6 fatty acid chain present in Calendula which is one of the factors that gives Calendula officinalis its medicinal properties.

PharmacodynamicsPharmacodynamics

Laser activated Calendula extract shows inhibition of cell proliferation in G phases of cell cycle [20]

High levels of enzyme activity (especially naphthol-AS-BI-phosphohydrolase and acidic phosphatase) found in fresh juices of the plant [22]– “therapeutic effect might be directly related to the

quantity and activity of plant enzymes”

Pharmacokinetics: Couldn’t find any studies on ADME (absorption, distribution, metabolism, and excretion)

ContraindicationsContraindications

Very few concerns and warnings in regards to Calendula, however:– “Internal use of Calendula preparations should

be avoided during early pregnancy due to its ability to cause menstruation [12].”

– “Allergic hypersensitivity may be an issue for persons sensitive to Calendula or to other members of the Asteraceae family [12].’

ResearchResearch

Calendula has shown promise in numerous arenas such as antimicrobial, anti-HIV, and wound healing [4,7].

One in vitro study stated that B-calendic acid showed anti-cancer properties against malignant colon cells [13].

In vitro In vitro StudiesStudies Antioxidant Properties [15]

– possessed better scavenging and antioxidant activity than Calendula arvensis

– Water extracts had the best antioxidant properties; 0.75 mg/ml extracts completely eliminated hydroxyl radical

Genotoxic and Chemopreventive properties [16]– Aqueous and ethanol extracts of Calendula officinalis

showed reversion of diethylnitrosamine unscheduled DNA synthesis (DEN effect)

– “Concentrations producing genotoxic damage were three orders of magnitude above concentrations that conferred total protection [from DEN effect]”

Anti-tumor therapeutic effect: cytotoxic tumor cell activity and lymphocyte activation [20]– 70-100% inhibition of tumor cell proliferation when tested on

a wide variety of human and mouse tumor cell lines– Non-Laser Activated Calendula Extract only produced slight

tumor inhibition (they think it’s excited carotenoids)

Animal StudiesAnimal Studies

Anti-tumor & Anti-Inflammatory Properties[14]– Triterpenes are thought to be the reason

for these properties– taraxastanes and helianol levels lead to

inhibitory effects of inflammation of mouse ears

Clinical TrialsClinical Trials

Highly effective for the prevention of acute dermatitis of grade 2 or higher [18]– Single blind study– occurrence of acute dermatitis of grade 2 or

higher was significantly lower (41% v 63%; P .001) using calendula instead of trolamine.

– less frequent interruption of radiotherapy and significantly reduced radiation-induced pain.

– more difficult to apply, but self-assessed satisfaction was greater

– should be proposed for patients undergoing postoperative irradiation for breast cancer.

Clinical Trials Cont’dClinical Trials Cont’d

Reduces pain of acute infection and inflammation of the middle ear in children [19]– Concluded “an herbal extract solution may be

beneficial” in treatment of ear pain– Administered to 180 children, double blind– Best effects were the [calendula officinalis flores (28%),

hypericum perforatum herba tota (30%), and verbascum thapsus flores (25%) in olive oil and the essential oils allium sativum in 0.05% in olive oil (10%), lavandulla officinalis (5%), and tocoferol acetate oil (2%)] with amoxicillin

– Concludes that the findings did not account for a lot of the pain resolution and best idea for physicians is to prescribe 3 days to give the body “a chance to repair itself”

ConclusionsConclusions There is definite proof that ointment containing

Calendula officinalis helps prevent skin irritation, redness, and pain

Pain-relieving properties may be present, but more studies are needed to investigate this possibility

There hasn’t been many animal studies to prove that it really does reduce skin inflammation

There need to be clinical trials to determine if it helps with wound and burn healing

Works CitedWorks Cited 1. Bown D. The Herb Society of America’s New Encyclopedia of

Herbs and Their Uses. London: Dorling Kindersley Limited, 2001.

2. Tucker AO, Debaggio T. The Big Book of Herbs. Loveland, CO: Interweave Press; 2000.

3. European Scientific Cooperative on Phytotherapy. ESCOP Monographs. 2nd ed. New York: Thieme New York; 2003

4. Wichtl M, ed. Brinckmann JA, Lindenmaier MP, trans. Herbal Drugs and Phytopharmaceuticals. 3rd ed. Stuttgart: Medpharm GmbH Scientific Publishers; 2004

5. Talbert R. What’s in a Name! In: Calendula: An Herb Society of America Guide. Kirtland, OH: Herb Society of

America; 2007 6. Foster S, Johnson RL. National Geographic Desk Reference

to Nature’s Medicine. Washington, DC: National Geographic; 2006

7. Blumenthal M, Goldberg A, Brinckmann J, editors. Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monograph. Austin, TX: American Botanical Council; Boston: Integrative Medicine Communications; 2000

8. Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Vol. 2. New York: Dover Books; 1971

9. Leung AY, Foster S. Encyclopedia of Common Natural Ingredients Used in Food, Drugs, and Cosmetics. 2nd

ed. New York: Wiley-Interscience; 1996 10. Foster S. 101 Medicinal Herbs: An Illustrated Guide.

Loveland, CO: Interweave Press; 1993 11. Tyler VE. Herbs of Choice: The Therapeutic Use of

Phytomedicinals. New York: Pharmaceutical Products Press; 1994

12. Brinker F. Herb Contraindications and Drug Interactions. 3rd ed. Sandy, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications; 2001.

Plus online updates and additions, August 26, 2007. 13. Yasui Y, Hosokawa M, Kohno H, Tanaka T, Miyashita K.

“Growth inhibition by all-trans-conjugated linolenic acids on human colon cancer cells.” Anticancer Res 26 (3A): 1855- 60.

14. Akihisa, T. et al., Triterpene alcohols from the flowers of compositae and their anti-inflammatory effects,

Phytochemistry 1996; 43(6): 1255-60. 15. Ćetković, G. S. et al., Antioxidant properties of marigold

extracts, Food Research International 2004, Vol. 37(7): 643-650.

16. Pérez-Carreón, J. I. et al., Genotoxic and anti-genotoxic properties of Calendula officinalis extracts in rat liver

cell cultures treated with diethylnitrosamine, Toxicology in Vitro 2002, 16(3): 253-258.

17. Pintea, A., et al., HPLC analysis of carotenoids in four varieties of Calendula officinalis L. flowers, Acta Biol. Szeged. 2003, 47: 37–40.

18. Pommier P, et al., Phase III Randomized Trial of Calendula Officinalis Compared With Trolamine for the Prevention

of Acute Dermatitis During Irradiation for Breast Cancer, J Clin Oncol 2004.

19. Sarrell EM, Cohen HA, Kahan E., Naturopathic treatment for ear pain in children, Pediatrics 2003, 111: e574-e579.

20. Jimenez-Medina E., A new extract of the plant Calendula officinalis produces a dual in vitro effect: cytotoxic antitumor activity and lymphocyte activation, BMC Cancer 2006; 5: 119

21. Kafi, M., Saffron (Crocus Sativus) Production and Processing, Science Publishers 2006, 209.

22. Chudnicka, A. and Matysik, G., Research of enzymatic activities of fresh juice and water infusions from dry

herbs, Journal of Ethnopharmacology 2005, 99(2): 281-286.