Extracting The Medicinal Powers of Calendula - Which Method is Best?

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Comments

Anonymous said…
Hi Lise

I want to make a macerate & also a glycerine with dried calendula flowers - should I use them whole or would grinding them up into a powder be better?

thanks Anna
LisaLise said…
HI Anna - I've tried both methods and find straining a whole lot easier with dried petals. You can also use whole flowers in both mediums but might find a clearer end result with whole flowers in oil.
Anonymous said…
Thanks for the info! I absolutely love love calendula. I recently did an oil infusion with dried calendula and I’m totally addicted to the scent. Great post!!
LisaLise said…
Hey there Anon - calendula in oil is a classic and there’s no getting around how fabulous it is — enjoy your lovely oil!
Sue said…
Hello! I want to make a calendula olive oil infusion. Where can use find out how much calendula and how much oil to use? (Ratio of parts) Thank you!
Sue
LisaLise said…
HI Sue - You ask a great question as there are numerous opinions as to which ratios are best. There are also numerous infusion methods to choose from as well. A very simple guideline: add dried calendula to a sanitized jar about 3/4 full. Fill with oil. Cap and let infuse. If you want to do a bit of research on this, might I suggest looking to Susan M Parkers book Power of the Seed as well as her online classes. She's a phenomenal source for working with carrier/fixed oils.
holistichealth said…
hi there,

Is it true that Olive Oil is the best oil for Calendula extraction? What about Sunflower or Sesame oil? Thank you :)
LisaLise said…
Hi Holistichealth — I have never heard that one oil was better than another for extracting calendula. I will usually go for an oil with a long shelf life 😊
Mirna said…
Hi Lisa, thabk you for this lovely text.
I'm making a macerate using alcohol as intermediary solvent and using oil in ratio 5:1. But I have trouble checking when the alcohol evaporates. Only method I use is sniffing, which doesn't seem very reliable. Is there any other way to tell when the alcohol has evaporated from the macerate?
LisaLise said…
Hello Mirna - I haven't used this method in my own macerations enough to where I would feel confident enough to guide you. I recommend checking out Kami McBride's page and course where she teaches this method in detail.
Lulu said…
Hi Lisa,
I have lots of dried calendula flowers. How would I go about making a glycerite? Im new to making glycerites with dried matter 😊
LisaLise said…
Hi Lulu - My book about making glycerites covers this and more. :)
Anonymous said…
Hello, do you have a few sources for buying dried calendula flowers? I like Mountain Rose Herbs, but they are out of stock at the moment, and I'm trying to avoid Amazon!
LisaLise said…
Hi Anon-- I am guessing you are in the USA from your mention of Mountain Rose and I totally understand wanting to avoid Amazon! As I live in Europe and source my ingredients here, I'm afraid I am not going to be of much help. I wonder if looking for suppliers of organic herbs for the food industry might be possible? Here, I look to suppliers for teas and the herbal supplement industry. I hope this was of some help!
Anonymous said…
Thanks Lisa! Yep USA here. I ended up ordering from Etsy -- sort of iffy because it could be anyone, but that's how I found Mountain Rose Herbs in the first place. Good thoughts on checking tea suppliers. Thanks, and thank you for the info on your site.
Anonymous said…
Hello LisaLise:

I love making calendula macerate with almond oil. I either use it as it is on skin or put it into an almost empty parfume bottle to have that subtle parfum and the macerate’s benefits.
I did research to see if there is anything written about: can I recycle/ reuse the calendula flowers after macerated in almond oil?
I hate the idea of throwing them, is there any properties left it them after the maceration (is that a word?);)
Can I, maybe grind them and do a mask or anything else, really?

Thank you and looking forward to your experiences.
Su.
LisaLise said…
Hi Su — great thinking about using the spent botanicals after maceration. You could try grinding them and adding to salt for a bath or foot soak, or adding clay and water to desired texture for a face mask, or even add them to your compost pile ( if you have a garden).
Lisa Ort said…
Hi Lisa!

Thank you for such great post. So much good info. What is the ratio of powder calendula to oil? Thank you!
LisaLise said…
Hi Lisa - I'd start with 1:10 by volume-- calendula is very lightweight and voluminous when ground