Educational information, not medical advice — ask your doctor or midwife.
Marigold here means Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold. It is a garden plant with orange or yellow daisy-like flowers. The dried flower heads and petals are the parts used.
It is best known as a skin remedy. Creams, ointments, infused oils and washes are put on minor cuts, grazes, chapped skin and nappy rash. Teas, gargles and tinctures are also sold.
French speakers call it souci. It is not the same plant as Tagetes, the African or French marigold grown in flower beds. Tagetes is a different genus and is not covered here.
The honest verdict on evidence is modest. A few small human trials suggest it may help some skin and wound problems, and results are mixed. Long use in folk medicine is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.
The short answer is that nobody has pinned down how marigold works.
In animal and cell studies, calendula extracts appear to speed the growth of new skin tissue. Cell work suggests they may raise collagen, a building block of skin.
In test-tube studies, extracts slow the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Whether that happens on living human skin is not established.
Some compounds in the flower calm inflammation in animal tests. Inflammation is the body's redness and swelling response to injury.
None of this proves a benefit in people. Lab findings often fail to carry over to real wounds and real skin.
Most marigold products are made for use on the skin.
- Cream or ointment, often 2 to 10 percent extract - Infused oil, made by steeping petals in a plant oil - Gel or balm for chapped, sore skin
- Loose dried petals for a tea or a skin wash - Tincture, an alcohol extract, usually diluted before use - Mouthwash or gargle liquid
Capsules and tablets exist but are far less common. Petals are also used to colour soups, rice and butter, which is why the plant is sometimes called poor man's saffron.
Skin products vary widely in strength. Check the label for the amount of calendula and for other ingredients such as fragrance.
Marigold has a long record in European folk medicine. Writers from the medieval period onward listed it for wounds, sores and skin complaints.
It was grown in monastery and cottage gardens across Europe. Petals were steeped in oil or fat and spread on cuts, burns and chapped hands.
Folk healers also used the tea for upset stomach, period pain and fevers. Some traditions used it to bring on a late period.
It was reportedly used on battlefield wounds in several wars. These accounts are historical reports, not tested results, and they are not a reason to treat a wound yourself.
Stop using marigold and see a doctor if any of these happen.
- The skin becomes more red, itchy, blistered or sore after use - A wound shows pus, spreading redness, heat or you get a fever - Your skin problem has not improved after about two weeks - A mouth sore lasts more than two weeks
Call emergency services if your face, lips, tongue or throat swell, or you have trouble breathing. That is a severe allergic reaction.
In the EU and UK, calendula is registered as a traditional herbal medicine for minor skin inflammation and small wounds. That status rests on long use, not on proof from trials.
In the United States, it is sold as a cosmetic or a supplement, and the petals are allowed as a food colouring. It is not approved there as a drug.
Evidence grades and traditional-use labels are explained in our methodology. Nothing here is medical advice.
What it is typically used for, usual dose, cautions, and the study behind it where real trial data exists.
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