Marigold Ointment As promised last month, we're looking at the uses of marigold, this month we have two recipes for making Marigold (Calendula officinalis) ointment. Ointments contain only oily ingredients -- usually fats or oils thickened with wax. Any wax can be used, including candle wax and paraffin wax, but most herbalists prefer to use beeswax as it brings extra healing properties of its own to the preparation. If you do not wish to use beeswax you can use cocoa butter instead. See Method Two. Ingredients required for both methods: 300ml (½ pint) cooking oil. Virgin olive oil is the best, but any cooking oil will give a reasonable result. We often use sunflower oil. 60gm (2oz) dried marigold flowers 30gm (1oz) yellow beeswax A double boiler or bain marie A number of clean, small pots or jars for storage

Pot Marigold (Calendula officinalis)

Put half the flowers into the inner pan of the double boiler and pour in all the oil.
Half fill the outer pan with water. Bring to the boil, turn down the heat and simmer for two hours. Be sure the water does not boil away or the oil will burn.
Allow to cool; strain the oil and keep it.
Repeat the process with the other half of the flowers using the same oil so that you finish up with double strength marigold infused oil.
Grate or finely chop the beeswax.
Put the infused oil and beeswax back into the double boiler and heat gently until the beeswax has melted.
Allow to cool just a little; then pour into the clean pots or little jars while still molten.
Label and date the pots. Store in a cool place.

Method Two Using Cocoa Butter:

This method is suitable for vegans as no animal products are used. Ingredients:

250 ml (10 fl oz) melted cocoa butter
50 ml (2 fl oz) cooking oil (as noted in recipe above)
60gm (2oz) dried marigold flowers

Follow the same method as above but use 250ml melted cocoa butter and 50ml of oil, instead of the 300ml of oil. Omit the beeswax.

Since cocoa butter is naturally solid at room temperature it makes an ointment all by itself. The oil is added to stop the cocoa butter from becoming too solid & too difficult to use. 50ml of oil is the average amount needed. Add more or less oil according to the final result desired.

Notes:

Marigold infused oil has a heavy smell and you may think that you have burned the oil; you probably haven't. You can make your own double boiler quite easily by using two pans. Use a heavy stainless steel or enamel pan for the inner part of the double boiler; it must fit inside the other with 3cm (an inch or so) to spare. Pour as much water into the outer pan as you can without causing the inner pan to float.

Uses:

To treat very dry skin, save a little of the infused oil, before the beeswax is added, and add a dessert spoonful to your bath water.

Ointments are heavy preparations best suited for use as barrier creams, as a lip salve for example, or for very dry skin conditions including most forms of psoriasis.
Dry, sore and itchy eyes respond to marigold ointment rubbed into the eyelids before bed.
Marigold ointment is an excellent anti-inflammatory but should be avoided in hot conditions as it keeps heat in. All ointments keep in body heat & water; therefore they should never be used in hot, inflamed, or weepy skin conditions.

Marigold cream is lighter, less greasy and more suitable for greasy skin types. Visit us next month for a recipe for marigold cream. Save this recipe because you'll need some of this month's infused oil for next month's cream.