The benefits and harms of the calendula herb – every day medical information
Calendula is one of the plants belonging to the star family, which has many healing and anti-inflammatory properties, and in this article we will learn in detail about the most prominent health benefits of this herb.
Benefits of the calendula herb
There are a large number of health benefits of this herb, and we will mention the following:
1. Reducing inflammation
This herb helps to resist all kinds of infections that affect the body, such as gastrointestinal infections, and the use of this herb’s oil helps relieve muscle pain caused by rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
2. Improving vision
Scientific studies have shown the ability of this herb to improve eyesight, and to resist the risk of some vision-related diseases, such as cataracts, because this herb is rich in beta-carotene, which promotes healthy vision.
3. Antispasmodic
This herb is characterized by its anti-spasmodic properties, which makes it a suitable option to reduce cramps associated with nervous system diseases, as it helps calm the body and reduce cramps, and women can benefit from this property to combat the pain associated with the menstrual cycle.
4. Promote heart health
This herb contributes to promoting heart health, by reducing harmful cholesterol in the body, and reducing the risk of heart attacks.
5. Promote oral health
This herb has antibacterial properties, making it a major ingredient in toothpastes and mouthwashes, helping to keep the mouth free of bacteria and fight tooth decay and gingivitis.
Benefits of the calendula herb for the skin
The use of this herb for the skin is one of the most important and most common benefits of this herb, and below we will mention some of these benefits:
1. Wound healing
This herb contains a rich percentage of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory, so its use on the skin helps in quickly treating bruises, cuts, scrapes, burns, bruises and insect bites.
2. Diaper Rash Treatment
Frequent use of the nappy for children and the elderly results in severe inflammation around the area where the nappy is placed. In this case, antibiotics or topical creams that include this herb can be used to treat rashes.
3. Moisturizing the skin
The oil of this herb contains a rich percentage of fatty acids, which helps nourish and moisturize the skin.
4. Protect the skin from the danger of free radicals
This herb helps fight free radicals, as it contains antioxidant properties, which contributes to reducing the appearance of wrinkles and reduces dullness of the skin.
5. Resist radiant acne
This herb helps treat the skin, for people who are exposed to radiation.
Benefits of drinking calendula
There are a number of health benefits of drinking this herb tea, including:
1. Resist colds
The tea of this herb can be taken to fight colds, coughs, sore throat and chest.
2. Promote digestive health
Consuming this herb tea helps promote digestive health, treat stomach ulcers, and urinary tract infection.
3. Cancer resistance
Several preliminary scientific studies indicate that the tea of this herb contains many anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties, which reduce the risk of cancer and other chronic diseases.
Important notice: There is no strong scientific evidence to fully prove these benefits and effectiveness of calendula in treatment, and more research is needed to prove it, so you should consult your doctor before using it, especially if you suffer from a specific health problem.
The side effects of the calendula herb
There are a number of harms that may occur when eating this herb, including:
- In the case of sensitive skin, a skin allergy test should be done from the oil of this herb, in order to avoid the appearance of any allergic reactions such as itching, redness and swelling.
- Consult your doctor before including this herb in your diet, as it may interact with some medications.
Calendula herb for pregnancy
There are many experts who advise against consuming this herb during pregnancy, because it may cause hormonal fluctuations, uterine contractions and miscarriage, and some stretch mark removal oils use this herb in their ingredients, although there are no serious allergic reactions from this type of oils. However, it is necessary to consult a specialist doctor before using this herb, orally or by placing the oil extracted from it or its derivatives on the skin of the pregnant woman.
After learning about the benefits of the azure plant, there are different alternatives to take advantage of the health benefits of this herb, whether by applying the oil extracted from it to the skin, or by eating it in the form of tea.