Calendula: The Flower That Called Me Home to Herbalism
Calendula taught me that I was always an herbalist. And it's one of my favorite starter herbs to introduce people to as we enter into Spring Gardening.
At the beginning of lockdown in 2020, like so many others, I was searching for a way to make sense of a difficult season. I wanted to slow down. I wanted to nurture myself. I wanted to learn how to truly care for my body and spirit in a way no one had ever taught me.
I felt drawn to florals—to see what I could sow, from seed to medicine.
Calendula became my first teacher.
As I tended to its golden blooms, I felt something awaken in me. A knowing. A remembering. Long before I had any official certification, I understood that I was already an herbalist. Working with plants, tending to the land—these things are woven into our DNA. Even if the stories have been forgotten, our bodies still remember.
Calendula was my invitation to step deeper into the world of plant medicine. It opened the door to a lineage of healing I had unknowingly been longing for. It sparked my curiosity, led me to new learnings, and ultimately guided me down the path to herbalism.
With each harvest, I realized how much this simple yet powerful flower had to offer. I could infuse its golden petals into:
• Teas • Oils • Lotions • Salves • Baths
Calendula reminds us that healing is a process of tending. Of patience. Of honoring cycles and seasons.
And as we step into spring, there is no better time to align ourselves with this wisdom—to cleanse, renew, and nourish ourselves from the inside out.
An Invitation to Solstice School
My journey with Calendula was just the beginning of a much larger unfolding. It led me to a deeper connection with the rhythms of nature and, ultimately, to the creation of Solstice School.
This six-month journey is designed to guide you back to your own innate wisdom—through plant medicine, ritual, seasonal living, and self-inquiry. It’s an opportunity to reclaim your own self-sustainability, to learn how to work with the cycles of the earth, and to remember the knowledge that already lives within you.
As we step into spring, the first plant we will be working with to awaken our senses and align with the season is Calendula. This golden healer teaches us about renewal, warmth, and the power of tending to ourselves with care.
If you feel the call to deepen your relationship with nature, yourself, and the art of tending, I invite you to join us.
Then deepen your wisdom of Calendual to get a head start...
Calendula (Calendula officinalis) :: Botanical Monograph**
Common Names: Pot Marigold, Gold Bloom, Mary’s Gold
Family: Asteraceae
Origin & Cultivation:
Native to southern Europe, Calendula is now grown worldwide as a beloved garden flower and medicinal herb. It thrives in well-drained soil and full sun, with bright orange or yellow petals that bloom continuously through the warmer months.
Traditional & Modern Uses:
• Skin Healing: Calendula is renowned for its ability to soothe and repair skin, making it a key ingredient in salves, lotions, and oils for wounds, burns, eaczema, and rashes.
• Lymphatic Support: Helps stimulate lymphatic drainage, supporting detoxification and immune health.
• Anti-Inflammatory: Contains flavonoids and triterpenoids that reduce inflammation internally and externally.
• Digestive Aid: Supports gut health by soothing the digestive tract and aiding in the healing of ulcers and leaky gut.
• Energetics: Calendula is a warming and gently drying herb, often associated with the solar plexus and heart, bringing warmth, comfort, and resilience.
Ways to Work with Calendula:
• Teas & Infusions – A gentle way to support digestion and lymphatic flow.
• Oils & Salves – Infused calendula oil is deeply nourishing for the skin.
• Baths & Compresses – A soothing addition to self-care rituals for relaxation and skin healing.
• Tinctures & Elixirs – Used internally for digestive and immune support.
Calendula teaches us the art of gentle resilience—offering both warmth and protection while guiding us toward deep nourishment and healing.
Take a moment to PIN THIS for your spring garden
About Jessy Raspiller
Jessy Raspiller is a guide in the art of sacred self-care, weaving together aromatherapy, somatics, and nature-based rituals to support deep nourishment and vitality. With a passion for seasonal living and plant medicine, she helps others align with the rhythms of life through intentional practices. Explore more of her work and join her in reconnecting to the wisdom of the natural world. [Learn more →]
**Please use caution when introducing new herbs. Never blindly take herbal remedies without learning more about their constitutions and contraindications. It’s important to consult with your medical professionals to ensure that herbal allys you’re curious about will best support your overall well-being. Please also know that Eucalptus can be toxic to your pets. Use with caution in their presence.
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