The Skin Healing Properties of the Pot Marigold Plant

The lovely golden flowers of the pot marigold plant are not just nice to look at--they also contain many healing properties. These golden flowers have long been a favorite of many traditional herbalists. One herbal diary dating back to the 12th century recommends that simply gazing upon the beautiful pot marigold flowers can help clear the head, improve one's eyesight, and encourage one's soul to feel cheerful again. It was once also highly prized as a treatment of smallpox and measles. These days it is still widely in use in many patent homeopathic remedies. Herbalists as slightly bitter have described the character of this lovely plant, drying, pungent, and gently cooling. The plants constituents include saponins, flavonoids, bitter principles, mucilage, essential oils, steroidal compounds and resins. The plant has known actions: it is an astringent, an antiseptic, and a menstrual regulator helps many stimulate bile production, an anti-fungal, an anti-inflammatory, and helps heal wounds.

The petals of the pot marigold can be applied to the skin externally to treat a variety of skin problems and inflammations. The petals can also be taken internally to treat a variety of gynecological, toxic and feverish conditions. They have also been used in the past to move liver energies. Some recent studies have even shown that the petals of the pot marigold plant may also be active against HIV. Traditional herbalists recommend that the petals of the marigold plant be harvested from early summer until late fall.

The essential oil derived from the pot marigold plant has been shown to be an effective treatment for vaginal yeast infections. The oil of the pot marigold plant is also used on the skin some times as a treatment of skin infections.

There are many ways to prepare the pot marigold plant's petals to make several kinds of herbal remedies. One of the best and easiest ways to prepare the petals is through the method of infusion. Infuse the petals in hot water and make a hot tea to treat menopausal problems, to ease the pain of menstruation, and to treat gastritis. You can also use the pot marigold petal infusion to treat inflammation of the esophagus.

The pot marigold plant can also be used to make a tincture from the plant's petals. The tincture can be used to treat stagnant liver problems, to improve sluggish digestion, to battle menstrual disorders, and to help regulate irregular or painful menstruation periods. The petals of the pot marigold plant can also be placed in a compress pad that can be used to treat slow-healing wounds or varicose ulcers. You can also make a cream from the pot marigold petals that can help alleviate the symptoms of dry skin or inflammation. Marigold petal cream can also be applied to sunburn, scalds, wounds, dry eczema, or nipples sore from breastfeeding.

The essential oil from the pot marigold plant can also be used as a vaginal suppository, but must be diluted in order to treat yeast infections. It can also be used as a bathe oil to relieve the symptoms of anxiety or depression.