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Making calendula oil is a simple way to enhance our homemade healing salves. The plant is easy to grow and adds beautiful color to our garden as well as attracting the bees.
There are many different ways to make Calendula oil. This is how I prefer to do it.
You will need:
I start by collecting the flowers each day by popping the tops right off the plant. It's going to leave your hand sticky which tells you how great the properties of it are. The more you pluck the flowers, the more they will grow.
Bring your flowers in to completely dry. You can leave them on a shelf for a couple of weeks or you can use a dehydrator to speed up the process.
This next part is optional. Often times I use the whole flower and other times I use just the pedals. There are more health benefits in the entire plant but if you'd just like to use the pedals, it's easy to separate.
You will take the completely dried pedals and pluck them into a clean jar.
If you are working with a bulk amount, it is easier to put all the flowers into a container and rub the flowers in between your hands. The pedals will fall right off and then you can remove all the stems or any pedals that are wet still.
Next up is the oil. Take a clean jar and fill it half way with the dried pedals you just plucked or with the dried full flower. Add olive oil (or whichever oil you choose to infuse with) all the way to the top. Put on a lid, write the date, and put it on a shelf for the next 6 weeks. Shake it around daily to stir it up.
Your final step will be to take the jar that's been sitting for 6 weeks and strain it into a clean jar. I use this funnel.
Put a lid on your Calendula Infused Olive Oil and store it in your pantry.
Here are some of the ways we use it:
Home made healing salve - fantastic for skin ailments
Salad Dressing
Drink it in a tea (just the dried pedals, not the oil)- great for digestive issues.
Calendula oil has antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antibacterial properties that might make it useful in healing wounds, soothing eczema, and relieving diaper rash. It's also used as an antiseptic.
Here is a video of the process.