Calendula

Calendula officinalis is the smell of sunshine with its sunny flowers that are magnets for pollinators. This is a herb that I would class as being unfussy about where it grows, if it's a bit on the wet or dry or windy side, it still thrives without much care. I have to love a plant like that. The petals are delicious in salads, egg dishes or sprinkled on icing for decoration. I love their bright colour in foods.

The flowers are the medicinal part of the plant. You will often find calendula oil made from these sunshiney flowers in soaps, creams, balms and ointments. It is has been known for millennia for its wound healing and soothing support for irritated and dry skin. It also has antifungal and antiviral properties. Other topical applications for it are insect bites, haemorrhoids, varicose veins, cold sores, acne and many parents would say it's a wonderful addition to baby's nappy creams.

Internally, Calendula has an affinity for the lympathic system and as an antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory and stypic, meaning it has been used for peptic ulcers, acne and swollen lymph glands.

You can make a herbal oil from Calendula petals just how you can from St John’s wort flowers. Pack a glass jar with fresh or dried petals and cover with organic olive oil. Shake several times a day to prevent mould. Steep for a month on a sunny windowsill. Drain and squeeze out all of that lovely golden oil into an opaque glass bottle and keep away from the light and heat.