Calendula is one of those multipurpose herbs that belongs in everyone’s emergency kit. Known for its abilities as a wound healer, pain reliever, anti-inflammatory and for its antimicrobial and anti-fungal properties, calendula is a powerful ally when it comes to helping the body balance back into health.
Learn more about the uses of calendula here.
There are several ways to administer calendula, including as a lotion, which works particularly well for wounds.
Since calendula tincture contains alcohol (tinctures are usually alcohol extracts of an herb), it shouldn’t be applied directly to damaged skin because alcohol interferes with wound healing, according to Will Falconer DVM.
This is where the lotion comes in. This is easily made by adding the tincture to a homemade saline solution, says Falconer.
Calendula Lotion Quick Recipe
“Normal saline is the concentration of salt that all of us mammals have in our blood, which hovers around 0.9 percent,” says Falconer.
Saline Recipe:
- Add 1/4 teaspoon of table salt to one cup of purified water.
Calendula Lotion Recipe:
- One cup of normal saline (1/4 teaspoon salt + one cup purified water)
- 20-40 drops of calendula tincture
Application:
Use clean cotton balls to sponge the calendula lotion onto a wound or drip or gently flush it through an incised wound two to four times a day.
Wounds that calendula lotion could help include those that bled a lot and/or look like pus is starting to form or has already formed; also wounds that appear inflamed and have raw red edges.
“It provides natural germ-killing properties as well as stimulating cell reproduction that [aids] rapid healing and repair,” says Falconer.
So keep some calendula on hand for the next time your dog gets a bit too rambunctious and ends up with a wound. It’s definitely one for the first aid kit.
