Calendula officinalis and Wound Healing: A Systematic Review

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Author(s): 
Matthew J. Leach, PhD, BN(Hons), ND, RN, MATMS

     Whether acute or chronic, wounds can compromise an individual’s wellbeing, self-image, working capacity, and independence.1 These financial, social, and physical implications suggest that good wound management is necessary not only for the individual, but also for the community. While appropriate wound management by qualified healthcare professionals is an integral part of treatment success, dressing choice and specification is equally important. As previously argued, wound-healing agents should adhere to certain specifications. It has been suggested that these agents should facilitate granulation and collagen formation; promote normal immunity; debride wound slough and necrotic tissue; minimize microbial colonization; alleviate pain; and facilitate angiogenesis and tissue perfusion.2 From a clinical perspective, an ideal wound dressing should also be cost-effective, produce minimal patient discomfort, and be easily applied and removed. However, few dressings satisfy all these criteria, although many therapies from the field of complementary and alternative medicine, particularly plant extracts, come close to resembling an ideal wound-healing agent. Such agents include aloe, Calendula, Gotu kola, Echinacea, St. John’s Wort, and Comfrey.3 Of these plants, traditional and laboratory evidence points toward Calendula as being the most favorable wound healing extract to date.

     

Background

Description of Calendula.      Calendula officinalis, or pot marigold, is a common garden plant belonging to the Compositae family. Native to Southern Europe, Calendula grows up to 60 cm in height and produces large yellow or orange flowers.4–6 The flowers are the part of the herb used medicinally,6–8 either in the form of infusions, tinctures, liquid extracts, creams or ointments, or in one of a number of skin and hair products available over-the-counter across the globe.9

     Indications and actions.      For centuries, Calendula flowers have been used to treat a number of clinical conditions, specifically, the treatment of dermatological disorders (Table 1). Whilst the many chemical constituents within Calendula and the numerous actions of the plant (Table 2) suggest that Calendula may be effective in treating a myriad of complaints, there is currently insufficient clinical evidence to support the use of pot marigold in conditions other than cutaneous lesions.

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