Marigold tea, also known as calendula tea, is one of the easiest herbal teas to get started with if you’re interested in herbal medicine. These bright orange and yellow flowers are responsible for treating many ailments when used in tea.
Marigold tea is a tea made from the dried blossoms of the pot marigold plant, a garden plant commonly grown worldwide. Marigold tea benefits are numerous: it is full of antioxidants and anti-inflammatory properties when ingested. When used topically, marigold tea can treat skin irritation like eczema.
If you’re just getting started in making herbal teas, marigold tea is a great place to begin. Keep reading to learn more about marigold tea and its medicinal properties.
What Is Marigold Tea Made of?
Marigold tea is brewed from pot marigold, also known as Calendula officinalis. Because of this marigold tea is also known as calendula tea. Marigolds go by other names too, such as ruddles, common marigold, and Scotch marigold.
Marigolds are known for their brightly-colored flowers in shades of orange and yellow. These hardy plants grow well in many climates, making them a great starter plant for budding herbalists.
Marigold tea is made out of the dried blossoms of the marigold plant. The leaves, roots, and seeds of the marigold plant are also edible. Marigolds can be used in teas and eaten raw in salads.
Marigold Tea Benefits
One of the reasons marigold tea is so popular as an herbal remedy is because it can treat various minor ailments and injuries. This versatility makes it a popular addition to any herbalist’s apothecary.
Here are just a few of the conditions marigold tea is used to treat:
- Digestive issues: Marigold tea is a mild laxative and is used to treat several illnesses involving the stomach like indigestion, menstrual cramps, and stomach ulcers. Because marigold is an anti-inflammatory, it can help alleviate digestive conditions associated with inflammation, such as diverticulitis.
- Skin conditions: When marigold tea is applied as a poultice on the skin, it can be used to treat skin conditions such as dermatitis, eczema, and bruises. However, it’s more common for the marigold plant to be applied as a salve for skin conditions.
- Headache relief: As a tincture or tea, marigold tea can help alleviate the tension headaches associated with stress.
- Sleep aid: Marigold tea helps encourage restful sleep since it induces relaxation and reduces the inflammatory aches and pains that can keep people tossing and turning at night.
Since the Calendula officinalis variety of marigold is perfectly edible and safe to eat, it can be safely used to treat many minor medical issues as a home remedy.
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Marigold Tea Side Effects
Although they are rare, there can be some potential risks of marigold tea:
- Allergic reaction when applied to the skin
- Interactions with some sedatives
- Women who are pregnant or nursing should talk to their doctor before consuming
How to Make Marigold Tea
Before you begin, make sure you’re using the correct variety of marigold. Marigold tea is brewed using the dried flowers of the Calendula officinalis marigold plant. To brew a pot, follow this marigold tea recipe from Wellness Mama:
- Bring a cup of water to a boil.
- Add one tablespoon of dried marigold blossoms to a tea infuser. Pour over one cup of boiling water and let it steep for 10-12 minutes.
- Remove the infuser. Your tea is ready to drink!
Marigold flowers are easy to find in health food stores and online. Remember the type of marigold used for tea is also called calendula, so that may be easier to find on a label.
If you’re using fresh marigolds to make marigold tea, you can prepare the blossoms for the tea in two ways. You can either dry your washed marigold blossoms in a food dehydrator, or you can allow them to air dry at room temperature.
For a dehydrator, ensure that the dehydrator doesn’t exceed 95F to avoid damaging the medicinal properties of the plant.
For air-drying, be sure that the blossoms are kept in a dark, well-ventilated, clean place where they won’t develop mold as they dry. Note that air-drying marigold blossoms takes longer than doing it in a dehydrator.
Can You Grow Marigold Tea?
A useful aspect of marigold tea is that you don’t have to buy it in the store. Marigolds are a plant that is easy to grow from seed in your own backyard.
If you’re using marigolds for medicinal purposes, it’s a good idea to grow your own. That way you can ensure that the marigolds are grown organically and they aren’t exposed to pesticides or other contaminants which might render them inedible.
Below you’ll find a chart for the growing conditions you need to meet to grow pot marigold for medicinal tea.
Marigold Growing Requirements
| Sun Requirements | Full sun to part shade (does best outdoors) |
| Soil Requirements | Well-drained, rich soil |
| Soil pH Requirements | 6.0 – 7.0 |
| Bed Spacing | Place plants 8 – 12 inches apart. |
| Harvest Time | May through September (plants will continually rebloom if dead blooms are removed) |
Marigolds are an extremely hardy plant, so they can be grown in many different zones. Even in zones that are too cold for marigolds, the plants can still be grown indoors under grow lamps.
Marigold Tea Is a Smart Addition to Your Herbal Arsenal
Marigold tea is one of the easiest plants that herbalists can start with when it comes to preparing plants they’ve grown themselves. Preparing marigolds for tea, tinctures, and salves can teach herbalists all the basics they need to know for preparing other kinds of medicinal flowers, too. Marigold tea is definitely a tea you should add to your herbal tea collection.
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