Calendula (Calendula officinalis), has several aliases, like pot calendula, pot marigold, Garden Marigold, Gold-Bloom, Holligold, Marigold, Marybud, and Zergul. It has an orange or yellow flower and is native to the Mediterranean area.

Calendula got its name because it blooms every new moon. The name “marigold” refers to the Virgin Mary, and the flower is often used in Catholic events that honor her. With a name like marigold, some probably think they can use the annual flowers from their garden. That is probably either French marigold or African marigold and is a totally different species.

For those who like the technical facts, Calendula Flowers contain these medicinal ingredients: calendulin, beta-carotene and other carotenoids, isoquercitrin, narcissin, rutin, amyrin, lupeol, sterols, and volatile oils. The flowers also contain complex polysaccharides with properties that stimulate immunity.

Calendula can be taken internally or externally. Internally, calendula is especially used for gastrointestinal disorders. It protects the lining of the stomach and intestines by inhibiting the causes of swelling and inflammation, and by limiting the effects of the bacteria associated with gastritis, peptic ulcers, and stomach cancer. Taken orally calendula has been used to sooth stomach ulcers and inflammation. Some report it to be effective in fighting fever, boils, abscesses, and recurrent vomiting.

External uses are related to the antibacterial and anti-inflammatory qualities of calendula’s orange petals. These two traits have made this flower a popular treatment for a host of bodily infections. Some feel it is as effective in treating ear infections as some leading prescription drugs. Try using calendula tea to wash eyes suffering from chronic conjunctivitis (pink eye). As an ointment, it will both soothe the inflammation and reduce it by attacking the bacteria causing the swelling. It is also effective in treating other inflammations. These include hemorrhoids, vaginal itching caused by menopausal tissue changes, insect bites, diaper rash, acne, burns, scalds, eczema, and sunburn.

By using this herb on infections, healing is more pain-free, better, and faster. Cosmetic creams use calendula to lessen the appearance of wrinkles and hydrate skin. Gargling with calendula water or tea may ease the pain of a sore throat.

Calendula is also recommended for use in treating varicose veins, chronic ulcers, capillary engorgement, and congestion. Calendula flowers are edible, and may be added to salads or cooked foods. They can also be dried for use in teas. Calendula adds flavor and color to cereals, rice, and soups.

Calendula may be purchased whole flowers at a bulk herbs store. To make calendula tea, simply pour about a cup of boiling water over 1-2 teaspoons of calendula flowers and let sit for 15 minutes. Calendula tea may be taken 3 times per day. Calendula tincture, which can be taken with water or tea, can be taken 3 times a day (in doses of 1-2 ml). To make calendula tincture, soak a cup of flowers in .5 quarts of rectified alcohol for 5 to 6 weeks. A tincture dose is 5 to 15 drops. To create a calendula salve for external application, boil 1 oz of dried flowers or leaves with 1 oz lard.

Calendula is one of the safest bulk herbs. The only known reactions are in people with ragweed allergy. Do not use tincture on wounds as the alcohol base will burn the raw tissue. Be sure wounds are cleaned before applying calendula.

How to Use Herbs

When preparing your next meal, rather then using the traditional seasonings of salt and pepper consider using the flavor of herbs for cooking that next food meal. When utilizing herbs for cooking not only will you enhance the meal and add to the flavor of that particular meal, but you will be eating better as well. Those health benefits include the antioxidants gained from using herbs for cooking that favorite meal of your family.

Imagine the flavor of your next roasted chicken as it is deliciously prepared with rosemary. Combined with lemon your chicken will take on a whole new flavor and will retain its moisture even when next used as leftovers. Or what would your Mexican dishes be without cilantro being added to provide that uniqueness to the meal.

Good Advice

Selecting herbs for cooking is dependent upon a number of considerations. Those considerations include which herbs to use that bring out the flavor of the food that you are preparing. The second consideration is the timing involved when selecting the herbs for cooking. When selecting the right herbs for cooking there are some standard herbs that the cook can use when preparing certain dishes. For example basil goes well with recipes that utilize tomatoes and are especially good when preparing meals that include the use of pasta. Also, rosemary is especially flavorful when cooking such meat products as chicken, fish, pork, or lamb.

It is good to experiment with herbs by trying a selection of herbs in different food dishes to see how the flavor is enhanced or changed. In addition, you can try a combination of herbs in different recipes to see if there is a nice blend of flavors. When selecting herbs for cooking it is important to make sure that your herbs are as fresh as possible. Therefore, if taking them from your garden, in preparation for the meal that day, pick them in the early morning. They should be selected in that timeframe following the evaporation of the morning dew and before they are subjected to the afternoon sun.

Washing Your Herbs

As with all food products, prior to preparation, herbs for cooking should be rinsed with freshwater. Following the Washing of the herbs make sure that you remove all excess water. This can be done by gently shaking the herbs and then patting the leaves dry by using a paper towel.

Herbs for Preparing a Meal

When preparing the herbs to be added to the food meal, it is important to cut the herbs into small pieces. This process can be accomplished by using cooking scissors or a sharpened knife. The use of a food processor is not recommended as a processor will, if the operator is not careful, mince the leaves of the herb too finely and form a mixture rather then keeping the herbs for cooking in small pieces.

Adding the Herbs to the meal

Timing is everything and this axiom holds true when utilizing herbs for cooking. When the herbs are added to the food meal is dependent upon the herb that is selected. For example, the more delicate the herb, the later this herb is added to the food cooking process. Examples of delicate herbs are basil, cilantro, parsley, mint, etc.

Hardier herbs, such as dill seeds, rosemary, thyme, tarragon, etc., withstand the cooking process easier. Therefore, these particular herbs for cooking can be added in during the last 20 minutes or so of the cooking process.

Free Recipes Online
Browsing the Internet is one easy way to get Free Online Recipes. You can make this by doing a number of methods. First, you can try to look for Free Online Recipes by doing a search. Go to your favorite search engines and input “free online recipes”. You will be surprised at how many recipes will be generated.

Another way you can have to find Free Online Recipes is by visiting the websites of your favorite magazines or of online cooking experts you know. Magazines that focus mostly on women and family will likely always have a few new recipes in weekly basis on their sites, which can be very helpful to those seeking out the newest free online recipes.

Top Secret Recipes
So, instead of spending out thirty dollars for the newest recipe book each time you start craving Secret Recipes, simply navigate online and perform some research. You will discover that you can even input a specific meat and get the results of new recipes containing that meat. It is wonderful and fun to acquire so much for no cost at all and start cooking in ways you never realized before.

Without a doubt surfing for Free Online Recipes is absolutely easy because you can find a recipe in a matter of seconds. While several use a search engine like Google for their recipe research, most people often prefer visiting directly to their favorite recipe websites that include vast databases of recipe selections.

Another benefit you can get when you do online research is that, there are many ways you can find the Secret Recipes. Yes, some cooking experts give their Secret Recipes and you can take advantage on these. You can find e-books that have many top secret recipe for you to make and cook right in the comfort of your own kitchen.

Tips For Cooking
Additional benefit of surfing online is that, this way gives you a chance to find some Tips For Cooking from expert that will surely enhance your cooking ability. There are free cooking tips resources that you can avail, in fact.

Some cooking experts not only divulge their secrets but they provide comprehensive Tips For Cooking which you can utilize when you do your own cooking. This is a great raining ground to achieve skill improvement in cooking. Of course, there is always a room to learn new ideas when it comes to cooking and this really true especially when you are given comprehensive Tips For Cooking by experts online.

Make your next meal tastier by adding herbs as well as the traditional salt and pepper. You might even get adventurous and leave the salt and pepper out! The benefit is not only a better tasting dish but you will also benefit from the healthy properties of the herbs chosen. Many herbs have antioxidants and many have been associated throughout the ages with special healing and preventative elements.

Try using some herbs in your next roasted chicken. As an example, I use a combination of sage, lemon and garlic, and use rosemary in the roasted potatoes and the whole family asks for more! The best part is that even the leftovers, if there are any; retain a lovely moisture and flavor. I also keep the bones and use them to make a really delicious stock for soups or to add that extra richness to a sauce to be used over the next roast chicken.

How about cilantro in a Mexican bean dish or in a taco mix? Nothing better!

How to Select the Right Herbs

Now, selecting your favorite and appropriate herbs can be an extremely rewarding experiment. You know, I don’t remember ever having a disaster even in my most experimental phases! Naturally you have to use some common sense, but this usually means choosing what your guests or family like or dislike. Having said that though, I have found that introducing some new herbs into a dish everyone likes is a great way for the kids to learn about new herbs.

My daughter used to hate tomatoes and still does; but when I made a delicious tomato sauce to use in a Bolognese with sage and thyme, which she loves, made her develop a liking for tomatoes, at least in one dish. I just couldn’t bear thinking that she could live her whole life without using tomatoes!

There is widespread belief that some herbs go ‘naturally’ with some food, like garlic and onion, rosemary and potatoes, and chives and butter. But, I find it really rewarding to try things for myself, in fact I once tried chili and chocolate because I read about it somewhere and even to my surprise it was fantastic.

Let your imagination run wild! But just remember one thing, fresh is best. It is not always possible to use fresh herbs and it may depend on the season and where you live. I use dried herbs sparingly and usually only when I’ve dried them myself. This means that I grow them myself too so I guess I’m a bit of a fanatic, but honestly I believe it is what sets a good cook apart from an excellent cook. Your friends will come to see that even though you use the same recipe as them, your will taste that little bit better! Your reputation will spread far and wide! But I also believe that once you start to make the effort to use fresh herbs it is a sign of your development into a caring cook who always wants to produce the best. Herbs bring out the best in you!

Using Your Herbs

Of course it is important to follow some simple guidelines when using fresh herbs. If you have grown them yourself and have raised them organically, that is without using pesticides or chemicals, you can just give them a light rinse under water, otherwise you will need to careful to give them a good drenching to remove any residue. In both cases however it is vital to remove all excess water using a salad spinner or just giving them a good shake being careful not to damage them unnecessarily.  Use paper towel if necessary.

Preparing the Herbs

Always use a very sharp knife to cut herbs into small pieces not by using a blender except where the recipe demands it, for example in a sauce preparation.
Adding the Herbs to the Dish

As a rule of thumb, always add the herbs to the dish according to their strength. Strong herbs, like rosemary and chilies can be added earlier whereas delicate herbs like coriander, basil and cilantro should be added towards the end process.

My rule is that 20 minutes for hard/strong herbs and 5 minutes for the lighter ones. Most recipes will indicate this but it is best to keep in the back of your mind.