Like rich sunshine, vivid and cheerful, the Calendula flower is as optimistic as it looks. Emily Pacheco, owner and founder of Em’s Herbals in Bellingham, has formulated the friendly and formidable flower into a salve and oil that both provide relief to some of the most vulnerable members in our community.
“We want to educate folks on what the benefits are and why this is such a great product,” says Pacheco. “We use certified organic Calendula flowers grown here in Whatcom County.”
Creating Calendula Salve and Oil
Pacheco’s process is wholesome with a mind for natural and organic ingredients. “We take the flower and infuse it into organic sunflower and jojoba oil for a minimum of three weeks”, Pacheco says. “There isn’t any heat applied that could damage the properties of the plant. It’s been expeller pressed and we hand press it so there’s no mechanical force used in the extraction process. What you get is a very simple, very effective, beautiful oil.”
With the oil, Pacheco creates a salve for those who prefer a more solid structure to the healing agent. “The salve is super simple, it only has four ingredients — five if you include the two oils we make the Calendula oil with,” Pacheco says. “The ingredients [for the salve] are infused Calendula oil, organic Shea butter, organic beeswax, and organic coconut oil.” It’s formulated for folks with sensitive skin, and contains no hidden fragrances or preservatives.
Pacheco’s calendula salve is one of the most important creations from Calendula oil that Em’s Herbals offers. It has an incredible host of powerful properties and is astonishingly impactful for healing and pain management.
Mothers in Mind
The sustainable and clean Calendula products were originally formulated mainly for mothers and babies, a special interest of Pacheco’s, and for nursing mothers to heal things like chapped nipples. “You can also use [Calendula salve] for postpartum [baby care], and during labor for peritoneal massage,” says Pacheco. “When the baby is born, it’s great for helping remove meconium — the sticky, tar-like substance the baby passes as its first bowel movement.”
Not only is the salve gentle, it’s also antimicrobial and antibacterial. “In the herbal world we call wound healing vulnerary,” says Pacheco. “If there’s any tearing during the birthing process, that’s a very healing substance to have, especially if used during the peritoneal massage.”
Calendula salve can also be used on baby’s pesky cradle cap, painful diaper rash, and for relaxing massage after bathing the baby. “It’s also great for eczema, newborn or adult,” Pacheco says. “It’s great for sensitive skin because there isn’t anything in it that’s unknown that would cause an outbreak or allergic reaction.”
Aside from the Calendula oil and salve, Pacheco has created a whole line of products for mother and baby care that includes teas and cocoa butter salve.
Powerful Properties
Pacheco was pleasantly surprised to find a multitude of other uses for the dazzling bloom. “You can use it on sunburn, and they’ve been doing studies on Calendula and dermatitis caused by radiation treatment for folks who have had breast cancer specifically,” says Pacheco. Women who have used calendula salve and oil have fewer skin issues and don’t have to interrupt radiation treatment. “And the pain associated with the radiation treatment is reduced as compared to the other pharmaceutical ointments. I’ve heard this in testimonials from my customers.”
The positive effect calendula salve has had on pain and healing during and after radiation treatments is a game changer for women dealing with breast cancer. Finding a natural and effective way to help cancer patients in pain is vital to Pacheco.
The salve can also come in handy with little ones who tend to find themselves with tiny scrapes and skinned knees.
“It’s got all these antioxidants properties, anthocyanins, and proanthocyanins that give the flower that vibrant orange color,” Pacheco says. “And you can use the flower itself for so many different things. It has an affinity for epithelial tissue — skin tissue.” A tea can be applied to help cleanse and heal pink eye and other bacterial infections, like boils and athlete’s foot.
“It is just such an amazing plant,” says Pacheco. “It’s a gentle, ubiquitous, friendly, happy plant because it looks like sunshine, and it grows so easily. It’s just kind of like a friend for so many different reasons.”
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