Medieval herb garden blog 67: Marigold

Marigolds are native to Southern Europe. They are bushy, annual plants with aromatic leaves and orange daisy-like flowers. They grow to a height of 2ft (0.6 m) with a spread of up to 18 inches (46 cm).

They can grow in any well-drained soil, in full to partial shade. The alternate leaves are oblong-lanceolate, hairy on both sides, with entire or slightly toothed margins.

Marigolds typically flower from June to September. However, in the Medieval Herb Garden we have had them in flower from April through to the following February.

The flowers can be 1 to 1.5 inches (2.5 to 4 cm) across. They comprise of yellow-to-orange daisy-like ray florets with central, tubular disk florets.

Only the orange varieties can be used for medicinal purposes.

The fragrance of marigolds has been said to be “reminiscent of crushed leaves, dried hay, and honey”.

Historically, the plant was used for both its colour and its flavour. Marigolds have a mild sweet taste that is slightly bitter. As they dry, the flavours become more intense.

They were used for dumplings, wine, soups, stews, poultry and puddings. They were often cooked with spinach or used to flavour stewed birds.

Marigold is also known as "poor man's saffron". Its petals can be used fresh in salads or dried and used to colour cheese or as a substitute for saffron.

Calendula produces soft yellows, golds, and khakis.

Fresh or dried flowers are simmered to extract pigment. They are often mordanted with alum for brighter shades.

Ancient Romans and Greeks used marigolds in many rituals and ceremonies. They would sometimes wear crowns or garlands made from the flowers.

Calendula flowers are sacred flowers in India. They have been used to decorate the statues of Hindu deities since early times.

In the Mexican Día de los Muertos (Day of the Dead) marigolds are believed to guide souls back home. In China, due to their golden colour, they symbolize wealth, prosperity, and longevity.

In the Middle Ages, they were used in love charms and added to pillows to inspire prophetic dreams.

One potion from the 1500s containing marigolds claimed to reveal fairies.

The marigold was believed to have enhanced healing properties at midsummer. It could remove the potency of witches. A wreath of marigolds hung over the door was also said to ward off demons.

If not open early in the morning, the Welsh believed a storm was coming. The closing of the petals often signified forthcoming rain.

Marigolds are used in oils, creams, salves, and lotions for skin hydration and repair.

Beneficial insects and pollinators are: bees, hoverflies, ladybirds, lacewings, butterflies and parasitic wasps.

Marigold is often used as a companion plant. It attracts pests away from more sensitive vegetables, such as tomatoes, cucumbers, and beans. The common pests are: aphids, whiteflies, thrips, slugs and snails, blister beetles, and ants.

Marigold was not a major medicinal herb. However, it was used historically to treat a wide range of maladies. These include headaches, plague, pestilent fevers, wounds, skin inflammations, liver and stomach ulcers, jaundice, and oral infections. It was even used to soothe toothaches!

The doctrine of signatures indicated that as the flowers resembled the pupil of the eye, it was good for eye disorders. The famous English herbalist William Cole (1626-62) wrote that "the distilled water helpeth red and watery eyes, being washed therewith, which it does by Signature."

It was also considered a "warming" herb that could strengthen the heart and combat melancholy.

*As always, this isn't to be considered medical advice today. Please don't use any plants mentioned in these blogs as medicine without advice from a doctor.