Essential Herbal Remedies - Calendula

Calendula is one of the most useful herbs you can have in your pet’s medicine box. Calendula tea, made from the dried flowers of Calendula officinalis (or marigold), can be used to help with a wide range of health conditions.

Prepared appropriately, calendula tea is:

- anti-inflammatory (reduces swelling and redness)

- antioxidant (helps prevent cell damage by removing oxidizing toxins)

- antispasmodic (relieves involuntary muscle contractions)

- astringent (reduces swelling by shrinking or constricting tissues)

- anti-microbial (fights infection)

- vulnerary (promotes wound healing)

- lymphatic (activates the flow of lymph, a fluid containing white blood cells, throughout the body)

Calendula tea is made by pouring 250ml of boiling water over 1 teaspoon of dried calendula flowers, and leaving the solution to infuse for 10 minutes before straining. This solution can then be left to cool naturally or placed in the fridge. It can be refrigerated for up to 3 days.

Please make sure to seek veterinary advice before trying any herbal remedy. It is vital to have the correct diagnosis for your pet before starting treatment - for example, a ulcer on the eye is very different to allergic conjunctivitis and the treatments are completely different.

Calendula tea can be used for:

- allergic eye disease - soak a cotton wool ball in the cold tea to bathe the eye up to six times daily initially. Its can then be used as a maintenance treatment twice daily.

- allergic skin disease - wipe the affected skin with the cold tea as needed up to three times daily. In case of a severe flare, a t-shirt can be soaked in the tea and placed on your pet for an hour.

- upper respiratory disease, including upper respiratory tract infections and allergic respiratory disease - the warm or cold tea can be drunk or added to wet food once daily

- cleansing superficial wounds - use the cold tea to bathe the wound twice daily.

Birds and rabbits can also be fed the dried flowers directly, giving one teaspoon a day mixed with their regular food, to help with respiratory conditions.

Word of caution! Like any other plant some pets can be allergic to calendula. if you notice the skin or eyes are more red and inflamed stop using the tea immediately.