Calendula officinalis

Common Name: Pot Marigold

Calendula flowers have a long history amongst traditional herbal remedies.

An infusion was used as a herbal cure in times past as an antiseptic.

The flowers, infused into oil and then made into an ointment or salve, were used for healing cuts, grazes, burns and fungal infections.

Today it remains one of the most popular herbal remedies for wounds and is often used in scarless healing formulas.

Many women report calendula ointment to be soothing when applied topically if they have thrush.

Mothers looking for herbal remedies for school sores also find calendula ointment very useful.

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Get a naturopath or herbalist onto the topic of the importance of a healthy bowel and you could quite easily be there all day…. Suffice to say, if your lower bowel (colon) is all clogged up, it isn’t good for your health. In the simplest terms, your digestive tract is one long tube. The top half (stomach and small intestine) allow you to absorb nutrients from your food. The lower part (the large intestine or colon) reabsorbs water from the undigested mass of food left, ahead of you eliminating the waste products. Food is supposed to pass through our body in eight hours, with a bowel movement after each meal being a sign of ideal bowel health. Even if you “go” every day, you might be excreting a meal from several days (or weeks) ago. A sign that this may be the case for you is if your tummy gets quite bloated after you eat.

A good way to find out your “transit time” – how long food takes to pass through your digestive tract – is to do this: Eat a meal containing corn. Note the time and date of this meal. Don’t eat any more corn until the corn you ate reappears at the other end. Count up how long since you ate it. This is your transit time. Eight hours is excellent. If your transit time is more than this your bowel could do with cleanse at least once a year. Anything over 24 hours is worriesome and you need to take action to get it back on track. A long transit time leaves waste products in your bowel too long, and can lead to toxins being reabsorbed into your bloodstream – with your liver, kidneys, lymphatic system and skin left with the job of getting rid of them.

If your colon is not emptying properly, eventually this will affect the small intestine too. Low grade nausea and indigestion can be a symptom of this. Imagine a long narrow pipe. What happens if the bottom end gets clogged up? Does the top end start backing up too? If your small intestine, where you absorb nutrients, begins to clog up, no matter how much organic food or how many supplements you take, very little of the goodness they contain can be taken up by your body. This can lead to tiredness and lethagy.

In days past we used to eat a lot more wholegrain foods, which moved through our bowel better. We also were in the habit of regular fasting, something quite out of fashion these days, which is a shame because fasting gives your bowel a rest from digesting food, and gives it an opportunity to clean itself out. Fasting also allows the rest of your body to cleanse itself. It takes a lot of energy to digest food, and while you are fasting this energy can be used for cleansing and healing. Simple practices like fasting and cleansing are extremely powerful and we all need to be doing them more often.

Autopsies have shown that the average adult in western society has 6kg of undigested meat in their colon. Meat that is not grown organically often contains quite a bit of synthetic oestrogen. It goes without saying that this has the potential to disrupt your hormones if it sits in your body for any length of time. I call oestrogen dominance “the root of all (hormonal) evil”. Irregular, painful, heavy and absent periods can often be traced back to this single cause. As can a lot of fibrocystic breast lumps, prementrual breast tenderness, PCOS, fibroids, endometriosis, early puberty, bad menopause and infertility. Much of my clinical practice involves reversing oestrogen dominance. A good bowel cleanse is always part of the solution.

A top of the line cleanse involves some fasting. Believe me when I say, its not as hard as you think it will be (and well worth the effort). Most of my clients have reported  glowing skin, improved vitality, a tendency to eat less (and more nutritious) food, reduced cellulite, and ongoing weight loss after doing this program.

My favourite bowel cleanse is ‘The Colon Cleansing Kit’ which contains Digestive Stimulator herbal capsules (to get your bowel moving three times a day), Toxin Absorber (to remove mucoid plaque build-up and old hardened faeces from the bowel wall), detailed instructions, a FAQ booklet, and a calender telling you exactly what to do each day. This makes it really easy follow, even if you have never done anything like this before.

BUY Colon Cleanse

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Mange in dogs is caused by parasite infection from tiny (invisible to the naked eye) louse-like mites that bury benath the skin where they breed and cause intense skin irritation.

The affected area turns grey, fur is lost, the skin erupts, is wet in appearance and there is an unpleasant smell.

Common places for mange to occur include the back and the top of the neck.

Management of mange:

• Bathe your dog weekly with natural herbal shampoo – one containing natural essential oils for parasites
• Apply Yicche cream twice daily. Massage well into the entire affected area
• Groom your dog daily
• Soak all bedding, collars, leads and grooming equipment for several hours in a solution containing 2 drops of eucalytus or tea tree oil per 1 litre water. Also wash down the kennel. Do this weekly

Natural feeding also improves overall dog health and strengthens the skin, helping your dog to be more resistant to all skin vermin.

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Fungal infections are many and varied.

Fungus loves damp warm conditions, so will usually appear in parts of the body that provide this environment.

The following are all fungal infections:

• Thrush – in the genital and anal areas. Also called jock rash
• Paronychia – a fungal infection under the fingernail or toenail
• Ringworm – a fungal infection under the skin
• Athlete’s foot – also known as tinea, a fungal infection that affects the feet

An important part of any treatment is to keep the affected area dry and cool. Make sure you dry thoroughly every time the area becomes wet and, if appropriate, sprinkle with talc to help keep it dry.

FungReleaf can be applied to Ringworm, Paronychia and Athlete’s Foot.

Calendula Ointment can be applied to thrush.

From a dietary perspective, decrease sugar intake, as all fungus loves to feed on sugar, think of it as starving out a parasite rather than denying yourself sweets.

Probiotics are also recommended if you are suffering from thrush or candida.

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Greasy Heel is also known as Mud Fever and tends to occur on boggy ground or after extended periods of rain when the pasture becomes muddy and your horse has constantly wet feet.

Scabs appear around the heel and pasterns. Avoid pulling these off as it causes a lot of pain.

Instead:

• Wash down with a good natural horse shampoo, rinse well and gently pat dry
• Apply FungReleaf Cream
• Cover with plastic wrap and then bandage
• Leave 24 hours
• Remove bandage
• Wash away any scabs that come away easily
• Repeat this process daily until all the scabs are off.
• Then wash daily, pat dry gently and apply Fungraleaf, leaving unbandaged, until all the hair has grown back in.

CAUTION: Watch closely as Greasy Heel can progress into cellulitis, which is very serious, and requires urgent veterinary treatment.

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Like all herbal medicines, the sooner you start the remedy, the faster and better the result. If it was not possible to apply these healing herbs immediately after the injury, start as soon as possible – better late than never.

If you have a very old bruise or wound that still feels hard and / or a little tender even months or years later, apply calendula or comfrey cream topically at least once a day until the area feels normal once again. This may take many months, but is important to do so in order to obtain full healing.

Rosa Scarless Healer, containing comfrey, has been around for decades and is still one of the best on the market. You can buy it via the company below.



CAUTION: Do not use Comfrey on dirty wounds. Ensure there is absolutely no infection is present before using comfrey on any wound or you may end up with an absess.

Use Calendula Ointment or my Herbal Healing Cream, which is a combination of healing and antiseptic herbs in a natural base that can be used on bruises, cuts and scrapes. Switch to Comfrey when the infection risk has passed i.e. the wound looks clean, with no signs of pus or redness or heat.

Because the skin is open, use comfrey rather than Arnica if there is any bruising. Comfrey still helps to seal off broken capillaries and minimise bruising. Big knocks may still bruise slightly but they will heal much faster than expected with repeated applications of comfrey over the following days and weeks. Keep applying until the wound is completely healed.

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For approximately 2,000 years, Maca has been an important traditional food and medicinal plant in the Andes of Peru and Bolivia, where it is well-known and highly respected for is medicinal qualities. The Peruvians regard it as a highly nutritious, energy enhancing food, and as a medicine that increases strength, endurance. Ancient Inca Imperial Warriors reputably ate Maca before a battle to increase their strength and power.

Maca has been used for centuries to increase energy and fertility, and has a reputation as an aphrodisiac.

It is popular with menopausal women to prevent and treat the unpleasant symptoms of menopause, and can also be used during the child bearing years to regulate the menstrual cycle.

As with all herbs, avoid in pregnancy unless specifically recommended to you by a qualified herbalist.

Maca is a natural super food now available as a dietary supplement. It contains numerous minerals including calcium, phosphorous, zinc, magnesium and iron. Other  nutrients include Vitamins B1, B2, C, E, as well as 18 amino acids, essential fatty acids, and sterols.

Maca is beneficial for:

• Increasing energy and stamina
• An aphrodisiac for both men and women
• Improving general well being
• Menstrual problems
• Menopaual symptoms
• Supporting and nourishing the body

Click below to purchase in Australia:

If you live in the USA, click here to buy Maca

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A clinical trial a few years ago concluded that stress plays a role in sickness. This idea is not new to natural therapists, who have always believed in treating “the whole person” – hence the term “wholistic” therapies. Natural therapists work on the premise that you as a person are more than just your body parts and need to be treated on more than just a physical level.

On the first evening of my herbal medicine training with renown Australian herbalist Dorothy Hall, we were drawn a triangle (pyramid) to represent any disease. The top apex represented the physical body. The bottom two apexes were “Emotions and Attitudes” & “Environment and Circumstances” respectively. This, we were told, was how we needed to view every single person who ever sought our help.

As time went by, we were taught that herbs treat the physical body, and that flower essences are the tool for treating emotions and attitudes. Dorothy Hall always maintained that once strengthened and balanced physically and emotionally, most people then feel strong enough to make the necessary decisions about and changes to their environment and circumstances. I have continued with this philosophy in my own clinical practice and find it extremely effective. Flower essences are literally medicine for the emotions.

Flower Essences are not therapeutic drugs but work on the mind, soul and spirit. They are obtained by extracting the healing vibrational quality from the highest evolved part of the plant – the flowers. They work on an emotional level and heal the negative emotions and belief patterns, held in the subconscious mind. Australian Aboriginals have used flowers to heal emotional imbalances and physical injuries for thousands of years. Flower Essences were also used in Ancient Egypt, as well as Asia, Europe and South America. This system of healing was rediscovered and popularised seventy years ago by Dr. Edward Bach with his use of English flowering plants. Naturopath, Ian White has further developed this method using plants from all over Australia for his Australian Bush Flower Essences. His grandmother and great grandmother were herbalists, among the first white people to research the medicinal qualities of Australian plants, and his grandmother taught him from an early age. Ian has taken their knowledge one step further and worked with the plants and their influence on emotions.

Flower Essences are completely natural, perfectly safe, free from side effects and adjust to the needs of the individual taking them. It is not possible to overdose or harm when prescribing. If an inappropriate remedy is chosen, it simply will not work. Adults and children as well as animals can use the Essences. We are all functioning on beliefs and emotions, which may not necessarily be helpful to us. By changing our thoughts and beliefs we can relieve stress, which can then ultimately assist in restoring our health. Flower Essences can improve the quality of our life and bring us clarity, courage, strength and commitment to follow and pursue our life goals and visions. As well as resolving upsets and distress in one’s life they also help us to develop a higher level of intuition, self esteem, spirituality, fun and creativity.

Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has been associating certain emotions with specific body areas for over five thousand year, so this concept is not new. The notion that emotions affect our physical health has been explored in modern times by Louise Hay, and detailed in her classic book “You Can Heal Your Life”.  The beauty of the Australian Bush Flower Essences is that some also work energetically on specific organs and body systems. For example Dagger Hakea addresses the emotions of resentment, irritability and bitterness. These feelings have traditionally been thought by TCM to be held in the liver. Ancient wisdom held that clues to a plant’s healing qualities were clearly visible via a language and process known as the Doctrine of Signatures. When this system is applied to Dagger Hakea, it is found that this plant has a strong energetic resonance with the liver and gall bladder.

If you would like to learn more about the healing qualities of Australian Bush Flower Essences, click here to see when Linn is teaching a workshop near you in the USA or Australia.

Or click here for the full workshop schedule of Australian Bush Flower Essences in Australia, the UK, North and South America, Asia and Europe.

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Herbs have safely been used to treat illnesses in dogs for thousands of years, just as they have been used by humans.

In fact dogs, like most animals are wonderful herbalists. They instinctively seek out a wide variety of plants as they go about their day, and use these plants to self medicate. If you doubt this, watch your dog out in the yard actively eating grass or another plant. It is not always the same grass. Even domesticated dogs can identify dozens of plants, know how to use them medicinally, and will purposefully seek them out when needed.

Dogs are sensitive to some herbs, so never assume that a herb is safe for a dog just because you can use it yourself or on another animal. Dosage is also very important.

It takes years to train a herbalist about the safe use of herbs. A large amount of time also includes what is called “the fine print”. Which herbs should never be used. Which herbs need to be used with caution, especially in regards to dosage.

When it comes to herbal treatment of animals, what is safe in a horse can kill a dog.  A herb that can safely be used by dogs can kill a cat.

More harm is done by herbs out of ignorance from untrained lay people than by all the herbalists in the world combined.

At Herbal Dog we aim to raise awareness of how some common herbs can help maintain and improve you dog’s health and wellbeing.This is purely for informational purposes, please seek advice from a herbalist qualified in the herbal treatment of dogs before giving your dog any natural remedies.

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