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Marigold poor man's saffron
Marigold, calendula officinalis, with its
pale-green leaves and golden orange flowers, is a familiar sight in spring in
homes and in grandens. It belongs to family compositae. The botanical name comes
from the latin clendae, meaning the first day of the month. What is not known,
is Its value in cookery and medicine.
Full many a flower is born to blush unseen,
And waste its sweetness on the desert air - Gray
One of the great pleasures of growing flowers in the
house and garden is to enliven the environment. The
sheer enjoyment as you breathe in their delicious scents
lends a unique kind of healing to the body and mind.
The variety of fragrance and the delicacy of the colour or in garden. Those
fortunate enough to have a garden can enjoy the sweet fragrance of lavender,
lemon balm, loses, etc. Besides, the plant herbs contain essential oils of great
medicinal value. They are easy to grow during the year. Some would require
sheltering from frost in winter.
Marigold, the 'merrybuds' of Shakespeare
 This sunny little flower was first used in Indian and
Arabic cultures, before having been discovered by the
ancient Greeks. The Egyptian valued it as a rejuvenating
herb and the Greeks garnished and flavoured food with
its golden petals. In India, wreaths of marigold were
used to crown gods and goddess. In medieval rimes
they were considered an emblem of love.
To dream of
them , was a sign of all good things. In American civil
war, marigold leaves were used on the battlefield to treat
open wounds.
Cultivation
The marigold is hardy and easy to grow.
It is a very tolerant plant, growing in any
soil that is not waterlogged, but prefers
directly by sowing seeds in October-November or transplanted to well
prepared beds. Thin out plants
to a distance of 25 cm apart
so that branches may
have room to spread.
The pointed-oval
leaves, about 12
cm long, are
slightly hairy. The
flowers, either single or double, are
brilliant yellow or bright orange,
long flowering season. Encourage
continues flowering by dead
heading. The plants will multiply
from year to year if allowed to
seed, which are ripen during March
to June and permitted to scattered.
Thus, you get an abundant supply of
young plants in the spring. Very late in
the season, the leaves sometimes become
covered with a powdery mildew, the
affected leaves should be removed.
 Uses in culinary and feed
Flower petals make a very good culinary
colour rice. They are also lovely in salads
and omelets and make an interesting cup
of tea. The petals with their slight
aromatic bitterness are used in fish an
meat soups, rice dishes, cakes and salads.Its flowers are also being used in poultry
feed of layers to enrich the colour of
egg yolk.
Medicinal value
Only the deep orange-flowered variety
is of medicinal value. The flowers contain
flavonoids, sterols, bitters, saponins,
mucilage, etc. Marigold flowers have
antiseptic, anti-fungal and anti-bacterial
properties that prompt healing.
It is said
marigolds
stimulate
the
immune
system and
help fight
against
infections.
Calendula has pride
of place as a first
for cuts, abrasions,
antiseptic healer for
ulcers. The flowers
skin lotion to
pimples.
The plant also has anti-nematodal
properties (perhaps repels nematodes)
and because of these properties, it is
include it in a cropping pattern to
maintain good soil health.
Mr. Hamid Khurshid is the Principal Scientific Officer (Floriculture),
Horticulture Research Institute,
National Agricultural Research Centre, Islamabad
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