CALENDULA OFFICINALIS: AN IMPORTANT HERB WITH VALUABLE THERAPUTIC DIMENSIONS -AN OVERVIEW

Calendula officinalis is a plant in the genus Calendula, in the family Asteraceae. It is perennial plant, growing to 80 cm tall, with sparsely branched lax or erect stems. The inflorescences are yellow, comprising a thick capitulum or flowerhead 4–7 cm diameter surrounded by two rows of hairy bracts; in the wild plant they have a single ring of ray florets surrounding the central disc florets. C. officinalis is commonly treated as an annual plant, particularly in colder regions where its winter survival is poor. Calendula officinalis is used for the treatment of skin disorders and pain, and as a hepatoprotective agent, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory agent. Recently, anti-HIV, cytotoxic, spasmolytic activity has been proved for various subfractions extracted from calendula. The phytochemical screening of calendula extract and oil has shown marked presence of flavonoids, coumarines, quinones, volatile oil, carotenoids and amino acids.