A Calendula Quickie… for inner bits… (and, bites!)
I chomped right down on it. It wasn’t nice. I bit my tongue! (If you are an astute Ruminating on Remedies reader, you will know I have written about biting my tongue before. That time, I had other things going on, warranting a different remedy. This one was a simple slip of the tongue with no other issues.)
If you’re like me, you don’t call it quits after biting your tongue — you go back for more and keep biting that sore spot cuz it’s rearranged the terrain of your mouth and that injured bit keeps getting in the way!
That’s what I did.
So, what did I do?
Calendula.
In this instance, I used some Calendula mouthwash*. After having it bother me all day long, I slooshed a bit of this mouthwash before bed (because brushing my teeth irritated my tongue!), I had a good night’s sleep and long before I woke up, all the pain (and the bump!) was completely gone.
Calendula tea works, too. I like this one*. Or, if you want just the basic ingredient, Rebeccas’s Herbal Apothecary* is always amazing
Taking a nibble out of my own tongue got me to thinking about how amazing Calendula truly is. It is the go-to remedy when you have an injury where you need, but are unable, to apply some sort of salve: tongue wounds and cuts… perineum injuries following childbirth… healing surgical wounds, (inside or out)… corneal abrasions… perforated eardrums… phantom pains following amputation…
It may seem there is no way to apply the lovely soothing qualities of calendula to these inner tissues, but there is.
Homeopathy, of course! I could have taken a pellet of homeopathic Calendula and put it in a bit of water and used that instead of the mouthwash. Taking a dose of Calendula in this way allows your body to go and take care of those unreachable ouchies. Of course, you can just pop the allowed dose of pellets directly in your mouth, too -- you do not need to put it in water.
For outside wounds, put a couple pellets of homeopathic Calendula in some clean water and from there you can use that now "medicated" water to soak some cloth or gauze and apply those topically, as needed. And, as the title of this article implies, Calendula is good for insect bites, too!
If your inner bits (or the bits that are not well suited to ointment) are asking for some attention, try some Calendula in a homeopathic dilution (or, even the herbal form** will do)!
Julia Coyte, CHom
Classically Practical homeopath
#wellnessawaits
* I have no affiliation with any of these companies, I just like their products.
** Like all herbs, there are some contraindications. This website, which I found through a quick internet search, has a nice overview of the herb. I see on there about the scalp, too — I used to use a Calendula shampoo on our dog when we first got him and he had so many skin problems — it appeared to be very soothing on the poor, suffering fellow.