Calendula officinalis (the pot marigold)
Legendary medicinal herb and a ‘sun’ in the garden
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An old name for marigold is ‘morgenfrue’. The Danish canon Henrik Harpestreng (1164–1244) prescribed it as a remedy for chest pain. An old medical book from Ulvik (1574 and 1626) documents it for external use, and in Norwegian folk medicine it is best known as a wound remedy. Otherwise, it has been used in cosmetics, and in the kitchen as a food colouring (‘false saffron’): petals mixed in the butter gave a stronger yellow color.
It is only in 1762 that we can be sure that marigold had come to this country. At that point, the priest Hans Strøm related seeing it in the gardens at Sunnmøre, and it was probably then cultivated as it is today: as a charming ornamental plant.
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