Pot Marigold - Natural Know How

The Garden Pharmacy
Pot Marigold
An Herbal Florin for Health
James A. (“Jim”) Duke, Ph.D.
The International Herb of the Year for 2008 in the United
States—and the sole subject of the 2008 yearbook of the International Herb Association—pot marigold1 may truly offer
a “pot of gold” to patients because of the lycopene this plant
contains.
Known scientifically as Calendula officinalis L., pot marigold belongs to the large botanical family Asteraceae—whose
members also include Cichorium intybus (chicory), Taraxacum
officinalis (dandelion), Echinacea spp. (echinacea), and Tanacetum parthenium (feverfew), among other herbs. Throughout
the remainder of this column—save for exceptions that appear
in quote marks—this herb is called calendula. This is the standardized common name by which herbalists should refer to
the plant and is the preferred name that the American Herbal
Products Association (AHPA)2 uses to avoid confusion with
the genus Tagetes, another member of the Asteraceae family
that also bears the name “marigold.”
At my last count, I had more than 150 other common
names for calendula, which are useful to traveling botanists
who would like to know the local name of the plant abroad,
but I will not belabor the readers with all of these names.
However, among French common names for calendula are
“fleur feminel,” “gauche-fer,” “souci,” “souci cultivee,” “souci
des jardins,” and “souci officinal.” My English listings show
30 names for it.
Spices and culinary herbs may represent the best medicinal plants. They contain the antioxidant and antiseptic compounds that prevented foods from putrefaction in the days
before refrigeration, and which are also the anti-inflammato*Duke JA. 1982–2008. Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Phytochemical Database. Online
site at: ars.usda.gov Recently accessed on February 18, 2008. This
decades-old database is occasionally updated, although Dr. Duke has
been retired from the USDA since 1995.
ry and antioxidant phytochemicals that seem to prevent many
chronic human diseases.3
Although not everyone considers calendula a spice, that is the
way I use it. I intentionally add the dried petals to my soups as a
source of much-needed carotenoids or to herbal liqueurs to impart a golden color to them.4 Facciola notes that the fresh flowers are chopped into salads, and dried petals of calendula are
used in teas and to flavor cakes, cookies, puddings, and soups,
and (like saffron) to color butters and cheeses and season seafoods, chowders, soups, stews, roast meats, and chickens.5 My
updated U.S. Department of Agriculture and spice database*
notes that the flower heads of calendula are used in cookery.
In the Middle Ages they were used as a soup starters, and the
leaves can be cooked and eaten like spinach.1
Many herbalists justifiably praise calendula; in the title of my
contribution to the Herb of the Year book, I called this praise,
“Calenduladulation.”1 Calendula justly deserves its praise; the
plant’s golden flowers seem to be one of the richest sources of carotenoids, including lutein as well as lycopene, although Kishimoto et al. say that lycopene is present only in orange or gold petals
of calendula and is not detectable in yellow petals.6
And as far as being an herbal “pot of gold,” I think lycopene
is good for preventing cancer. Although the U.S. Food and
Drug Administration (FDA), in a surprising turnaround, now
says “no” to this effect of lycopene,7 I still say “yes.” The sudden
change in the FDA’s position may stem from one of the many
recent media “flip-flops” in which the press, perhaps pressured
by pharmaceutical sponsors, has questioned the safety or efficacy of certain fairly well-respected nutritional supplements.
When I asked herbal author and chef Susan Belsinger, editor-in-chief of Calendula—Herb of the Year1 for an opinion, she
said that she would exclude this plant from a spice book but
would, however, include it in a book of culinary herbs. When
I questioned her about including it in my spice database, she
replied that “calendula is most definitely an herb and not a spice
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JUNE 2008
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Table 1. Components of Calendula of Potential
Benefit in Arthritis
Effects
Analgesic
Antiarthritic
Antiedemic
Anti-inflammatory
Antiprostaglandin
Antirheumatic
Antispasmodic
Cox-2 inhibitor
Elastase inhibitor
Lipoxygenase inhibitor
Myorelaxant
Components
Alpha-amyrin, beta-amyrin,
caffeic-acid, caryophyllene,
chlorogenic-acid, gentisic-acid,
quercetin, salicylic-acid
Quercetin, salicylic-acid
Alpha-amyrin, beta-amyrin,
caffeic-acid, caryophyllene,
faradiol, lupeol, oleanolic-acid,
rutin, taraxasterol
Alpha-amyrin, beta-amyrin,
caffeic-acid, caryophyllene,
chlorogenic-acid, faradiol, gentisic-acid, kaempferol, lupeol,
oleanolic-acid, quercetin,
rutin, salicylic-acid, taraxasterol,
vanillic-acid
Caffeic-acid, lupeol
Gentisic-acid, lupeol, salicylicacid
Caffeic-acid, caryophyllene,
kaempferol, p-coumaric-acid,
quercetin, rutin COX-2 inhibitor
Caffeic-acid, kaempferol, lycopene, oleanolic-acid, quercetin,
salicylic-acid
Caffeic-acid, kaempferol,
p-coumaric-acid, quercetin, rutin
Oleanolic-acid
Caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid,
kaempferol, p-coumaric-acid,
quercetin, rutin
Rutin
Source: Duke JA. 1982–2008. Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department
of Agriculture (USDA). Phytochemical Database. Online site at: ars.usda.gov Accessed on February 18, 2008.
COX = cyclo-oxygenase.
in my mind,” and that she had not seen calendula products for
sale in conventional supermarkets, but had seen many of them
in whole foods and health-food stores, among other locations.
Ms. Belsinger told me that calendula petals are readily available
in bulk at many health-food stores and can be kept in a jar and
tossed easily into a soup or rice pot.
On a shopping trip last year for calendula products, as part
of her calendula program for the Herb Society of America, Ms.
Belsinger was amazed at all of the calendula products avail†EDITOR’S
NOTE: Vioxx is no longer on the market because it
has been shown to increase risk of cardiovascular problems. See: Berenson A, Harris G, Meier B, Pollack A. Despite Warnings, Drug
Giant Took Long Path to Vioxx Recall. New York Times, November 14, 2004. Online document at: www.nytimes.com/2004/11/14/
business/14merck.html?ex=1258088400&en=b4e8719919f4ce1b&ei
=5090&partner=rssuserland Accessed April 25, 2008.
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able for babies—including diaper-rash creams and/or gels,
cornstarch powders, shampoos, and body washes. She also saw
calendula listed in many products for nursing mothers, especially nipple creams and products for treating stretch marks.
This created a perception that calendula is a relatively safe and
nontoxic herb. Among skin-care products, she found calendula listed in the ingredients of at least 4 or 5 soaps; several
herbal salves, lip glosses, lotions, and toners; a toothpaste; and
an Arnica montana (arnica) gel product made for treating skin
rashes. Her own favorite calendula-containing product is calendula oil, which I use directly and also to make salves and
lotions. She also makes a great facial scrub with calendula.
Arthritis
I heard of calendula’s inhibitory effects on cyclo-oxygenase-2 (COX-2), a key enzyme in the body’s synthesis of substances that mediate inflammation, before I heard of the herb’s
inhibitory effects on arthritis, cancer, or Alzheimer’s disease
(AD). I also heard about this before the FDA approved the
pharmaceuticals celecoxib (Celebrex) and rofecoxib (Vioxx)†
as COX-2 inhibitors—both once heavily advertised as the
best drugs for arthritis. Almost immediately, the news media
backed the pharmaceutical firms in pushing off-label uses of
COX-2 inhibitors for AD and colon cancer. I watched all of
this closely because I am genetically targeted for colon cancer, and I felt that, if pharmaceutical COX-2 inhibitors could
prevent colon cancer, I would look for and use herbal COX-2
inhibitors for this purpose.
Calendula contains several of these inhibitors, in contrast
with Celebrex and Vioxx, each of which apparently consists
only of a single, synthetic COX-2 inhibitor. And that has been
another inducement for me to add calendula to my recipe for
curried celery, which, besides celery, contains Curcuma spp.
(turmeric), Zingiber officinale (ginger), Capsiaum frutescens (hot
pepper), and Origanum vulgare (oregano), providing more than
a dozen natural COX-2 inhibitors that have been encountered
by the human body for thousands of years (Table 1).
Cancer
I had not planned to discuss calendula in the context of cancer in this column until the FDA said there was no conclusive
evidence that lycopene—a key constituent of calendula and
tomatoes—could prevent cancer. A PubMed abstract expressing this stated:
The FDA found no credible evidence to support an association between lycopene intake and a reduced risk of
prostate, lung, colorectal, gastric, breast, ovarian, endometrial, or pancreatic cancer. The FDA also found no credible evidence for an association between tomato consumption and a reduced risk of lung, colorectal, breast, cervical,
or endometrial cancer.7
ALTERNATIVE AND COMPLEMENTARY THERAPIES • JUNE 2008
But the same abstract also noted: “The FDA found very limited evidence to support an association between tomato consumption and reduced risks of prostate, ovarian, gastric, and
pancreatic cancers”7—which might indicate some question
about the FDA’s assertions as opposed to potentially conflicting views. Given that orange calendula flowers can contain up
to 6000 ppm lycopene—as much as or more lycopene than unprocessed tomatoes—I am assuming that calendula can help
prevent these same cancers, even if the FDA does not agree.
In the title of its lycopene/tomato study, the FDA proudly
used the adjective “evidence-based,”7 and went on to say that
there was no evidence for lycopene—and only limited evidence
Evidence-based pharmaceuticals
taken as prescribed appear likely to
kill some 100,000 Americans a year.
for tomato—in preventing cancer. But Canadian statisticians
and mathematicians have, contrary to the FDA abstract, reported that tomato intake shows a significant inverse association of lycopene intake and prostate cancer risk.8
Evidence-based pharmaceuticals taken as prescribed appear likely to kill some 100,000 Americans a year,9 whereas
a story in The New York Times reported fewer than 30 fatalities that could be blamed on herbs and supplements in the
year 2005.10
In reaching a reversed conclusion, the FDA may have been
impressed by a Finnish National Institute meta-analysis11
covering 11 cohort studies and with 25 authors, all based
on dietary recall, a technique that can have questionable accuracy. The Finnish researchers concluded that, although dietary carotenoids have been hypothesized to protect against
epithelial cancers, the 11 studies “did not suggest that carotenoids play an important role in the etiology of colorectal
cancer.”11
More positive conclusions were drawn in an Indian study
of medicinal foods for colorectal cancer. These researchers
found a significant reduction in the incidences of aberrant
crypt foci of 43.65% for diallylsulfide in garlic, 57.39% for lycopene, and 66.08% for theaflavins in Camellia sinensis (tea),
probably owing to inhibition of COX-2 and inducible nitric
oxide synthase (iNOS).12
Addressing lycopene itself, a team of scientists from Michigan and Jamaica found that some natural-food colors (consisting of the water-soluble anthocyanins and beta-cyanins, and
water-insoluble bixin, beta-carotene, chlorophyll, and lycopene),
‡All
Plant Choices—Phytochemeco Databases. Online document at:
www.ars-grin.gov/duke/dev/all.html Last accessed on February 18,
2008. At this page one can ask which chemicals in a plant contribute
which of several activities that might be useful in the alleviation or
prevention of more than 100 diseases.
Calendula officinalis L. (pot marigold). Drawing ©by Peggy Ann Duke. Used
with permission.
inhibited COX-2 and the development of colon tumors, and
all of the pigments inhibited lipid peroxidation and tumor-cell
proliferation as well as COX.13 Lycopene inhibited cell lines of
breast (IC50 = 22 µg/mL), colon (IC50 = 9 µg/mL), and stomach
cancers (IC50 = 30 µg/mL), and a combination of lycopene and
chlorophyll inhibited all of the tumor-cell lines studied.13
All herbs contain many common phytochemicals, shared with
all plant species, and probably all herbal species contain some
unique phytochemicals not shared with other species. My multiple activities menus (MAMs) for phytochemicals are based on
activities scientifically reported in the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) phytochemical database* and list substances
that may prevent or may be beneficial in treating specific diseases. The MAM for calendula lists many activities that might
contribute to the prevention, alleviation, or cure of cancer.‡
My MAM list‡of phytochemical evidence for the value of
calendula in cancer recently had 29 citations for lycopene and
colon cancer. The more important ones, some of which are
negative and some of which are more positive, are based on
the abstracts of relevant reports.
Although the data were inconclusive, the most recent abstract
said: “High intakes of carotenoid-rich fruits and vegetables are
associated with a reduced risk of various cancers including colon cancer.”14 Israeli scientists suggested that “lycopene extract
has a role in the prevention of colon and possibly other types
MARY ANN LIEBERT, INC. • VOL. 14 NO. 3
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of cancer.”15 Another Israeli group reported that lycopene from
tomatoes dose-dependently reduced human colon carcinoma,
B-cell chronic lymphocytic leukemia, human erythroleukemia,
¶NAPRALERTsm
(Natural Products Alert at: www.napralert.org/) is
a relational database of all natural products that provides ethnomedical and pharmacologic/biochemical information about extracts of organisms in vitro, in situ, in vivo, in humans. The database includes case
reports (nonclinical trials) and clinical studies. Similar information is
available for secondary metabolites from natural sources.
and a prototype of Burkitt’s lymphoma cell lines.16 In addition,
Italian scientists stated that tomato “digestate,” rich in lycopene,
can “inhibit the growth of colon cancer cells by modulating the
expression of regulators of the cell cycle and apoptosis.”17
In initiating my inquiries about the best sources of lycopene,
I contacted Norman R. Farnsworth, Ph.D., a research professor of pharmacognosy, at the University of Chicago, Illinois,
who created the NAPRALERT database¶ at the University.
Dr. Farnsworth noted that many reports on lycopene lacked
quantitation, but that calendula had its highest concentration
Table 2. Components of Calendula of Potential Benefit in Cancer
Effects
Antiadenomic
Antiangiogenic
Anticancer
Antifibrosarcomic
Anti-inflammatory Antileukemic
Antilymphomic
Anti–multiple drug
resistant (MDR)
Antimelanomic
Antimetastatic
Antimutagenic
Antinitrosaminic
Antioxidant
Antiproliferant
Antisarcomic
Antitumor
Antiviral
Apoptotic
Cancer-preventive
COX-2 inhibitor
Immunostimulant
Interferonogenic
Leucocytogenic
Lipoxygenase inhibitor
Ornithine decarboxylase inhibitor
Protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Protein kinase-C inhibitor
Topoisomerase II inhibitor
Tyrosine kinase inhibitor
Components
Lycopene
Lupeol, quercetin
Alpha-amyrin, caffeic-acid, caryophyllene, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric-acid, kaempferol, lupeol,
lutein, lycopene, malic-acid, oleanolic-acid, quercetin, rutin, salicylic-acid, vanillic-acid
Quercetin
Alpha-amyrin, beta-amyrin, caffeic-acid, calendulaglycoside-A-6’-O-methyl ester, calendulaglyco
side-A-6’-O-n-butyl ester, calendulaglycoside-B-6’-O-n-butyl ester, calendulaglycoside-C-6’-O-nbutyl ester, caryophyllene, chlorogenic-acid, faradiol, gentisic-acid, kaempferol, lupeol, oleanolicacid, quercetin, rutin, salicylic-acid, taraxasterol, vanillic-acid
Caffeic-acid, kaempferol, lycopene, oleanolic-acid, p-coumaric-acid, quercetin, vanillic-acid
Lutein, lycopene
Lutein, lycopene
Quercetin, rutin
Vupeol, quercetin, rutin
Caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, kaempferol, p-hydroxybenzoic-acid, quercetin, rutin
Caffeic acid, chlorogenic-acid, p-coumaric-acid, quercetin
Caffeic-acid, campesterol, chlorogenic-acid, gamma-tocopherol, gentisic-acid, kaempferol, lupeol,
lutein, lycopene, oleanolic-acid, p-coumaric-acid, p-hydroxybenzoic-acid, pentadecanoic-acid, quercetin, rutin, salicylic-acid, ubiquinone, vanillic-acid
Caffeic-acid, lutein, lycopene, quercetin, rutin
Oleanolic-acid
Alpha-amyrin, caffeic-acid, beta-carotene, caryophyllene, chlorogenic-acid, kaempferol, lupeol, lutein,
lycopene, malic-acid, oleanolic-acid, p-coumaric-acid, quercetin, rutin, salicylic-acid, vanillic-acid
Caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid, gentisic-acid, kaempferol, lupeol, oleanolic-acid, quercetin, rutin
Kaempferol, quercetin, rutin
Caffeic-acid, beta-carotene, chlorogenic-acid, kaempferol, lutein, lycopene, mucilage, oleanolic-acid,
p-coumaric-acid, p-hydroxy-benzoic-acid, quercetin, rutin, salicylic-acid, vanillic-acid
Caffeic-acid, beta-carotene, kaempferol, lycopene, lutein, oleanolic-acid, quercetin, salicylic-acid
Caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid, inulin, lutein, lycopene, ubiquinone
Chlorogenic-acid
Oleanolic-acid
Caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid, kaempferol, p-coumaric-acid, quercetin, rutin
Caffeic-acid, chlorogenic-acid, quercetin
Quercetin
Quercetin
Kaempferol, quercetin, rutin
Quercetin
Source: All Plant Choices—Phytochemeco Databases. Online document at: www.ars-grin.gov/duke/dev/all.html Accessed February 18, 2008.
COX = cyclo-oxygenase.
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of this carotenoid in its petals, at 0.336% (Dr. Farnsworth,
personal communication; Thai J Pharm Sci 2001;5; [suppl58]
on NAPRALERT). Although a higher range of 0.83–2.5%
is found in freeze-dried tomato fruit, this corroborates my
placement of calendula flowers as a rich source of lycopene.
• Persea americana (avocado)—16 ppm
• Ribes uva-crispa (gooseberry)—9 ppm
• Actinidia spp. (kiwi)—9 ppm
• Pyrus communis (pear)—9 ppm
• Vitis vinifera (grape)—7 ppm.
In addition darker green leafy vegetables contain the following amounts of lutein:
The Aztec Marigold
Although it may not be on the main track of a discussion
on calendula, Tagetes erecta, the Aztec marigold, turns out to
be one of the best sources of another chemopreventive carotenoid, lutein, with a lutein content ranging from 1610 to
6110 ppm ZMB [Zero Moisture Basis]. Dr. Farnsworth,
citing NAPRALERT entries for lutein, told me that it had
been found in more than 150 species of food plants, in most
of which its yields were 0.001% (10 ppm) or less. My USDA
Phytochemical Database* (as of February 18, 2008) listed as
the top 9 herbal sources of lutein (all ZMB values):
• Rheum spp. (rhubarb)—34 ppm
• Vaccinium myrtillus (bilberry)—26 ppm
• Prunus domestica (prune)—24 ppm
• Collard—81 ppm
• Kale—158–395 ppm
• Spinach—70–119 ppm
• Turnip greens—84 ppm;
• Broccoli— 8–24 ppm;
• Brussels’ sprouts—12–15 ppm (less after cooking)
• Cabbage—3 ppm
These all leave Aztec marigold as my richest listed source of
plain lutein.
A Polish food scientist, reporting on triterpene aglycones of
saponins isolated from Calendula and Silphium species, identified oleanolic acid and ursolic acid. He elevated Calendula
officinalis petals to the rank of an excellent source of oleanolic
Table 3. Additional Uses for Calendula
Abrasions
• Skin
Edema
Inflammation
Plague
Syphilis
Abscesses
• Stomach
Enterosis
Influenza
Pneumonia
Tetanus
Acne
• Uterus
Epilepsy
Insect bites
Proctosis
Adenopathy
Thrombophlebitis
Candidiasis
Epistaxis
Jaundice
Rashes
Chicken pox
Eruptions
Rhinosis
Cholera
Escherichia spp.–
related fever
Klebsiella spp.–
related infections
Ague
Amenorrhea
Anemia
Angina
Anorexia
Arthrosis
Atheromata
Athlete’s foot
bacteria
Circulosis
Condylomata
Congestion
Conjunctivosis
Constipation
Convulsions
Bee stings
Coughs
Bleeding
Cramps
Boils
Decubitis
Bruises
Dermatosis
Burns
Diabetes
Callus
Duodenosis
Cancers
Leukemia
Frostbite
Leukorrhea
Fungus
Lymphadenomic
condition
Furunculosis
Gallstones
Gangrene
Gastrosis
Gingirrhagia
Gingivosis
Hemorrhoids
Hepatosis
Herpes
Scrofula
Smallpox
Sores
Sore throat
Tonsilosis
Toothaches
Trichomonas
Tuberculosis
Typhoid
Mastalgia
Sprains
Typhus
Measles
Ulcers
Melanoma
Staphylococcus
spp.–related
infections
Menstrual distress
Steatoma
• Internal
Mucososis
Stings
Vaginosis
Mycosis
Stomach aches
Nausea
Varicosis
Stomatosis
Viruses
Stones
Warts
Nephrosis
Nipple inflammation
Strep throat
• Ulcus cruris
Dysmenorrhea
High blood
pressure
Otosis
• Breast
Dyspepsia
Impetigo
Pain
Streptococcus spp.–
related infections
• Colon
Earaches
Induration
Pharyngosis
Sunburn
Xeroderma
• Intestine
Eczema
Infection
Phlebitis
Swelling
Yeast infections
Worms
Wound care
Source: Duke JA. 1982–2008. Agricultural Research Service of the U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA). Phytochemical Database. Online site at: ars.usda.gov Accessed on February
18, 2008.
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acid—yet another COX-2 inhibitor—with 20,050 ppm ZMB,
a value lower than the ZMB value for Silphium trifoliatum, at
22,050 ppm, but slightly above the values for clove 20,000 and
Silphium integrifolium at 17,950, and much higher than rosemary at 10,500 and thyme at 6300 ppm.18 Brazilian scientists
found high antibacterial activity for triterpene acids against
oral pathogens including Enterococcus faecalis and several
Streptococcus species that can cause dental caries, with ursolic
To my mind, lycopene is more
likely to help me than the FDA.
and oleanolic acids displaying the most intense antibacterial
effect, at minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) values of
30–80 µg/mL.19 That would rationalize the use of calendula in
mouthwashes and toothpastes.
Table 3 names some of the other indications reported for
calendula, based on clinical as well as folkloric, animal, phytochemical, epidemiologic, and in vitro evidence, approval by
the German Commission E, or approval by the TRAMIL
Commission.||
Conclusions
Since I question the FDA’s sudden changes in viewpoint and
know that “evidence-based” pharmaceuticals kill thousands of
people a year, the agency’s pronouncement about lycopene
made me think that, in fact, it had valuable properties for cancer prevention. I do not think calendula, Elaeagnus spp. (elaeagnus), Psidium guavaja (guava), Lycopersicon esculentum (pink
tomato), or Citrullus lanatus (watermelon), which are other
good sources of lycopene, have killed anyone.
But with a nod to prudence, and because moderation is
important in all things, I want to mention two studies20,21
showing that, while relatively low doses of calendula may be
beneficial in several respects, higher doses may be detrimental.
Yet, it would take an unreasonable dose of calendula to cause
serious side-effects, and reasonable doses can provide several
useful carotenoids in addition to the common chemopreventives, lutein and lycopene, and a few that are unique to calendula. For now, unlike the FDA, I conclude that ingestion of
modest doses of calendula and other wholesome lycopene-rich
foods can lessen one’s chances of developing cancer. By boost||
TRAMIL [in English the Research Programme of Applied Science
and Common Use of Medical Herbs in the Caribbean; visit: http://
funredes.org/endacaribe/traducciones/tramil.html] is involved in applied research for traditional popular medicine in the Caribbean. The
goal is to rationalize health practices based on the use of medicinal
plants. This ethnopharmacologic research now extends to almost all
of the territories that are related to the Caribbean sea, using uniform
survey methodology.
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ing the immune system, they may also prevent a lot of chronic
and septic diseases, from anthrax to bird flu, and possibly even
infection with methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus.
The pharmaceutical industry wants us to use expensive pharmaceuticals in preference to often far less costly alternative medicines, and the FDA too often parrots this message. We need
the best medicines we can get for ourselves and our families,
whether in the form of foods, as Hippocrates long ago recommended, or pharmaceuticals when they are needed. When given
the choice, I will try food first, and recommend that all thinking Americans read Critser’s Generation Rx—How Prescription
Drugs are Altering American Lives, Minds and Bodies.22
And in the context of food-as-medicine, I believe that orange calendula flowers may be one of, if not, the richest sources
of food-grade lycopene. You can bet that petals of calendula
flowers will be in my vegetarian summer soups and on my “potof-gold” vegetarian pizzas, helping prevent the cancer caused
by the meats too often used to flavor such foods. To my mind,
lycopene is more likely to help me than the FDA. I conclude
that FDA-approved “evidence-based” pharmaceuticals kill orders of magnitude more Americans than non–evidence-based
and evidence-based herbs in the United States.
n
References
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Committee of the International Herb Association]. Jacksonville FL: International Herb Association, 2008.
2. McGuffin M, Kartesz JT, Leung AY, Tucker, AO. American Herbal Products Association’s Herbs of Commerce. Washington, DC: American Herbal
Products Association, 2000.
3. Duke JA, Bogenschutz-Godwin MJ, DuCellier J, Duke PA. CRC Handbook of Medicinal Spices. Boca Raton, FL: CRC Press, 2002.
4. Duke JA, Duke PK. Living Liqueurs. Lincoln, MA: Quarterman Publications, 1987.
5. Facciola S. Cornucopia—a Source Book of Edible Plants. Vista, CA: Kampong Publications, 1998.
6. Kishimoto S, Maoka T, Sumitomo K, Ohmiya A. Analysis of carotenoid
composition in petals of calendula (Calendula officinalis L.). Biosci Biotechnol
Biochem 2005;69:2122–2128.
7. Kavanaugh CJ, Trumbo PR, Ellwood KC. The U.S. Food and Drug Administration’s evidence-based review for qualified health claims: Tomatoes,
lycopene, and cancer. J Nat Cancer Inst 2007:99:1074–1084.
8. Darlington GA, Kreiger N, Lightfoot N, et al. Prostate cancer risk and
diet, recreational physical activity and cigarette smoking. Chronic Dis Can
2007;27:145–153.
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James A. (“Jim”) Duke, Ph.D., a former ecologist with the U.S. Department
of Agriculture, is currently the owner, founder, and executive director of the
Green Farmacy Garden, in Fulton, Maryland.
To order reprints of this article, e-mail Karen Ballen at: [email protected]
or call at (914) 740-2100.
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