Phytotherapy researches on Calendula officinalis L.

Calendula officinalis flowers were used for many purposes especially for wound healing and cultivation of this plant is made in many countries. It is used widely as ornamental plants in our country and there is no medicinal usage and investigations on this plant.In this study, botanical and chemical properties, biological activities and usage of the C.officinalis were investigated widely. Moreover, C.officinalis plant samples which grown in our country, sold in markets and the commercial preparations in various forms were compared with the experiments. For this purpose, the desired analysis of European Pharmacopoiea as well as the analysis of TLC by using different solvent systems was made.Macroscopic and microscobic analysis of plant-material was appropriate to pharmapoeia. The results of the loss on drying test 6.5-8.45 %, the total ash test 8.2-9 % and these results are appropriate to pharmacopeia too. Only the foreign matter test was higher than value of the pharmacopoiea (3.35 %) in one sample sold in market. The plant materials and the various commercial preparations have been investigated by various solvent systems from the standpoint of flavonoids, saponins and apolar substances in the TLC analysis. Chemical compositions of herbal samples were similar to each other. In preparations, more apolar substances were determined. These suggest that, lipid souble compounds of Calendula flowers were added to these preparations.