Drug-Like Properties and Therapeutical Potential of Calendula officinalis L. Active Ingredients

Calendula officinalis L. is a medicinal herb from the Asteraceae family with a long history of usage in culinary and folk medicine. The plant originates from southern Europe and the Eastern Mediterranean area and contains a wide variety of bioactive compounds, including flavonoids, triterpenoids, glycosides, saponins, carotenoids, volatile oils, amino acids, carbohydrates, steroids, sterols, and quinines. These phytoconstituents have broad applicability in the food and cosmetic industries, as they produce a matrix of multifaceted biological effects with therapeutic applications. The active ingredients of Calendula officinalis L. are generally associated with anti-cancer, antimicrobial, antiparasitic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, hypoglicemic, hypolipidemic, and wound healing properties in experimental and clinical trials. They emerge as an interesting source of drug-like chemical entities for the conception and design of medicines to treat especially inflammatory, antineoplastic, and infectious diseases. This chapter aims to describe the drug-like and some pharmacokinetic properties of the main active ingredients from Calendula officinalis L. as well as their therapeutic properties.