This semester I decided to start researching a few different medicinal herbs. The stars aligned for me and there happen to be a harvesting color class that is working with the Calandula flower doing science experiments and making art. So of course I signed up and Calandula is on my research list of this semester!
Harvesting color begins: Comparing the amount of lutein in calendula/ marigold flowers grown in the greenhouse. I am interested in the calendula and its lutein content because it has medicinal properties and is used to support eye health. We are conducting two experiments one comparing the amount of lutein in a fresh picked flower(2014) versus a dry flower(2013). As well as comparing the amount of lutein in the orange versus the yellow flower. We collected four samples removed the petals placed them in beakers and added 50 ml of ethanol and wrapped them in aluminum foil because it is light sensitive. We also extracted a few supplement samples. I removed as much liquid as possible from the capsule an we placed it in tubes with 20 ml of ethanol, they are now in the lab on a spinning machine that I wish I knew more about. Expect and update next week!
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