Tagetes lucida

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Tagetes lucida
TagetesLucida244.JPG
Botanischer Garten Erlangen, Germany
Scientific classification OOjs UI icon edit-ltr.svg
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Tagetes
Species:
T. lucida
Binomial name
Tagetes lucida
Synonyms [1] [2]
  • Tagetes anethinaSessé & Moc.
  • Tagetes floridaSweet
  • Tagetes gilletiiDe Wild.
  • Tagetes lucida f. florida(Sweet) Voss
  • Tagetes pinedaLa Llave
  • Tagetes schiedeanaLess
  • Tagetes seleriRydb.
Tagetes lucida - MHNT Tagetes lucida MHNT.BOT.2011.3.90.jpg
Tagetes lucida - MHNT

Tagetes lucida is a perennial plant native to Mexico and Central America. It is used as a medicinal plant and as a culinary herb. The leaves have a tarragon-like scent, with hints of anise, and it has entered the nursery trade in North America as a tarragon substitute. Common names include sweetscented marigold, [3] Mexican marigold, Mexican mint marigold, Mexican tarragon, sweet mace, Texas tarragon, pericón, yerbaniz, and hierbanís.

Contents

Description

Tagetes lucida grows 45–75 cm (18–30 in) tall and requires full sun to light shade. [4] Depending on the variety or landrace, the plant may be fairly upright, while other forms appear bushy with many unbranching stems. The leaves are linear to oblong, about 7.5 cm (3 in) long, and shiny medium green, not blue-green as in French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus var. sativa). In late summer it bears clusters of small golden yellow flower heads on the ends of the stems. The flower heads are about 15 mm (12 in) across and have 3–5 golden-yellow ray florets. [5] The flowers are hermaphroditic (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by insects. [6]

Traditional use

Tagetes lucida was used by the Aztecs in a ritual incense known as Yauhtli, as well as being dedicated to the rain god Tlāloc . [7] [8] Tagetes lucida is still in use today primarily as a tea to treat the common cold, intestinal gas and diarrhea. [9]

It has been reported that the Huichol of Mexico use the plant as an entheogen by smoking Tagetes lucida with Nicotiana rustica , and that Tagetes lucida is occasionally smoked alone as an hallucinogen. [10] Archaeologists found that the Maya used Tagetes lucida as an additive in tobacco mixtures. [11] [12]

Tagetes lucida also had many culinary uses by the Aztecs including as one of the ingredients added to make the drink chocolatl, which gave it a spicy flavor. [13] Fresh or dried leaves are also used as a tarragon substitute for flavoring soups and sauces. A pleasant anise-flavored tea is brewed using the dried leaves and flower heads. This is primarily used medicinally in Mexico and Central America. [14]

A yellow dye can also be obtained from the flowers, and when the plant is dried and burnt, it is used as an incense and to repel insects. [15]

In one study, methanolic extract from the flower inhibited growth of Staphylococcus aureus , E. coli , and Candida albicans cultures. This effect was enhanced with exposure to ultraviolet light. The roots, stems, and leaves also had the same effect when irradiated with ultraviolet light. [16]

Phytochemistry

The plant contains the following compounds:

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Asteraceae</span> Large family of flowering plants

The family Asteraceae, with the original name Compositae, consists of over 32,000 known species of flowering plants in over 1,900 genera within the order Asterales. Commonly referred to as the aster, daisy, composite, or sunflower family, Compositae were first described in the year 1740. The number of species in Asteraceae is rivaled only by the Orchidaceae, and which is the larger family is unclear as the quantity of extant species in each family is unknown.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Tarragon</span> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Tarragon, also known as estragon, is a species of perennial herb in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread in the wild across much of Eurasia and North America and is cultivated for culinary and medicinal purposes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Anise</span> Species of flowering plant

Anise, also called aniseed or rarely anix is a flowering plant in the family Apiaceae native to the eastern Mediterranean region and Southwest Asia.

<i>Calendula</i> Genus of flowering plants in the daisy family Asteraceae

Calendula is a genus of about 15–20 species of annual and perennial herbaceous plants in the daisy family, Asteraceae that are often known as marigolds. They are native to southwestern Asia, western Europe, Macaronesia, and the Mediterranean. Other plants also known as marigolds, including corn marigold, desert marigold, marsh marigold, and plants of the genus Tagetes.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Fennel</span> Flowering plant species in the carrot family

Fennel is a flowering plant species in the carrot family. It is a hardy, perennial herb with yellow flowers and feathery leaves. It is indigenous to the shores of the Mediterranean but has become widely naturalized in many parts of the world, especially on dry soils near the sea-coast and on riverbanks.

<i>Tagetes</i> Genus of flowering plant

Tagetes is a genus of 50 species of annual or perennial, mostly herbaceous plants in the family Asteraceae. They are among several groups of plants known in English as marigolds. The genus Tagetes was described by Carl Linnaeus in 1753.

<i>Tagetes tenuifolia</i> Species of flowering plant

Tagetes tenuifolia, the signet marigold, golden marigold or lemon marigold, is a species of the wild marigold in the family Asteraceae. It is widespread across most of Mexico as well as Central America, Colombia, and Peru.

<i>Tagetes patula</i> Species of flowering plant

Tagetes patula, the French marigold, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to Mexico and Guatemala with several naturalised populations in many other countries. It is widely cultivated as an easily grown bedding plant, with thousands of different cultivars in brilliant shades of yellow and orange.

Mexican marigold also known as cempasúchil, or Aztec marigold is a native flower to México and was first used by the Aztecs and is used in the Mexican holiday "Dia de los muertos" or day of the dead. Day of the dead originated from Aztec mythology to honor the Aztec goddess of death Mictēcacihuātl.

<i>Thelesperma filifolium</i> Species of flowering plant

Thelesperma filifolium, commonly known as stiff greenthread, or plains greenthread, is a species of flowering plant in the aster family, Asteraceae. It is often found growing in shallow soils. It prefers disturbed sites in dry, sandy or gravelly soil with a neutral to basic pH. Stiff greenthread adapts to various soil conditions, including loam, clay, caliche, and roadsides. It blooms between March and June and often into the fall.

<i>Tagetes erecta</i> Species of flowering plant

Tagetes erecta, the Aztec marigold, Mexican marigold, big marigold, cempazúchitl or cempasúchil, is a species of flowering plant in the genus Tagetes native to Mexico. Despite being native to the Americas, it is often called the African marigold. In Mexico, this plant is found in the wild in the states of México, Michoacán, Puebla, Veracruz and Guerrero

Porophyllum linaria is a sunny short-lived perennial plant used in Mexican cuisine, where it is often used to flavor meat dishes. It has a strong taste akin to fresh coriander with overtones of lemon and anise.

<i>Calendula officinalis</i> Species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae

Calendula officinalis, the pot marigold, common marigold, ruddles, Mary's gold or Scotch marigold, is a flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is probably native to southern Europe, though its long history of cultivation makes its precise origin unknown, and it may possibly be of garden origin. It is also widely naturalised farther north in Europe and elsewhere in warm temperate regions of the world.

<i>Piper auritum</i> Species of plant

Piper auritum is an aromatic culinary herb in the pepper family Piperaceae, which grows in tropical Central America. Common names include hoja santa, yerba santa, hierba santa, Mexican pepperleaf, acuyo, tlanepa, anisillo, root beer plant, Vera Cruz pepper and sacred pepper.

<i>Tagetes minuta</i> Species of flowering plant

Tagetes minuta is a tall upright marigold plant from the genus Tagetes, with small flowers, native to the southern half of South America. Since Spanish colonization, it has been introduced around the world, and has become naturalized in Europe, Asia, Australasia, North America, and Africa. Tagetes minuta has numerous local names that vary by region. In the Andes it is known as Huacatay or Wacatay, and in other regions it is common as chinchilla, chiquilla, chilca, zuico, suico, or anisillo. Other names include muster John Henry, southern marigold, khakibos, stinking roger, wild marigold, and black mint. It is called by the Quechua terms huacatay in Peru or wakataya in Bolivia.

<i>Porophyllum gracile</i>

Porophyllum gracile is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae known by the common names odora and slender poreleaf. It is native to northern Mexico and the southwestern United States from California to Texas, where it can be found in rocky and sandy desert scrub habitat.

<i>Tagetes lemmonii</i> Species of shrub

Tagetes lemmonii, or Lemmon's marigold, is a North American species of shrubby marigold, in the family Asteraceae. Other English names for this plant include Copper Canyon daisy, mountain marigold, and Mexican marigold.

<i>Tagetes micrantha</i> Species of flowering plant

Tagetes micrantha is a North American species of wild marigold within the family Asteraceae, common name licorice marigold. It is widespread across much of Mexico from Chihuahua to Oaxaca, and found also in the southwestern United States.

Tagetes stenophylla is a Mexican species of marigold in the family Asteraceae. It has been found in the States of Guerrero, Jalisco, Morelos, Michoacán, and México State in western and central Mexico.

References

  1. "Tagetes lucida". Germplasm Resources Information Network . Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture . Retrieved 2011-10-09.
  2. The Plant List, Tagetes lucida Cav.
  3. USDA, NRCS (n.d.). "Tagetes lucida". The PLANTS Database (plants.usda.gov). Greensboro, North Carolina: National Plant Data Team. Retrieved 7 December 2015.
  4. "Growing Mexican Tarragon: Tagetes lucida". Garden Oracle.
  5. Christman, Steve (2004-02-27). "#614 Tagetes lucida". Floridata.
  6. "Tagetes lucida - Cav". Plants For A Future.
  7. "Tagetes lucida - Marigolds- Americas to Argentina". Entheology. Retrieved 2008-08-30.
  8. Graulich, Michel (2005). Le Sacrifice humain chez les Aztèques[Human sacrifice among the Aztecs]. Paris: Fayard.
  9. Davidow, Joie (1999). Infusions of healing: a treasury of Mexican-American herbal remedies. New York: Simon & Schuster. ISBN   0684854163.
  10. Schultes, Richard; Hofmann, Albert (1979). Plants of the Gods: Origins of Hallucinogenic Use. New York: McGraw-Hill. p. 57. ISBN   0-07-056089-7.
  11. Zimmermann, Mario; Brownstein, Korey J.; Pantoja Díaz, Luis; Ancona Aragón, Iliana; Hutson, Scott; Kidder, Barry; Tushingham, Shannon; Gang, David R. (2021-01-15). "Metabolomics-based analysis of miniature flask contents identifies tobacco mixture use among the ancient Maya". Scientific Reports. 11 (1): 1590. Bibcode:2021NatSR..11.1590Z. doi: 10.1038/s41598-021-81158-y . ISSN   2045-2322. PMC   7810889 . PMID   33452410.
  12. Ratner, Paul (2021-01-18). "Archaeologists identify contents of ancient Mayan drug containers". Big Think. Retrieved 2021-02-25.
  13. "Mexican Tarragon Tagetes lucida". The Herb Society of America.
  14. Laferrière, Joseph E., Charles W. Weber and Edwin A. Kohlhepp. 1991b. Mineral contributions from some traditional Mexican teas. Plant Foods for Human Nutrition 41:277–282.
  15. "Mexican Tarragon (Tagetes lucida)". UIC Heritage Garden.
  16. Nader, Laura (1996). Naked Science: Anthropological Inquiry Into Boundaries, Power, and Knowledge. Routledge. p. 61. ISBN   978-0-415-91465-9.
  17. 1 2 3 Bicchi, Carlo; et al. (1998-12-04). "Constituents of Tagetes lucida Cav. ssp. lucida Essential Oil". Flavour and Fragrance Journal. John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. 12 (1): 47–52. doi:10.1002/(SICI)1099-1026(199701)12:1<47::AID-FFJ610>3.0.CO;2-7.
  18. Cicció JF (December 2004). "A source of almost pure methyl chavicol: volatile oil from the aerial parts of Tagetes lucida (Asteraceae) cultivated in Costa Rica". Rev. Biol. Trop. 52 (4): 853–7. PMID   17354394.
  19. 1 2 Okun, Ronald (1977). Pharmacology & Toxicology Annual Review. Annual Reviews, Incorporated. p. 656. ISBN   978-0-8243-0417-1.
  20. Bohm, Bruce A.; Tod F. Stuessy (2007). Flavonoids of the sunflower family (Asteraceae). Springer. p. 597. ISBN   978-3-211-83479-4.