Tagetes is a genus of 56 species of annual and perennial, mostly herbaceous plants in the sunflower family. The genus is native to North and South America, but some species have become naturalized around the world.
Tagetes species vary in size from 0.1 to 2.2 m tall. Most species have pinnate green leaves. Blooms naturally occur in golden, orange, yellow, and white colors, often with maroon highlights. Floral heads are typically to 4–6 cm diameter, generally with both ray florets and disc florets. In horticulture, they tend to be planted as annuals, although the perennial species are gaining popularity.
Although very few people buy this oil for the fragrance, it is very effective oil when used in cases of infection and especially weeping wounds and chest infections.
Tagetes oil has a wild, sweet, fruity almost citrus-like smell and is yellow to reddish-amber in color. It is of medium viscosity that can turn thick and even gel-like if exposed to the air for a long time.
Known in Africa as 'Khaki bush', it is now also grown in France and North America and is a weed with deeply divided deep-green feathery leaves and numerous yellowish-orange carnation-like flowers.
The leaves and flowers are a good insect repellent and are often seen hanging from native huts to deter swarms of flies and mosquitoes. In a 5% dilution, Tagetes oil has been used to kill maggots in open wounds, while the roots and seeds have been found to help rid the body of poisons.
The health benefits of Tagetes Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti biotic, anti microbial, anti parasitic, anti septic, anti-spasmodic and disinfectant, insecticide and sedative.
Despite having a nice fragrance, it is neither popular in aromatherapy nor as a deodorant. But that does not affect its reputation as an anti parasitic and anti septic.
Benefit & Uses: Depending on the species, marigold foliage has a musky, pungent scent, though some varieties have been bred to be scentless. It is said to deter some common insect pests, as well as nematodes.
Tagetes species are hence often used in companion planting for tomato, eggplant, chili pepper, tobacco, and potato.
Tagetes oil is valuable in keeping insects at bay and can help with parasitic and fungal infestation.
It is used for chest infections, coughs and catarrh, dilating the bronchi, facilitating the flow of mucus and dislodging congestion and can be used in cases of skin infections. It has a healing effect on wounds, cuts, calluses and bunions.
The Essential Oil of Tagetes is useful in stopping growth of microbes in the body and thereby protecting it from infections. In cases of infectious diseases caused by bacteria or fungi or protozoa, such as food poisoning, athlete’s foot, cholera, septic, tetanus, typhus, malaria, skin diseases, dermatitis etc., this oil can be employed in wiping out these infections and giving relief from the diseases told above.
This oil can help you get rid of the most annoying and harmful of parasites on human body such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, bed-bugs and others. It keeps them away as well as neutralize their effects such as bites, stings etc.
It is very dangerous and can be fatal. It may start on a simple looking wound and engulf the whole body within a few hours. It readily affects the new born babies. Its symptoms include convulsions, extreme spasm and muscular contractions, swelling with redness, immobility of the limbs and even insanity. This oil is lethal to these bacteria and helps get rid of septic.
Being relaxant in nature, this oil relaxes any type of spasm in the body and gives relief from spasmodic cough, diarrhea, cramps, convulsions etc.
Apart from the uses discussed above, it is further used to ease phlegm and catarrh depositions, congestion and to treat wounds, burns, athlete’s foot, skin diseases, dermatitis, colitis etc.