Tagetes lucida.

also called Santa Maria, Mexican tarragon, sweet mace, yerbanis, yauhtli (cloud herb), cuaubiyauhtli, iyauhtli, tepepapaloquilitl, totonicapán, jolomocox, tzitz ak (Tzeltal Maya), periquillo, anicillo, curucumín, basigó, basigoko (Tarahumara), ohoom (Huastec), tumutsali (Huichol)

Pericón (1) is an herb native to México. It has an aniseed like flavour and scent and is sometimes called “Mexican tarragon”. The chopped leaves are used to flavour corn on the cob and chayote and are complementary to green beans and squash. The flowers can be sprinkled on salads. The herb can be dried but it will lose some of its flavour. This herb is still used as a culinary herb and in religious ceremony in Mexico.

1. possibly named due to its intense yellow color resembling that of a parrot. (Elferink, J.G.R., Flores Farfán, J.A. : Yauhtli and Cempoalxochitl: The sacred marigolds. “Tagetes species in Aztec medicine and religion”, (page 8) : El Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) : Juárez 87, Tlalpan 14000, Ciudad de México, México : Accessed 06/09/19)

As Yauhtli this herb is closely related to the rain god Tlaloc because it sprouts during the first rains of the season (1) and is used to treat illnesses related to water and/or cold. It was also used in Prehispanic times to offer protection when crossing rivers and to keep one safe from being struck by lightning.
In the States of Morelos and some parts of Puebla, on the eve of St Michaels Day (September 28th) crosses are made from this herb and hung on the doors and windows of houses and placed in the corners of fields to provide protection from the devil (Chamuco) and protect crops from lightning. The crosses remain in place until the next year when they are renewed. (Linares & Bye)
The use of this herb has continued in Mexican folk medicine although the Tlaloc connection no longer (openly) exists (2).

1. which is also an indicator of the beginning of the planting season
2. This is debatable

Hernández, Sahagún, De la Cruz and Badiano all wrote of this herb. The Aztecs thought that the Tagetes was a manifestation of Xochipilli. A mixture containing the powdered herb was said to be blown into the faces of those about to be sacrificed to dull their senses and make them come to the sacrificial stone more willingly. A decoction of cypress leaves, papaloquilitl and yauhtli was rubbed into the chest as a cure for hiccups.

The herb is commonly used today (as an infusion of the flowers) in the treatment of stomach pain and diarrhoea and to alleviate fever (particularly in small children). Studies conducted on the herb have recommended it as stimulant of the immune system, and to treat emotional and nervous complaints, such as anxiety, irritability and depression. (Guzmán Gutiérrez, etal)  Pericón is of “very hot” nature, it is combined with “temperate/cold” plants to balance its thermal qualities (Linares etal 1990).

T.lucida is also used in the treatment of susto.

Susto (and its more serious incarnation Espanto) is a condition which has no equivalent in western or allopathic medicine. At its most basic it is a condition caused by “fear” or a traumatic experience (1). This fear can damage the spirit (or even separate it from the person) which can then manifest as a physical illness. The patient’s illness then needs to be treated by a limpia (cleansing) or by “retrieving the soul” and making them spiritually whole before their mental or physical symptoms can be addressed effectively. The flowers are gathered into bouquets which are brushed over the person’s body during a ceremony with the intent of removing negative energy, healing traumatic experiences or effecting a soul retrieval. This condition often occurs in childhood and its effects can carry over into adulthood. It is part of the wholistic treatment methodology of Curanderismo and is being investigated as a treatment for Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD).

1. sometimes referred to as “magical fright”. One author (Lozoya-Gloria 2003) expands on the types/causes of susto and lists the following; Espanto de tierra (soil’s flight)(sic), susto de animales (animal’s fright), susto de agua (water’s flight), espanto negro (black fright), espanto rojo (red fright), mal de espanto (fright disease).

As an aside, in 2012 it was found that a pericón infusion had positive effects on depression and the serotonergic system at a dose of 50 mg/kg (in an animal model) (1). The aqueous extract of leaves, flowers and stems of T. Lucida was prepared by water decoction for 30 min. It was administered orally (at doses of 10, 50, 100 mg/kg) for fourteen consecutive days, and evaluated on day 14, 2 h after the last dose treatment; fluoxetine (10 mg/kg, p.o.) was used as a positive control.

1. Guadarrama-Cruz G, Alarcon-Aguilar FJ, Vega-Avila E, Vazquez Palacios G, Bonilla-Jaime H. 2012. Antidepressant like effect of Tagetes lucida Cav. extract in rats: involvement of the serotonergic system. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine 40(4):753-768

In México pericón is amongst a group of plants that have been scientifically tested in depression models with pericón being a popular remedy in the treatment of “nervios”.  It is noted that none of the plants mentioned are described for the treatment of sadness and/or depression (1). The condition of nervios or Ataque de nervios (which translates into English as an “attack of nerves”) appears in Appendix I of the revised fourth edition of the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-IV-TR) as a culture-bound syndrome specific to “Ibero (Latin) Americans”. It is used in its common cultural form to refer to a specific pattern of symptoms such as uncontrollable screaming or shouting, crying, trembling, sensations of heat rising in the chest and head, dissociative experiences, and verbal or physical aggression and despite being quite similar in comparison to “panic attacks” it has been identified as a separate syndrome (2). You can easily see however where a crossover with PTSD may be made.

1. Azcarraga-Rosette M.R., 2004. Un acercamiento etnobotánico al Valle de México, plantas útiles en siete mercados urbanos y periurbanos. Tesis doctoral, Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
2. Razzouk D, Nogueira B, Mari Jde J “The contribution of Latin American and Caribbean countries on culture bound syndromes studies for the ICD-10 revision: key findings from a working in progress”. : Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 33 Suppl 1: S5–20 : May 2011

Medicinal uses of Pericón

Actions : anti-anxiety, anti-inflammatory, antibacterial, antimicrobial, antinematacidal, antipyretic, antispasmodic, antiviral, diaphoretic, digestive, diuretic, febrifuge, galactagogue, (reputedly) hallucinogenic, hypoglycaemic (1), hypolipidemic (1), insecticidal, nervine, stomachic

1. Samah A. Abdel-Haleem, Abeer Y. Ibrahim, Rasha F. Ismail, Nermeen M. Shaffie, S.F. Hendawy, E.A. Omer, : In-vivo hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of Tagetes lucida alcoholic extract in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic Wistar albino rats,Annals of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 62, Issue 2, 2017, Pages 169-181.

Some of the conditions for which pericón is potentially effective are: anaemia, asthma, bacterial infection, bleeding, cardiomyopathy, cholera (the best vibriocidal activity was exhibited by the n-hexane extract while the essential oil did not show any effect although Candida albicans and Staphylococcus aureus are very sensitive to the essential oil) (1), colds, colic, dermatosis, diarrhoea, dysmenorrhea, fever, fungal infection, gastrosis(2), influenza, gonorrhoea, malaria, nausea, neurosis, pain, pneumonia, rheumatism, salmonella, and stomach-ache (Duke 2009)

1. Hendawy, Saber. (2015). Some Biological Activities of Tagetes lucida Plant Cultivated in Egypt. Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(2) January 2015, Pages: 82-88. 9. 82-88.
2. An obsolete term for any disease of the stomach; gastropathy.

Pericón has had positive results in treating gastrointestinal disorders. Caceres (et al. 1993) found that pericón was effective in treating cholera. A study conducted by Ortiz (1989) concluded that an n-hexane extract of pericón has good antispasmodic action.

In Latin America and India pericón essential oil has been extensively researched. Most of the research finds that the essential oil can be used to combat bacterial and fungal overgrowth. Céspedes (et al. 2006) found that the essential oil of pericón has antifungal and antibacterial properties and Regalado (et al. 2011) found that “T. lucida essential oil exhibited a moderate antimalarial activity.”

Fifty three compounds were revealed in the essential oil of the flowering herbs of Tagetes lucida with major the components being: methyl-eugenol, anethole, and estragole.

• Methyl-eugenol is effective in treating inflammation in the respiratory system caused by allergies (Tang el at. 2015)
• Anethole exhibits anti-inflammatory and chemopreventive properties (Choo et al. 2011).
• Zahid (et al. 2015) conducted research on the effectiveness of anethole as an antibacterial, finding that “anethole did not show significant growth inhibitory effect…but anethole showed potent antibacterial activity against all of the tested strains.”
• Silva-Comar (et al. 2014) concluded that estragole “showed anti-inflammatory activity as demonstrated by the inhibition in the leukocyte recruitment and stimulation of phagocytic activity in macrophages.”

The essential oil of the flowering shoots of Tagetes lucida is also reported to contain linalool and methyl chavicol. Pericón essential oil can also be used as an insect repellent or larvicide. Narayanaswamy (et al. 2014) concluded that pericón essential oil can be used eradicate larvae of Aedes aegypti, the mosquito species that is known to carry dengue fever and the zika virus. It was found that the essential oil of pericón was effective in repelling insects, but when the components of the essential oil were isolated, the insects were partially attracted.

In addition to the abovementioned compounds the Tagetes species contain a number of bioactive compounds with an array of pharmacological activities such as flavonoids (patuletin, quercetagetin, and a related compound, quercetagritin), thiophenes, coumarins, carotenoids and xanthophylls, as well as smaller levels of terpenes and ketones.

To date no cases of harmful side effects of pericón to the general population have been documented.

Pericón extract is proven effective for a number of different health concerns at a dose of 100 mg/ kg (where the LD50 (1)is greater than 50,000 mg/kg) (Duke 2009). (2)

Suggested use and dosage:

Strength: Dry plant material / solvent ratio 1:3 (1ml liquid = 300mg herb) 40-45% alc

Shake well before using.

Take about 20-30 drops (1 ml) to 2 oz (60ml) of juice or water up to 4 times a day.

(1-4ml/day – 7-28ml/week)

1. the maximum or “Lethal Dose” at which 50% of the test subjects would be expected to die
2. for comparisons sake the LD50 of aspirin is 200mg/kg

Recipe

Pericón Chicken

This dish is similar to the French dish ‘poulet à l’estragon’, tarragon chicken. The French dish uses cream and wine and the dish is cooked slowly and gently in the oven. The recipe below can either be cooked in the oven or grilled before seasoning with a honey mustard sauce.

Ingredients

• 1/4 cup fresh pericón leaves
• Two cloves garlic
• Three to four small green onions (spring onions or scallions)
• 1/4 cup Dijon mustard
• 1/4 cup honey (or agave syrup)
• Four boneless, skinless chicken breasts

Method

1. Grind together the pericón, garlic and onions in a molcajete (or you can use a knife or blender), and scrape all into a small bowl.
2. Add the mustard and honey and mix well to make a thick paste.
3. Cut a pocket lengthwise in the middle of each chicken breast and spoon in one tablespoon of the honey-mustard mixture. Season the breast with salt and pepper and bake at 180°C (350° F) for 20 minutes, turning once, or grill the breast over hot coals for four minutes on each side until cooked.
4. Pour remaining honey-mustard sauce over cooked chicken and serve.

As an alternative to the honey and mustard you could grind ¼ cup of pumpkin seeds into the mix at step 1 (with a dash of tequila plata or mescal joven to keep the mixture moist) before grilling the chicken and napping with a mild salsa verde.

References

• Azcarraga-Rosette M.R., 2004. Un acercamiento etnobotánico al Valle de México, plantas útiles en siete mercados urbanos y periurbanos. Tesis doctoral, Posgrado en Ciencias Biológicas, Facultad de Ciencias, Universidad Nacional Autónoma de México, México.
• Céspedes C, Ávila G, Martinez A, Serrato B, Calderón-Múgica J, Salgado-Garciglia R. 2006. Antifungal and antibacterial activities of Mexican tarragon (Tagetes lucida). Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry 54:3521-3527
• Duke JA. 2009. Duke’s handbook of medicinal plants of Latin America. Boca Raton (FL): CRC Press
• Elferink, J.G.R., Flores Farfán, J.A. : Yauhtli and Cempoalxochitl: The sacred marigolds. “Tagetes species in Aztec medicine and religion”, (page 8) : El Centro de Investigaciones y Estudios Superiores en Antropología Social (CIESAS) : Juárez 87, Tlalpan 14000, Ciudad de México, México : Accessed 06/09/19
• Guadarrama-Cruz G, Alarcon-Aguilar FJ, Vega-Avila E, Vazquez Palacios G, Bonilla-Jaime H. 2012. Antidepressant like effect of Tagetes lucida Cav. extract in rats: involvement of the serotonergic system. The American Journal of Chinese Medicine 40(4):753-768
• Guzmán Gutiérrez,  S. Laura;  Ricardo Reyes Chilpa; Herlinda Bonilla Jaime : Medicinal plants for the treatment of “nervios”, anxiety, and depression in Mexican Traditional Medicine : Revista Brasileira de Farmacognosia : vol.24 no.5 Curitiba Sept./Oct. 2014 : http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.bjp.2014.10.007
• Hendawy, Saber. (2015). Some Biological Activities of Tagetes lucida Plant Cultivated in Egypt. Advances in Environmental Biology, 9(2) January 2015, Pages: 82-88. 9. 82-88.
• Linares, E + Bye, R +  Flores, B : Plantas Medicinales de Mexico : 1995 : ISBN 968-7365-08-0
• Lozoya-Gloria, Edmundo (2003). [Recent Advances in Phytochemistry] Integrative Phytochemistry: from Ethnobotany to Molecular Ecology Volume 37 || Chapter twelve Xochipilli updated, terpenes from Mexican plants. , (), 285–311. doi:10.1016/S0079-9920(03)80027-8
• Narayanaswamy VK, Gleiser RM, Kasumbwe K, Aldhubiab BE, Attimarad MV, Odhav B. 2014. Evaluation of halogenated coumarins for antimosquito properties. The Scientific World Journal 2014:1-6. 
• Ortíz SD. 1989. Elucidación del principio activo antiespasmodico en el extracto n-hexano del pericón (Tagetes lucida Cav.). Revista Cientifica de la Facultad de Ciencies Químicas y Farmacia 7(1): 9-10.
• Razzouk D, Nogueira B, Mari Jde J “The contribution of Latin American and Caribbean countries on culture bound syndromes studies for the ICD-10 revision: key findings from a working in progress”. : Rev Bras Psiquiatr. 33 Suppl 1: S5–20 : May 2011
• Regalado, Gerardo G, : Plantas Medicinales de Aguascalientes : Universidad Autonoma de Aguascalientes : 2015 : ISBN 978-607-8359-83-7
• Samah A. Abdel-Haleem, Abeer Y. Ibrahim, Rasha F. Ismail, Nermeen M. Shaffie, S.F. Hendawy, E.A. Omer, : In-vivo hypoglycemic and hypolipidemic properties of Tagetes lucida alcoholic extract in streptozotocin-induced hyperglycemic Wistar albino rats,Annals of Agricultural Sciences, Volume 62, Issue 2, 2017, Pages 169-181.
• Silva-Comar FM, Marques-Wiirzler LA, Silva-Filho SE, Kummer R, Bocchi-Pedroso R, Spironello RA, Silva EL, Bersani-Amado CA, Nakamura-Cuman RK. 2014. Effect of estragole on leukocyte behavior and phagocytic activity of macrophages. EvidenceBased Complementary and Alternative Medicine 2014:784689.
• Tang F, Chen F, Ling X, Huang Y, Zheng X, Tang Q, Tan X. 2015. Inhibitory effect of methyl-eugenol on IgEmediated allergic inflammation in RBL-2H3 cells. Mediators of Inflammation 2015:463530
• Zahid SH, Awasthi SP, Hinenoya A, Yamasaki S. 2015. Anethole inhibits growth of recently emerged multidrug resistant toxigenic Vibrio cholerae O1 El Tor variant strains in vitro. The Journal of Veterinary Medical Science 77(5):535-540.