Description:
Tagetes (Tagetes minuta) is the Native to South America including countries like Argentina, Chile, Bolivia, Peru, and Paraguay. Now it is cultivated in Europe, Asia, Africa, Madagascar, and other parts of the world. In India, it is cultivated in Uttar Pradesh, Bihar, M.P., Himachal Pradesh, Sikkim, Meghalaya, Arunachal Pradesh, Rajasthan, Nagaland, Maharashtra, and other states.

Essential oil is present in all parts of the plant except the stem, but the best quality of the oil is present only in flowers.

The tagetes crop require slightly acidic soil pH range from 5.5 to 7.0, the soil should be well-drained, sandy, loam, clay soil having the amount of humus. A well-drained sandy loam to clay loam soil having a sufficient amount of humus favors plant growth.

Tagetes releases antibacterial thiophenes through their root, therefore, tagetes should not be cultivated near legume crop because the root of the legume crop contains Nitrogen-Fixing Bacteria known as Rhizobia.

Essential oil is extracted from flowers by the process of steam distillation. The yield of tagetes oil is from 0.5 to 2.0% on a dry weight basis.

Odor profile:
fresh, sweet, floral

Major Constituents:
Ocimene, Ocimenone, Dihydrotagetone, Tagetone, Tagetenone, Limonene.

Application:
~ Tagetes essential oil helps to treat scars, eczema, rashes, cracked skin, and inflammation.
~ The antiseptic, disinfectant, anti-biotic and antimicrobial properties of this oil helps in dealing with infections caused due to microbes like bacteria, viruses, and fungi.

Aromatherapy:
Tagetes essential oil is used in various therapies like Vapor therapy, Massage therapy, Bath oil, Inhalation, and Disinfecting in treating bronchitis, coughing spasms, muscle cramp, pain, and other chest infections, warts Athlete’s foot, parasitic infestations, skin ailments, whooping cough, colic, mumps, and colds, etc.