Tagetes essential oil is often times confused with calendula or “true marigold” essential oil but fret not, because tagetes essential oil is actually on a league of its own despite the fact that it is extracted from the flowers which are sometimes referred to as Mexican marigold or simply marigold. The essential oil is mainly extracted from the leaves, flowers and stalks of the tagetes minuta, a family of flowers which includes daisies and sunflowers.

Even though tagetes essential oil may sound obscure and unpopular, do not be fooled because it has tremendous health benefits and uses! With its sweet and fruity fragrance, these flowers have been historically used to repel insects as they are placed outside households. Chinese practitioners have also used tagetes in their traditional medicinal treatments to cure ailments such as coughs, colds and the colic disease.

The essential oil is extracted following a process of steam distillation and it continues to have major health benefits and uses that are applicable for modern use in today’s times. Read on to find out more!

Uses of Tagetes Essential Oil:

1. Heals Cuts and Wounds

Tagetes essential oil has antimicrobial and antiviral components, thus it serves as a powerful antiseptic for open wounds, sores, cuts and even ulcerated skin. This is done through the process of cleaning out and killing any bacteria or virus that is festering on such open wounds and cuts, thus preventing any forms of infections or complications such as tetanus or wounds getting septic from taking place.

For example, research done and published in the Flavour and Fragrance Journal in 2004 has shown that the tagetes essential oil has been effective in exhibiting antibacterial activity, especially against Gram-positive bacteria.

Moreover, it has antifungal components which makes it a great agent to treat various fungal conditions on the skin such as athlete’s foot and jock itch. As such, look no further, for tagetes essential oil can effectively be your antiseptic and antibiotic remedy for such skin ailments!

How to Use it: Proceed to dilute tagetes oil with a carrier oil (such as coconut, jojoba or almond oil) and apply to the affected areas. Caution must be taken and it should not be applied on major open wounds. Alternatively to create an antifungal blend mixture, you can add 4 drops of tagetes oil combined with 8 drops of lavender oil and tea tree oil each with 4 drops of myrrh oil and mix it with 30ml of jojoba oil. Proceed to apply to the infected fungal areas.

2. Provides Respiratory Relief

Tagetes essential oil has been well-known within some Asian cultures and the Ayurvedic practice for healing respiratory problems. With its expectorant properties, it can help to clear out excess mucus and phlegm that is lodged within your nasal and respiratory tracts, thus helping to ease congestion and facilitate a smoother, more unobtrusive airflow.

This hence makes breathing far more comfortable and coupled with its antibacterial properties, tagetes oil is a useful agent to combat chest infections and bronchitis, as well as alleviate the common cold and flu symptoms.

How to Use it: Blended with a carrier oil, you can gently rub the diluted tagetes essential oil onto your chest area for respiratory relief for a warm oil massage. You can also diffuse tagetes essential oil in a diffuser, vaporizer or distiller to clear respiratory complaints, including chest infections.

3. Offers Pain and Inflammation Relief

Tagetes essential oil also has potent anti-inflammatory attributes which makes it a great essential oil that is of practical value to have! It relaxes and soothes sore joints and muscle aches, thus providing fast pain relief arising from such conditions. Therefore, it helps to offer relief from inflammatory conditions such as rheumatism and arthritis or simply aching legs after a tiring and exhausting day.

In addition, a 2014 research study published in the Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine has found that tagetes essential oil possesses much anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory benefits. Tagetes oil has potent radical scavenging activity and can potentially be used as a safe source of natural antioxidants in therapy to prevent oxidative damage and stress that comes from some inflammatory conditions.

How to Use it: Simply apply diluted tagetes oil onto the affected areas in a warm massage rub for pain relief. Alternatively, you can add a few drops of the oil into your warm bathing water to soak your aching muscles.

4. Provides Spasm Relief

Being anti-spasmodic and a sedative, tagetes essential oil is also a useful agent to combat any physical muscular spasms within your body. As such, it can treat convulsions, diarrhea, cramps and spasmodic coughs as it relaxes the muscles within your bodies. Additionally, its sedative components help to provide relief to any irritation within your digestive, nervous, excretory and neurotic systems. Also, it provides relief from any inflammation as it soothes and relaxes the various parts of your body.

That being said, tagetes can also provide you with much emotional relief from stress, tension and anxiety since it is a sedative. All the negative thoughts of self-doubt, low self-esteem and depression can effectively be conquered by this handy essential oil!

How to Use it: You can diffuse tagetes essential oil into your diffuser, burner or vaporizer and inhale the sweet, fruity aromatic scent around you. Alternatively, you can also add a few drops into your warm, bathing water to clear your mind and relax your body.

5. Potent Insecticide

Tagetes essential oil is also anti-parasitic in nature, and it is very well-known for this feature. This oil can help to get rid of pesky and harmful parasites such as mosquitoes, fleas, lice, bedbugs and many others that are unwanted yet commonly found in households.

As such, you do not need to buy expensive chemical insect repellents and pesticides (which contain harmful chemical ingredients anyways) and instead, let this wondrous essential oil do the magic for you!

How to Use it: Simply make your own insect repellent spray by adding a few drops of tagetes oil into water and spray it all over your household areas which are commonly infected by these pesky creepy crawlies. Alternatively, you can diffuse the oil also around your home to keep these unwanted creatures out.

6. Powerful Disinfectant

Even though what has been mentioned so far mostly deals with benefits concerning the human body and mind, but essential oils are also useful for other functions besides increasing and boosting the health of the physical body and mental as well as emotional health. In the case of tagetes essential oil, it is also a potent disinfectant agent!

Because of its antibacterial, antibiotic and antiparasitic properties, tagetes oil is exceptionally useful for disinfecting surfaces in your homes. Be it the kitchen surfaces or tabletops, you can ultimately use tagetes oil to kill off any bacteria lingering. It fumigates the area and clears the area, making it free of any germs, viruses or bacteria.

This can indirectly help your body as well since the environment is clean and healthy, thus preventing you from falling sick easily!

How to Use it: Simply add a few drops of the oil into a spray bottle that has water and spray it all over kitchen tops and other surfaces which needs cleaning. It will also leave your house smelling nice and great because of its sweet and fruity fragrance!

Safety Precautions:

• Tagetes essential oil may cause sensitive reactions and irritation on your skin when applied topically. Be sure to dilute with a carrier oil first before application and perform a skin patch test.

• The oil is phototoxic so it is best to avoid going into direct sunlight and exposing your skin to direct sunlight for a minimum of 24 hours after application.

• Do not ingest tagetes essential oil.

• It is best for pregnant and nursing women as well as children to avoid using the oil.

References:

Felice Senatore, et. al., “Antibacterial activity of Tagetes minuta L. (Asteraceae) essential oil with different chemical composition”, Flavour and Fragrance Journal (2004); 19(6)

Parastoo Karimian, Gholamreza Kavoosi, Zahra Amirghofran, “Anti-oxidative and anti-inflammatory effects of Tagetes minuta essential oil in activated macrophages”, Asian Pacific Journal of Tropical Biomedicine (2014); 4(3)