Botany
Ahito is an ornamental plant; a rather coarse, erect, glabrous
branched, rank-smelling annual herb, 0.4 to 1 m high. Leaves are 4 to 11 cm long, very deeply pinnatifid, with the lobes lanceolate,
coarsely and sharply toothed, 1 to 2.5 cm long. Heads are solitary, 2.5 to 3.5 cm long, 2 to 4 cm in diameter, long-peduncled, with the peduncle thickened
upward. Involucre is green.
Ray flowers are 1-seriate, female, the ligule entire or 2-toothed, short
or long; disk flowers, perfect, regular, tubular limb usually somewhat
enlarged, 5-fid, flowers pale to deep yellow. Fruits are achenes, linear, narrowed below, compressed or angled,
6 to 7 mm long.
Distribution
Ornamental cultivation throughout
most of Philippines,
Spontaneous and naturalized in some localities.
Flowering all year.
Parts utilized
Flower and leaves.
Constituents
• Marigold is the richest and purest source of lutein.
• Phytochemical studies isolated flavonoids, carotenoids, xanthophylls
and polyketides with antimutagenic, phytotoric, nutritional, anticarcinogenic
and ophthalmologic agents. (Link)
• Study of stems and flowers characterized: ß-caryophyllene, terpinolene,
(E)-ocimenone, ß-ocimene, piperitenone and Z-ocimene, and limonene.
• Flowers contain a volatile oil and a yellow coloring-matter, quercetagetin.
Properties
Tonic, emmenagogue, disperses contusions.
Anthelminthic, aromatic, digestive, diuretic, ophthalmic, sedative,
stomachic.
Roots considered laxative.
In Mexico, flowers and leaves considered carminative and diuretic.
 Uses
Edibility / Culinary
• Petals of some varieties are edible.
• Yellow dye from the flower used as saffron substitute for food
coloring and flavor.
• Condiment.
Folkloric
• Anemia
• Irregular menstruation, abdominal pain during menstrual period.
• Rheumatic muscular and bone pain.
• Leaves applied to boils and carbuncles; juice used for earaches.
• Internally, used for indigestion, colic, severe constipation,
coughs and dysentery.
• Externally, usedfor sores, ulcers, eczema, sore eyes and rheumatism.
• Decoction of flowers used for colds, conjunctivitis, mumps,
sore eyes.
• Decoction preparation for coughs: Boil a handful of the herb
in a liter of water and drink a glass 3x daily.
• In India, juice of the flowers occasionally used as blood purifier and as remedy for piles.
• Infusion or decoction of plant used for colds, rheumatic pains, bronchitis.
• In Brazil, infusion of leaves and flowers used as vermifuge.
• In Mexico, decoction of flowers and leaves used as diuretic and carminative.
• In Aztecs used
for carbuncles and eye infections.
• In Brazil and Mexico, used for joint pains and muscle spasms. Also,
used for allergic contact dermatitis.
• Elsewhere, used in folk medicine for eye diseases, colds, coughs, conjunctivitis, hemorrhoids and ulcers.
Others
• Insecticide, repellent.
• The Aztecs used
it for ceremonial purposes.
Studies
• Antioxidant / Analgesic effect:
A study showed pronounced antioxidant potential in Aztec marigold flowers
and dose-dependent analgesic effect in keeping with its folkloric medicinal
use as antiinflammatory and analgesic
• Wound Healing Activity: Ethanolic extract of Tagetes erecta
leaves was evaluated on adult albino rats. Results showed significant wound healing activity, comparable to the nitrofurazone control.The study supports the wound
healing properties of the leaves as claimed in folkloric literature.
• Carotenoid / Nutritional Supplement:
Flower extract was found to contain biologically useful lutein compounds
and studied for use as nutritional supplement and as poultry food colorant.
• Keratolytic / Anti-verrucae /
Podiatric Use: Its use for plantar hyperkeratosis was
first described in the early 80s. Marigold p;aste has been used for
painful hyperkatotic lesions in the UK. Studies yielded tagetone, d-limonene,
acimene, linalyl-acetate, linalol, and other terpenes. Tagetone acts
as catalyst in inhibiting the production and transmission of keratinocytes.
Marigold also showed benefit in the treatment of topical verrucae. Study
shows promised for continued investigation for use of marigold therapy
for various podiatric conditions.
• Larvicidal: Study of T patula essential oil on fourth instar larvae of mosquito species showed greatest activity against A aegypti, followed by An. stephansi and C quinquefasciatus. Results were compared to synthetic insecticide, malathion.
• Toxicological Study: Study showed the chloroform extract of T erecta had no toxic effects and validates its traditional use in indigenous systems of medicine.
• Essential Oil: Study of essential oils of T erecta yielded piperitone (50.7%), piperitenone, (E)-ß-ocimene from the leaf oil and 1,8-cineole (23.1%), a-pinene, a-terpineol, piperitone and sabinene from the flower oil.
• Antinociceptive / Anti-Inflammatory: Study of T erecta alcoholic extracts showed significant antinociceptive activity and significant anti-inflammatory activity comparable to the Diclofenac sodium.
• Insecticidal: Study of crude extracts and fractions of flower of T erecta was tested for insecticidal activity against stored product insect pest, Trilobium castaneum. The chloroform extract showed highest toxicity against both larvae and adults of T castaneum.
Availability
Ornamental cultivation.
Wild-crafted.
Extracts and other products in the cybermarket. |
