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Mexican Tarragon Marigold Sweet Mace Tagetes Lucida Seeds
Packet of 100+ seeds easy to grow seeds!
Most famous for its association with the Dia De Los Muertos or Day of the Dead celebrations, these guys are a very tasty addition to the herb garden.
Strong, sweet, aniseed or licorice flavour to the flowers and leaves which I love as a tea.
Most folks would know it as Sweet Mace or Mexican Tarragon, but it also has a heap of other cool names like Yerbaniz, Pericon, Mexican mint marigold, Spanish tarragon, Cempaxochitl, Texas tarragon, Flor de Santa Maria, Hierba de Nube (means Cloud herb), Xpuhuc, Tumutsali or my favourite, Yahutli which means “The Dark one”.
Synonyms include Tagetes anethina, Tagetes florida, Tagetes gilletii, Tagetes pineda, Tagetes schiedeana and Tagetes seleri.
Said to be used as a divination and lucid dreaming aid, burnt as an incense, smoked at night or made into a strong tea.
Never noticed any really strong effects myself, except very mild stimulation, and as a definite aid for indigestion, but that said I have never really had more than a big handful in a sitting? The opposite of chamomile tea really, no stronger than a normal coffee or black tea.
The internet tells me that the ancient Aztecs considered it a powerful psychoactive and their artwork reflects this. They called it The Dark One, and would make a sedative powder from it that they would sprinkle into the faces of prisoners destined to be burned as sacrifices.
I really hope it did work for them, even a little.
What a way to go..
Mexican Indians still burn small bundles of dried Tagetes lucida as a sacrament, and it is sometimes mixed with tobacco and smoked in rituals or as a recreational activity.
Not something I recommend in any way, but it is interesting.
Forgetting all this, it makes a great culinary herb and has a lot of other medicinal uses too. Said to cure hiccups, cough, cold, eczema, diarrhea, cramps, stomach pain and increase milk output in breastfeeding mothers.
Marketed mostly as a tarragon substitute, but I don’t really see it?
Much better and unique in its own way, at least in my honest opinion.
Great on smoky meats, sauces, stews, soups, and a little in a salad really adds something different.
One thing I really love that I urge you should have a crack at is slushies!
Get a handful of leaves and just rip them up a bit. You can chop them if you feel fancy.
Chuck it in an ice tray, fill with water and freeze it.
Then just dump the lot in a metal milkshake glass or large plastic jug and hit it with one of those Wizz Sticks. Food processor will do the job too I guess?
Fantastic on a hot afternoon after a hard day, really energizing and refreshing.
I would even go as far as to say better than a beer!
Grown by me and the Mrs organically, no chems, no nasties, no problems!!!
