Recipe
Pericón (Mexican tarragon) tea
- Herb:
- Mexican tarragon Tagetes lucida
- Method:
- Herbal infusion (tea)
- Plant part:
- Leaf
About 10 minBeginnerRecipe science profile
Procedure
- Put a teaspoon of dried herb with flowers (or 3–4 fresh sprigs) into a mug.
- Pour over 250 ml of boiling water and cover.
- Steep for 5 minutes; the drink is golden with an aniseed scent.
- Strain, sweeten with honey to taste; in Mexico it is drunk in the evening.
Extraction
- Herb:
- 1 teaspoon of dried aerial parts per 250 ml
- Solvent:
- boiling water, 5 minutes, covered
- Shelf life:
- drink the same day
- Target compounds:
- essential oil (estragole, anethole) and coumarins pass only partly into hot water; the drink has an anise-like sweetness
Notes
A traditional Mexican 'nerve' tea. The herb contains estragole like fennel or basil — an occasional cup is common practice, litres a day and pregnancy are not. A clinically proven calming effect does not exist.
Why it works
The estragole- and anethole-rich oil and part of the coumarins pass into the infusion. The review by Pérez-Ortega et al. summarises traditional use for anxiety and 'fright' (susto) and animal studies of sedative action; human clinical evidence is lacking.
Literature
- Pérez-Ortega G, González-Trujano ME, Ángeles-López GE, Brindis F, Vibrans H, Reyes-Chilpa R (2016): Tagetes lucida Cav.: Ethnobotany, phytochemistry and pharmacology of its tranquilizing properties. J Ethnopharmacol 181:221–228 — Review of traditional use "for the nerves" and laboratory data; clinical studies are lacking.
Related
Mexican tarragon — Herb card
Herbal infusion (tea) — Processing method detail