Botanical atlas

Huacatay (Wild Marigold)

Tagetes minuta

Long before it wandered the globe as a roadside weed, this pungent little marigold was a kitchen staple in the Andes, where cooks in Peru and Bolivia still call it huacatay and stir its sharp, minty-herbal leaves into the beloved sauce ocopa. Andean healers traditionally brewed the leaves into a warming tea for an unsettled stomach, and travelers carried crushed sprigs to keep biting insects at bay. As the plant spread through Africa, Europe, and Australia in the wake of trade and wool shipments, it picked up new names and new folk uses along the way, from a gardener's ally against soil pests to a humble home remedy for digestive discomfort.

Safety.

The essential oil is potent and shouldn't be taken internally, and handling the fresh plant before sun exposure can cause skin sensitivity in some people. It's traditionally avoided in pregnancy, since the plant has a folk reputation as a uterine stimulant.