Welcome to the world of distilling essentials oils..
Here we were distilling a plant called "Kakiebos"
It is used with excellent results against fleas, various insects and other parasites in South Africa.
I personally love the smell of it too :-)
Kakiebos (Tagetes minuta), although an alien species, is not a declared invader and is a pioneer plant on disturbed ground. In addition, and a very good reason to cherish these plants:
Kakiebos contains a very useful range of chemicals that are known to have various medicinal properties. It can be used as an antimicrobial, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antiparasitic and antibiotic. It is used in south American countries as a food paste, it contains lutein, a yellow food colourant (think Kakiebos next time you swallow a yellow pilletjie), lutein is also very necessary for your eyes (often combined with selenium pills as in “Ocuvite + Lutein”).
A 5% dilution is used to kill maggots in open wounds; if steeped in boiling water to release the essential oil and then mixed with a soap solution, it makes a useful insecticide. The flowerheads are used in animal bedding to repell fleas and mosquitoes. The same 5% dilution kills foot fungus (athlete’s foot). A layer of Kakiebos strewn in calf and lamb penns will prevent foot rot.
Huibert Francken of Rosemary Hill distils the essential oils from Kakiebos and sells it amongst others to perfume manufacurers (“Charlie” perfume is based on kakiebos); as a matter of fact, kakiebos is an ingredient of many perfumes.
Why don’t we investigate the distillation of kakiebos oil? It might be the answer to our Conservancy’s financial problems. Google “Tagetes oil” to find its many uses.
And NO, it wil not kill Pom pom, sorry (dis mos familie! – Asteraceae).
Image below sourced from wikipedia.
