Toronjil medicinal plant complex: ethnobotany and domestication of Agastache (Lamiaceae) in Mexico

Toronjil medicinal complex consists of various native Mexican taxa of Agastache (5 of the 12 species of the section Brittonastrum) and European species (Dracocephalum moldavica and Melissa officinalis). Since the prehispanic period, they have been and continue to be used to treat such ailments as digestive disorders, culturally affiliated syndromes among other ailments. In recent years, the increased demand has resulted in decline of natural populations and intensification of cultivation. Humans broke isolation barriers between species and selected a hybrid (toronjil blanco: A. mexicana subsp. xolocotziana) [morphological, chemical and molecular evidences presented here]. Because of its sedative properties of A. mexicana, consumption has generated international market; recently, it was included in the official Mexican Pharmacopeia and is currently being evaluated in clinical trials. The attractive flowers are the basis for cultivating both wild species and horticultural hybrids as ornamental plants that provide food for pollinators.