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Herbal Glossary | Medicinal Glossary | Herbal Preparations | Ayervedic Formulas | Chinese Formulas Tarragon
Scientific Names
Common Names
Parts Usually UsedThe flowering plant; leaves and root Description of Plant(s) and CultureTarragon is a green, glabrous perennial shrub; its branched root
system with runners produces erect, bushy-branched stems from 2-4
feet high. The lower leaves are ternate, the upper leaves lanceolate
to linear and small-toothed or entire. The small, drooping whitish-green
or yellow flowers are almost globular and bloom from May to June in
terminal panicles. Where FoundGrows in sunny, dry areas in the western United States, southern
Asia, and Siberia. In Europe it is cultivated for its leaves, which
are used as a seasoning. Medicinal PropertiesDiuretic, emmenagogue, hypnotic, stomachic Legends, Myths and StoriesSometimes substituted for the cooking herb French Tarragon (A. dracunculus var. sativa), which, not producing viable seed, must be propagated vegetatively. The French Tarragon, also called little dragon (esdragon), smells strongly of anise; Wild Tarragon may be odorless and flavorless. Tarragon traces its historic roots back hundreds of years before Christ. Its use was recorded by Greeks about 500 BC; tarragon was among the so-called "simples", one-remedy herbs, used by Hippocrates. European gardeners knew tarragon in the Middle Ages, but it wasn't until the end of those dark times that it leaped the English Channel. It entered England during the Tudor reign probably as a preferred gift for the royal herb garden from the Continental monarch. For many years, tarragon was relatively unknown outside the royal garden. It must eventually have made good its escape, because it arrived on America's post-Revolutionary shores in the first few years of the 19th century. The common name probably is a corruption of the French esdragon, derived from the plant's Latin specific name dracunculus, a little dragon; p possibly so named because of its brown coiled roots resemblance to a cluster of small, gnarled serpents. In ancient times, it was thought that tarragon could draw venom from bites of snakes and insects and in treating the bite off a mad dog (Rabies). Tarragon has a licorice flavor that is both sweet and slightly bitter. One of the important herbs in French cooking; indispensable. in bearnaise sauce. Tarragon adds zest to herbal combinations used to make liqueurs. Do not mistake Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon) with Artemisia absinthium
(Wormwood) which is poisonous. UsesRelieves digestive problems and catarrhal difficulties, stimulates
the action of the kidneys, and promotes the onset of menses. The tea stimulates the appetite,
especially when it has been caused by illness. Taking the tea before
retiring for the night helps overcome insomnia.
Native Americans used leaf or root tea for colds, dysentery, diarrhea, headaches,
difficult childbirth. Externally, leaves poulticed for wounds,
bruises. Formulas or DosagesInfusion: steep 1/2 tsp. dried plant in 1/2 cup boiling water.
Take 1/2 to 1 cup per day, unsweetened. How SoldAs a spice in supermarkets WarningDo not mistake Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon) with Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood) which is poisonous. Allergic reactions may result from use.
Bibliography
Herbal Gardening, compiled by The Robison York State Herb Garden, Cornell Plantations, Matthaei Botanical Gardens of the University of Michigan, University of California Botanical Garden, Berkeley., Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition
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Estragon
Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants
, by Steven Foster and James A. Duke., Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000Copyright © 1996-2010 Lynn DeVries, all rights reserved.