Tansy

The Tansy

or Common Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare) is a perennial herbaceous flowering plant native to temperate Europe and Asia.

It is a strong-scented herb with finely divided compound leaves and yellow, buttonlike flowers. It has a stout, somewhat reddish, erect stem, usually smooth, 50-150 cm tall, and branching near the top. The leaves are alternate, 10-15 cm long and are pinnately lobed, divided almost to the center into about seven pairs of segments or lobes which are again divided into smaller lobes having saw-toothed edges, thus giving the leaf a somewhat fernlike appearance. The roundish, flat-topped, buttonlike, yellow flower heads are produced in terminal clusters from mid to late summer. The leaves and flowers are said to be poisonous if consumed in large quantities.

The plant's volatile oil is high in thujone, a poison that can cause convulsions, vomiting and uterine bleeding. Death is normally the result of respiratory arrest and organ degeneration. Also, tansy can be used as an abortifacient, meaning that it can end a pregnancy. However, it is extremely risky to use in this manner.

Tansy was formerly used as a flavouring for puddings and omelets, but that is almost unknown now. But they were certainly relished in days gone by, for Gerarde speaks of them as "pleasant in taste", and he recommends tansy sweetmeats as "an especial thing against the gout, if

every day for a certain space a reasonable quantitie thereof be eaten fasting". According to liquor historian A. J. Baime's book Big Shots, bourbon magnate Jack Daniel enjoyed drinking his bourbon with sugar and crushed tansy leaf. It has also been used as a medicinal herb. Bitter tea made with the blossoms of T. vulgare has been effectively used for centuries as a anthelmintic (vermifuge). Note that only T. vulgare is used in medicinal preparations; all species of tansy are toxic, and an overdose can be fatal. As a natural insect repellent, it was often planted next to kitchen doors to keep ants out. Some insects, notably the tansy beetle, have evolved resistance to tansy and live almost exclusively on it.

Other common names include Bitter button, Cow bitter, Golden button, and Mugwort.

Other useful herb information: Spirulina | Yerba | Eleuthero | Anise | Artemisia | Tansy | Kola Nut

Tansy

Page Content: tansy and ragwort , tansy plant , common tansy , tansy mustard , indianapolis tansy .