Tansy: an Herb with a Rich History
by Stephen Byrnes, PhD, DNT, CNC
Stephen C. Byrnes is a nutritionist and natural
therapist practicing in Honolulu, HI. His
articles have appeared in Common Ground,
Vitality, Explore!, and Health Freedom News.
Dr. Byrnes’ web address is www.naturalhawaii.com/byrnes.htm
and he is available for consultations in
person or at distance. Dr. Byrnes’ critically
acclaimed book Overcoming AIDS with Natural
Medicine is available from Centaur Books
at www.naturalhawaii.com/centaur.htm.
Tanacetum vulgare, or tansy, is a perennial favorite among
gardeners who value its height, beautiful
leaves and long-lasting yellow flowers. Although
nowadays mostly used as a trimming and border
plant, tansy is, in fact, a very old herb
with a rich history steeped in Greek mythology
and Christian theology. Tansy was also a
very often used medicinal herb and its unique
healing powers have rescued many unfortunates
from a variety of illnesses and ailments.
But tansy’s remarkable powers and gifts
provide benefit only to those who know how
to use it. Taken carelessly, tansy will harm
rather than help.
It is this double-edged sword that has led
to tansy’s current “exile” by many medical
herbalists, particularly in the United States.
However, one need not be afraid of using
tansy, as it has a history of safe medicinal
and culinary use, despite the possible dangers
from overuse. This is not unusual as many
herbs will also induce toxic reactions if
overused or used without proper attention
to the correct dose.
Tansy was a well-known herb to various ancient
peoples, particularly the Greeks. It is postulated
that tansy’s very name comes from the Greek
word for “immortal,” athanaton. This, according to the ancient writer Dodoens,
was due to the long life of tansy’s flowering
buds. Another writer, Ambrosius, believed
the connection was with tansy’s role in
preserving the dead from physical corruption.
Apparently tansy had a place in Greek funeral
rites. Ganymede, the beautiful Trojan prince,
was supposedly made immortal by taking tansy
after he was carried away to Mt. Olympus
by Zeus, who was enamored by Ganymede’s
physical perfection.
It is tansy’s role in medieval Christianity,
however, that is most fascinating. Tansy
was one of the plants dedicated to the Virgin
Mary, and each year Lent officially ended
with the eating of a special dish called
a “tansy.” The fresh young leaves of the
plant were mixed and cooked with eggs, cream,
flour, sugar, and wine and eaten on Easter
Sunday. Christian writers at the time believed
that tansy could purify “bad humours” from
the body that had accumulated there during
the long Winter and restrictive Lenten diet
of salted fish. Other writers believe that
Christians ate the “tansies” as a remembrance
of the bitter herbs traditionally eaten by
the Jews at Passover.
Medieval Europeans used tansy as a culinary
spice and as a replacement for nutmeg and
cinnamon. Tansy was also brewed up as a tea
which, despite its bitter taste, was a popular
Lenten beverage and many a hearty meal was
topped off with tansy pudding. All of this
leads us to the inevitable conclusion that
tansy was once a very popular and well-known
herb that was safely used by many, and that
it had mythological links to immortality
and eternal life.
In medieval times, tansy was used for a variety
of ailments. Its most well-known use was
for expelling intestinal worms, particularly
in children. Children infected by these parasites
would have a cup of tansy tea in the morning,
and another at night. Tansy leaves were also
used by elderly Europeans for such things
as stomach upset, a wash for wounds, fever,
and the roots were used for gout. Tansy,
however, is of value in resolving several
other conditions which we’ll discuss below.
But what makes tansy “tick?”
Tanacetin, a bitter principle, is found mostly
in the flowers. Bitter herbs typically stimulate
the digestive tract to greater activity.
The herb also contains smaller amounts of
tannic acid (an astringent found in a great
many plants), sugars, various glycosides,
camphor, and essential oil. The essential
oil contains thujone. Thujone is found in other herbs, most notably
sage, and is a good antiseptic. It has also
been shown to be a uterine stimulant in animals.
It is for this reason that tansy has an age-old
reputation as an effective abortifacient.
Because of this, tansy should never be given
to or used by pregnant women.
Tansy is also an excellent carminative that
removes excess gas from the digestive tract.
Nausea, feeble digestion, and ulcers can
all be helped by tansy. Tansy has also been
used successfully in resolving jaundice.
Tansy is a good diuretic, making it useful
for some kidney complaints and excessive
water retention. Tansy is also a little-known
remedy for prostatitis. Tansy is a powerfully
antispasmodic herb. This quality, and tansy’s
ability to act specifically on the prostate,
make it valuable for acute prostatic difficulties.
Tansy is usually combined in equal parts
with either kava kava, golden seal, or agrimony
in resolving prostatitis.
While tansy needs to be avoided by pregnant
women, its ability to stimulate the uterus,
makes it superb for blocked or painful menstruation.
Tansy is usually combined in equal parts
with chamomile or peppermint for relief of
amenorrhea or dysmenorrhea. Along these same
lines, tansy is effective as a douche for
leukorrhea.
Externally, sprains, inflammations, swellings,
and painful joints can all be eased with
a hot fomentation of tansy. Soak some torn
cotton towel strips in the hot infusion and
then wrap the strips around the affected
area. Remove and replace when cool, and repeat
several times. Tansy can also be used externally
as a wash for eruptive skin diseases like
scabies and chicken pox.
Dosage & Administration
All three times a day:
Infusion*: 3-6 oz.
Tincture: 3-5 ml.
Extract: 1-3 ml.
Powdered herb: 1-3 grams
Oil: Use of tansy oil, externally or internally,
is NOT recommended due to its toxicity.
* Recipe for infusion: Pour 16 oz. of boiling
water over 1-2 oz. of the dried herb, cover
and steep for 20 minutes. Strain out the
herb when finished and refrigerate the infusion.
The infusion will stay fresh for about 2
days. Tinctures and extracts are usually
commercially available.
Do not use tansy for more than ten days continuously
and do not exceed the doses given above.
It is recommended that parents consult with
an herbalist, a reliable medical herbal guide,
or a health professional familiar with herbal
therapeutics before administering tansy (or
any other herb or medicine) to a child.
Sources
Tansy plants are widely available at garden
shops. Seeds may be ordered from the Thompson
and Morgan garden catalog. (Tansy plants
make excellent insect repellents in the garden!)
Dried tansy and tincture may be ordered from
Herb Products Company (818) 877-3104 or Nature’s
Herbs (510) 601-0700.
Making a Tansy: From an old recipe book
Beat seven eggs. Add 2 cups of cream, a pint
of spinach juice, a little tansy juice obtained
by pounding a few leaves in a stone mortar,
a quarter of a pound of Naples biscuit, honey
to taste, a glass of white wine, and half
a teaspoon of nutmeg. Put into a dish lined
with a paste [pie crust] to turn out and
bake it. [Note: 1/2 cup pulverized almonds
may be used in place of Naple’s biscuit,
probably a form of cracker.]
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