TARRAGON: Overview, Uses, Side Effects, Precautions, Interactions, Dosing and Reviews (2024)

FAQs

What are the side effects of tarragon? ›

Bleeding disorder: Tarragon might slow blood clotting. There is concern that tarragon might increase the risk of bleeding when taken as a medicine. Allergy to ragweed and related plants: Tarragon may cause an allergic reaction in people who are sensitive to the Asteraceae/Compositae family.

Tarragon oil contains estragole, which is toxic at high levels. As an extra precaution, young children and pregnant women should avoid the oil. The spice is safe, as the essential oil concentrations are too small to cause harm.

The parts of the tarragon plant that grow above the ground are used to make medicine. Tarragon is used to treat digestion problems, poor appetite, water retention, and toothache; to start menstruation; and to promote sleep. In foods and beverages, tarragon is used as a culinary herb.

Tarragon is especially embraced at home in preparations involving chicken, fish, shellfish, butter, and cream. Lemon, both the juice and zest, is a great complement to the citrusy notes of the herb. Tarragon is also a primary example of how beneficial it is to use herbs at different stages of cooking.

May be beneficial for heart health: Tarragon is often used in the heart-healthy Mediterranean diet. The health benefits of this diet are not only related to the food but also the herbs and spices that are used ( 28 , 29 ). May decrease inflammation: Cytokines are proteins that can play a role in inflammation.

Cooking With Tarragon

Fresh tarragon should also be used raw or added to the end of cooking, whereas dried tarragon is often added early on in recipes. Try tarragon in your own lemon salad dressing or dip, on pan-fried or baked chicken and fish, summer roasted vegetables and more!

In addition, potassium also has the effect of lowering blood pressure in hypertensive patients. Although these nutrients in Tarragon are not high, this herb can still bring many health benefits when used.

Relieving pain and inflammation

A 2015 study on mice examined the pain-relieving and anti-inflammatory properties of tarragon. The researchers found significant benefits, and the results suggested that opioid receptors could be involved in the pain-relieving effect of the herb.

Tarragon is a natural diuretic, laxative and antispasmodic.

Varieties of Tarragon

French tarragon is also more expensive and more difficult to grow, as it can only be reproduced from fresh cuttings of the leaves, and not from seeds.

Can you eat tarragon leaves raw? ›

Fresh tarragon should be used raw or added toward the end of cooking; if left to cook a long time, the flavor will turn bitter. Dried tarragon is added early on in recipes but will not create the same effect as fresh due to its diminished flavor.

Tarragon has been used in traditional medicine as a remedy for toothaches. This is due to the herb's natural numbing properties, derived from the essential oil eugenol, ² which is also found in cloves. The Complete Illustrated Book of Herbs; Reader's Digest, 2009.

Tarragon has a subtle but pronounced taste, which goes well with foods we associate with spring: salmon, chicken, veal, rabbit, eggs and baby vegetables like artichokes, fava beans, asparagus and carrots. Leaves of tarragon inserted under the skin of a chicken before it is roasted permeate the flesh with its flavor.

Tarragon is also believed to be a mild diuretic. This herb was used in ancient Greece to relieve toothache and as a local anaesthetic due to its content of eugenol, which is a natural anaesthetic.

Fresh tarragon is harder to mimic with a substitution than dried. If the recipe calls for dried tarragon, your options open up a bit. Dried marjoram, oregano, basil, dill, or even rosemary or fennel or anise seed (in a pinch) will work well.

Tarragon may cause itching in the mouth in certain people who eat the fresh herb. Additionally, some studies suggest that taking tarragon as a medication may be toxic to the liver if consumed long term. This is due to the plant's natural compounds: estragole and methyl-eugenol.

If you bite into one of its slender leaves, you get the same mouth-numbing sensation as with a Sichuan peppercorn. That's because it contains a compound, cis-pellitorine, similar to one found in the peppercorns and another similar to one found in anise and basil.