Medical properties of tansy herb
Tansy
Tanacetum vulgare
Asteraceae
Common names:
Common tansy
Golden buttons
Hind-heal
Buttonweed
Bachelor’s buttons
Bitter buttons
Parsley-fern
Tansy is a highly aromatic and bitter herb, traditionally utilized for addressing intestinal parasites like roundworms and threadworms. In contemporary times, it is applied externally to treat scabies and deter insects.
Sustainability Status:
Not currently listed as at-risk, though comprehensive data on species status may be lacking. Refer to our sustainability guide for more details.
Key Benefits
Bitter
Insecticidal
Antimicrobial
Intestinal worms and parasites
Scabies
Note: Tansy is not recommended for internal use unless supervised by a qualified herbalist.
Fresh tansy emits a strong, aromatic scent when in bloom. Rubbing the leaves and flower heads releases this aroma, traditionally used to scent rooms. Hanging tansy bunches in windows and doorways during summer allows the pleasant scent to fill the air, repelling flies and insects with its insecticidal properties.
Dried tansy infusions contain fewer toxic volatile oils than the fresh plant, but caution is advised with any internal use. Tansy is best for external application. Even in dried form, its aromatic oils are prominent, and inhaling the steam can clear nasal passages. The aroma includes hints of camphor oil and softer tones from flavonoids and terpenoids.
The taste is bitter, aromatic, and slightly acrid, with sesquiterpenes stimulating digestion. Aromatic oils contribute to tansy's antimicrobial properties.
Drinking tansy may cause a cooling, tacky, and acrid sensation in the mouth. The cooling effect is akin to mint, due to volatile oils, while the tacky feeling is from oils coating the membranes.
Consumption can initially cause light-headedness and dizziness, followed by a clearing sensation as bitter compounds stimulate digestion, providing a grounding effect.
Tansy is traditionally anthelmintic and vermifuge for roundworm and threadworm infestations in children, though now recommended only under medical herbalist guidance due to potential toxicity. It can be used externally for pruritus ani often linked with intestinal worms.
Tansy acts as a carminative and antispasmodic for intestines and a bitter stimulant for digestion. It is an emmenagogue, traditionally used to stimulate menstruation, but not recommended during pregnancy. Internal use is generally discouraged as safer options exist.
For topical use, tansy can be made into washes, compresses, lotions, or balms for scabies, lice, fleas, bruises, sprains, and rheumatic pains. It is an effective insect repellent and can be used in room sprays or applied to the skin. Aromatic flowers and leaves can be added to insect repellent sachets with lavender and rose geranium.
Tansy's choleretic action is due to caffeic acid and bitter sesquiterpenes, stimulating bile and aiding digestion.
Tansy essential oil may contain up to 81% thujone, toxic when ingested, affecting the nervous system and causing convulsions. The anthelmintic properties are due to thujone, which is antimicrobial, acaricidal, and insecticidal, expelling parasitic worms. Its acaricidal action is attributed to thujone, as demonstrated in vitro against worms and ticks.
Energetically, tansy is calming, cooling, and clearing, moving physical and emotional stagnation. As a flower essence, it helps manage negative emotions by connecting individuals with their inner strength, beneficial for those who are indecisive or lethargic.
Historically, tansy was a strewing herb to keep flies away. Flowers and leaves were used to protect meat from insects. Culpeper recommended tansy for women, though modern concerns about its abortifacient properties contraindicate use in pregnancy. Tansy cakes were consumed at Easter to purify the body after Lent. The seed and juice were given to children for worms, and the root was a gout remedy.
In the 19th century, tansy was recognized as a tonic and used in small doses for various ailments. It was included in King's American Dispensatory after being introduced by European settlers. Large doses were known to cause irritation and congestion of the abdominal organs.
Today, due to toxicity concerns, practitioners limit tansy use to external applications, with safer alternatives for internal use.
Gastrointestinal Tract: As an antispasmodic, tansy relieves intestinal spasms but is rarely used due to toxicity. Safer carminative herbs include cramp bark, aniseed, fennel, and angelica.
Antiparasitic: Tansy was traditionally used as an anthelmintic but is no longer recommended. Alternatives for intestinal worms include raw garlic, wormwood, gentian, pennyroyal, sage, thyme, mugwort, yarrow, aniseed, and calendula.
Liver and Gallbladder: Tansy stimulates bile in patients with liver and gallbladder disorders, easing dyspepsia and indigestion. Safer bitter alternatives include dandelion root, gentian root, and artichoke leaf.
Scabies: Tansy is effective for external scabies treatment. An infusion can be applied as a compress, with bandages changed frequently. Tansy oil, tincture, or essential oil can be added to lotions or creams for direct application.
Insect Repellent: Tansy can be included in insect repellent sprays or balms, pairing well with elder leaf, lavender, and lemongrass.
Though laboratory studies confirm tansy's active constituents, traditional uses lack clinical research support. The Commission E monograph indicates therapeutic application is unjustified due to associated risks.
An in vitro study demonstrated tansy's anthelmintic activity against trematode flatworms, causing schistosomiasis. Isolated constituents from tansy oil showed strong tick repellent properties.
The name tansy derives from the Greek "athanasia," meaning "immortality," referencing its use in embalming.
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