Tarragon - Artemisia dracunculus

Detailed Description

Tarragon is a herb known since antiquity, with a long history of use in traditional medicine, cosmetics, and cuisine, and has shown fascinating results in scientific research.

Botanical Information

Tarragon is a perennial herb with an aromatic, spicy scent and a long, creeping rhizome. The stem is upright, branched, ribbed, hairless, and can reach up to 150 cm in height. The leaves are fleshy, sessile, simple, lanceolate, alternate, 2–10 cm long and 0.2–1 cm wide, entire or finely serrated, and slightly glossy.

The inflorescence is a loose panicle, 15–45 cm long. Flowers are bisexual, light yellow, tubular, with up to 14 flowers per inflorescence. Fruits are cylindrical achenes, approximately 1 mm long.

Origin and Distribution

Artemisia dracunculus originates from Siberia and present-day Mongolia. In the wild, it is found throughout Central Asia to the Far East, in Mediterranean countries, Eastern Europe, and North America from Alaska to northern Mexico. It commonly grows in meadows with alkaline soils, birch forests, near rivers, on mountain slopes, and steppe regions.

Usage / Dosage

The name Artemisia is likely derived from the Greek goddess Artemis, guardian of maidens, because some species have abortifacient properties. The species name dracunculus is Latin for 'little dragon,' probably referring to the long, narrow, tongue-like leaves.

History

Matthiolus (1501–1577) described tarragon ('Dragoncell', 'Dracuncellus', 'Dragoncellus', 'Dracunculus esculentus') as having a sharp taste and warming effect, stimulating appetite, with crushed leaves applied topically mixed with honey (known as 'tarcon' by Avicenna). Simon Syrennivus (17th century) noted its elongated, flax-like leaves and spicy flavor, with drying and warming properties. Traditionally, tarragon was used for toothaches, clearing mucus from the head, stimulating digestion, and as a diuretic. It was, and remains, used as a salad green, to enhance appetite, with meats or salads, and to flavor various dishes.

In the 18th and 19th centuries, European pharmacopeias list tarragon primarily as a culinary herb rather than a medicinal one.

Culinary Applications

According to the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA), tarragon consists of dried leaves and flowering tops of Artemisia dracunculus. It is commonly used to season meats, sauces, rice dishes, fish, and marinades, and is valued for its preservative qualities. It's popular in the pickling of cabbage and cucumbers, marinating squash, and in making tarragon mustard and herb vinegars. In French cuisine, tarragon is an essential herb, especially for Dijon mustard, creamy sauces, and mayonnaise. Armenians season vegetables, fish, and meat with tarragon, Slovenians use it in baked goods called 'potica', and in the United States, it's used in vinegar, tartar sauce, and with seafood.

Tarragon is widespread in Turkish cuisine and is used to flavor wine and fruit vinegars, herb butters, poultry, roasted and stewed meats, pickled vegetables, mustards, and cucumbers, as well as in both Chinese and French dishes. The taste is bittersweet and spicy, imparting a distinct tangy flavor to dishes. The herb is featured in popular Armenian, Azerbaijani, Georgian, Russian, Ukrainian, and Kazakh non-alcoholic soft drinks known as 'tarkhun.' It's also a main ingredient in Chakapuli, a traditional Georgian dish, and is served in Iranian sabzi khordan and other Persian pickled recipes.

Fresh, slightly bruised sprigs are steeped in vinegar, and tarragon remains one of the four classic herbs of French cuisine, particularly complementing chicken, fish, and egg dishes.

Modern research suggests the hydroethanolic extract of Artemisia dracunculus, due to its antimicrobial activity, is a promising natural preservative for food applications.

Traditional Medicine

In folk medicine, tarragon has been used against intestinal parasites (pinworms, roundworms). The physician and botanist Ibn Baithar (13th century) recorded its use in flavoring vegetables and drinks. Traditionally, tarragon was given to combat loss of appetite (by stimulating bile production) and intestinal worms, and to promote general digestive health, act as a mild diuretic, increase appetite, and aid digestion. It's also used for cramp relief in dyspepsia and digestive disorders. As a tea, it has mild anesthetic and sedative effects and has been used to calm hyperactivity.

Tarragon is traditionally used for illnesses of the digestive system and as an appetite stimulant. It is also said to accelerate metabolism, act as an anesthetic for toothaches and cuts, and in Europe was used for constipation, intestinal spasms, ulcers, and cancer.

In Arab cultures, tarragon is used for insomnia, gum inflammation, foot-and-mouth disease, and lameness. In Central Asia and Russia, it's used for skin irritation, allergic rashes, gastritis, dyspepsia, dermatitis, aiding digestion, and stimulating appetite. In Azerbaijan, it's regarded as an antiepileptic. In Indian Ayurveda, tarragon is used for helminthiasis, smooth muscle cramps, fevers of various origins, and is known as a tonic, an immunostimulant, and helps regulate the menstrual cycle. Indigenous people of Kashmir apply tarragon paste to yak and donkey wounds. Leaf extracts are used for toothaches, fever, dysentery, intestinal worms, and stomach pain.

Modern Medicine and Research

Recent research has confirmed various important biological activities in both whole plant and leaf extracts, and in tarragon essential oil. Antibacterial, antifungal, and antiprotozoal properties have been scientifically documented, as well as noteworthy antioxidant, immunomodulatory, and antineoplastic (anticancer) effects. Studies have also found hepatoprotective, hypoglycemic and thyroid-regulating activities, as well as an antidepressant effect. Its anti-inflammatory and analgesic actions reported in traditional medicine have been confirmed.

Active Compounds

Gas chromatography/mass spectrometry analyses reveal that Artemisia dracunculus oil consists primarily of phenylpropanoids such as estragole (16.2%), methyl eugenol (35.8%), elemicin, and trans-anethole (21.1%). Phenylpropanoids thus represent the main group (73.5%) of compounds in the oil, with monoterpenoids (24.3%) and sesquiterpenoids (0.2%) in much smaller quantities.

The oil also contains terpenes and terpenoids, including α-trans-ocimene (20.6%), β-ocimene, cis-ocimene, limonene (12.4%), α-pinene (5.1%), allo-ocimene (4.8%), methyleugenol (2.2%), β-pinene (0.8%), terpinenol, anethole, phellandrene, artemidin, capillin, α-terpinolene (0.5%), bornyl acetate (0.5%), ocimene, and bicyclogermacrene (0.5%). The plant has also yielded cis-pellitorine and isobutyramide, both of which create a pungent taste.

Tarragon contains numerous coumarins—primarily herniarin, along with coumarin, scopoletin, scoparon, dracumerin, esculetin, esculin, and capillarin. The total coumarin content exceeds 1.0% of the herb.

Flavonoid levels range from 0.5 to 1.9% in wild plants, but under cultivated, controlled conditions, can reach 4.9%. Characteristic flavonoids include quercetin, kaempferol, luteolin, isorhamnetin and their glycosides, naringenin, anangenin, and pinocembrin.

Extracts of tarragon contain phenolic acids, particularly chlorogenic, caffeic, and vanillic acid. Other compounds include alkylamides (neopellitorin A, neopellitorin B, pellitorin), polyacetylenes, tannins, bitter compounds, vitamin C, fatty acids, sterols, iodine compounds, and peroxidase.

Traditional Dosage

For various extracts, doses in experimental models ranged from 5 to 400 mg/kg body weight, administered by injection. Folk traditions recommend a single dose of no more than 1 g, and a maximum daily intake of 3 g of the dried herb. The plant should generally be used for acute or short-term purposes. Use during pregnancy or breastfeeding is not recommended.