This is the first in a series of posts introducing my favorite herbs, their traditional uses and the stories surrounding them that have been passed down through the ages ~ often morphed and embellished along the way. The working heading is “I’d Like to Introduce You to My Friend Herb!”
Today I would like to introduce you to my friend Herb. He is formally known as Artemisia dracunculus, but his friends call him French Tarragon and some of his buddies call him Little Dragon.
French Tarragon is primarily thought of as a culinary herb used to flavor vinegars or stuffed under the skin of your chicken dinner. However like most souls worth knowing they don’t have a showy exterior, but those with the wisdom to take the time to get to know them find a truly remarkable soul.
French Tarragon is my oldest grandson’s “go to” herb when he visits because when you first chew the leaves you get a lovely licorice flavor then your mouth goes slightly numb for a little bit~super cool party trick man! Historically it was used to temporarily relieve mouth pain. I believe it is the root that was used for toothaches, but this last weekend while he was visiting he lost one of his baby teeth. He ate some leaves and it took the edge off.
The French word for tarragon is estragon, then English speakers morphed estragon into tarragon. French Tarragon is sometimes referred to as little dragon or as one of the dragon herbs. The dragon reference speaks to the roots looking like intertwined serpents. That visual then leads to the doctrine of signature, where whatever a plant looks is what it is useful for, which in this case is to counteract bites by all manor of beasts.
Besides counteracting bites, the story is told that travelers in the Middle Ages put French Tarragon leaves inside their shoes before a long walking journey to keep them from getting tired. I imagine the anti~fungal properties would have also been beneficial on a long walking journey.
Before the unfortunate “let them eat cake” remark the tale is told that Marie Antoinette had servants wear white gloves to pick her daily French Tarragon leaves. Post-harvest, the white gloves were inspected for any green stains to ensure the leaves had not been crushed while harvesting. The French Tarragon was then added, some say, to her daily salad while others say to lemon juice which she drank at dinner. Unfortunately for Marie Antoinette French Tarragon does not posses the ability to make you empathetic. Lesson learned, I do like French Tarragon in my lunch salad, but I make a point to stay away from “let them eat cake” comments and or guillotines.
In addition to what has already been discussed, French Tarragon was traditionally used to enhance beauty, to help digestion and appetite. It has also been valued for its diuretic, anti~inflammatory and antioxidant properties. Because it stimulates the uterus it has also been used as an aphrodisiac, to relieve cramps and start menstruation. This also could lead to miscarriage, so not an herb to use during pregnancy.
At one point it was thought that there was a male and female tarragon. Perhaps this came about because French Tarragon does not have fertile seeds, so propagation is done by making cuttings or division where as Russian Tarragon (Artemisia dracunuliodes) has fertile seeds. Note~when buying tarragon you want French Tarragon not the Russian Tarragon garden thug.
Finally to quote from Companion Plants and How to Use Them by Helen Philbrick and Richard Gregg ~ tarragon “belongs somewhere in every Bio~Dynamic garden.”
Well that is a little about my friend Herb ~ French Tarragon. I hope now that you have been introduced you will get to know each other better!
Standard herbal disclosure ~ this is for informational purposes and not meant as medical advice.
My Friend Herb~Catnip, by Jill Kuhel
My Friend Herb~Horehound, by Jill Kuhel
I’d Like to Introduce You to My Friend Herb ~ French Tarragon, by Jill Kuhel
