Product Review

Tansy is also known as Tanacetum vulgarum, Buttons, Common Tansy, Wild Tansy, Gold Leaf Tansy, Ginger Plant, and Bitter Buttons. Tansy is a perennial member of the aster family, with serrated, fernlike leaves and flat bright yellow flowers that resemble buttons. Originally native to Europe and Asia, tansy is now widely grown and has a number of traditional medicinal uses, though most modern herbalists warn against its use by laymen. The active constituents are toxic in large doses, and itÕs difficult to judge the amount of thujone the most toxic of its elements without a chemical analysis. Tansy was used medicinally by the ancient Greeks, included in CharlemagneÕs personal herb garden, and cultivated throughout the middle ages as a remedy for a wide range of ailments. The volatile oil can be toxic even used externally, so care should be taken when using tansy for medicinal purposes. Despite these warnings, tansy is also used in cooking, and in small amounts adds a spicy tang to salads akin to cinnamon or nutmeg.