Tarragon, one of the species of wormwood, resembles it only in appearance, since this plant, whose homeland is Mongolia and Eastern Siberia, is completely devoid of bitterness. Tarragon is known to us as tarragon, although among the people it is more often called dragoon-grass and stragon. The spicy aroma and piquant, slightly tart taste of tarragon, somewhat similar to anise, makes dishes and drinks fresh, bright and original.
Tarragon: medicinal properties and uses in medicine
Tarragon leaves contain a large amount of essential oil, which makes the plant so fragrant. The presence of carotene, ascorbic acid, a large amount of resins, tannins and B vitamins allow tarragon to take its rightful place among medicinal plants. Tarragon is famous for its anti-inflammatory, restorative and antiseptic effects on the body, so folk healers use it as an effective remedy for toothache and headaches, depression, insomnia, beriberi, diseases of the respiratory system and the female genital area. It should be remembered that fragrant, pleasant-tasting, the beneficial properties of which are used in the preparation of medicinal preparations, tinctures and ointments, should not be used by people suffering from stomach diseases, pregnant women and nursing mothers.
Spicy tarragon: culinary use
The French were the first to use tarragon in cooking when this spice was brought to Europe in the 17th century. It was French gourmets who invented recipes for dishes with tarragon, adding this herb to drinks, salads, serving it with meat, seafood and vegetables.
Now tarragon is used mainly as a seasoning, the aroma and taste of which are especially pronounced in combination with acidic foods - lemon juice, berries and fruits.
Tarragon stalks are indispensable in the preparation of marinades and pickles, they can be used to flavor salad dressings, vegetable oil, mayonnaises and sauces. In addition, tarragon is an excellent preservative that inhibits the growth of bacteria and allows you to preserve the taste and aroma of vegetables, mushrooms and fruits, so modern housewives use it in homemade preparations.
Fresh and dried tarragon leaves are served as a side dish for meat, fish, vegetable and egg dishes, added to broths, soups, okroshka and sauces, and pieces of meat or fish are rubbed with gruel from crushed leaves before marinating. In Ukraine, it is customary to add tarragon to cheeses and curdled milk, and in France, this spice is part of Dijon mustard. Tarragon is used to make delicious non-alcoholic drinks that were produced already in the Soviet years, its leaves give wines and liquors brightness and richness.
Subtleties in the use of tarragon
- Fresh tarragon should not be cooked as it acquires a bitter taste, so it is recommended to use it in salads or add to already.
- Dried tarragon leaves are put in soups and hot main dishes 5 minutes before they are ready.
- If you put a small sprig of tarragon in a bottle of wine vinegar, after a month the vinegar will become fragrant and slightly spicy.
- Very tasty vodka is infused on tarragon leaves - for this it is recommended to put a fresh or dry bunch of tarragon branches in a bottle for several weeks.
- By adding a pinch of dried or fresh tarragon with juniper berries to the bread dough, you can get a forest aroma of baking.
- Tarragon is harvested for the winter like dill and parsley, mixing finely chopped leaves with salt, after which the mixture is placed in jars and stored in a cool place.
Arab doctors believed that tarragon freshens breath, strengthens the immune system and eliminates apathy, so the use of this healthy spice in food will not hurt at any time of the year. Fragrant, savory dishes and drinks on our table make the diet more varied, cheer up, give strength and a new taste for life.
The Asteraceae family is represented in the home collections of flower growers and gardeners as an olive-green tall plant. tarragon (tarragon), blooming in August-September with pale yellow (most often) flowers. It is odorous and not odorous.
Aztec
The Aztec owes its name to an ancient Mexican origin. Strongly branched and well leafy. The dense aroma of the plant has anise shades. Most often, the plant is used as a culinary seasoning. The bush rises up to 1.5 m in height. Cultivated in one place up to 7 years.
Valkovsky
The matte leaves of Tarragon Walkowski have a slight aroma. This is a cold-resistant tarragon variety of Russian breeding. It is unpretentious and impregnable for diseases. The small, whitish flowers contain some essential oil, which is used in cooking and perfumery. From shoots to ripening in May - 2 months.
Important!Does not tolerate excess moisture.
Goodwin
One of the most famous odorous varieties of tarragon. With a height of one meter, it is distinguished by a large amount of green mass - more than 0.5 kg in the second year of vegetation. The bright smell has a bitter aftertaste. The leaves of this tarragon are seasoned with pickles and a variety of foods. Can be grown outdoors or in a pot on a windowsill.
Gribovsky
Tarragon Gribovsky has earned wide popularity due to its frost resistance and duration of growth in one place (up to 15 years). The long, pointed leaves on a meter long plant serve as a dark green backdrop for the small, whitish flowers. Use - classic for all varieties of odorous tarragon - seasoning for salads, pickles, meat and fish dishes.
Dobrynya
The usual meter height of Tarragon Dobrynya is combined with an unusually high content of useful substances - ascorbic acid, carotene, vitamins and microelements. This spicy herb demonstrates all the benefits of tarragon. Feels good in drought, not afraid of cold. Able to grow in the same place for 10 years.
Did you know?Tarragon must be rejuvenated when dividing the bushes every 3 years.
Zhulebinsky Semko
Compact frost-resistant shrub with green matte leaves. It has small yellowish flowers in rounded inflorescences. Within 7 years, it grows up to 150 cm in one place. A sweetish spice that is universal in use is suitable for baking and preparing soft drinks.
Did you know?The woody stems of tarragon in the lower part lose their foliage early.
King of Herbs
Blooms in summer. The height of the bush (up to 1.5 m) is similar to Tarragon Monarch and some other varieties. Like Tarragon Aztec, the strong aroma is dominated by aniseed aroma. The leaves contain substances that help preserve color, increase strength, and improve smell and taste in home-prepared foods. Helps cure many diseases.
Important!In the first year of plant development, harvesting is done once - before flowering.
Monarch
In an upright bush (from 0.8 to 1.5 m) a large number of stems. Tarragon leaves are narrow, bright emerald color. A whole year passes from sowing for seedlings to planting in a permanent place (from spring to spring). The fresh Monarch Tarragon greens are especially good in salads.
The spicy taste of the plant of this variety is preferred to be used in drinks and pickles. There are medicinal properties: tarragon improves the functioning of the stomach, increases appetite, and reduces inflammation. With the help of tarragon, diseases of the respiratory tract are treated - pneumonia, tuberculosis, bronchitis.
Emerald
Prefers open flat areas. The stems are erect, height within 80 cm, dense foliage becomes stiff by the beginning of flowering. Narrow panicles of inflorescences are formed by baskets in the form of balls, where yellowish flowers are collected. Salting, canning and amateur cooking use the leaves and young shoots of Tarragon Smaragd. Also, tarragon of this variety is often used by flower growers for decorative plantings.
A perennial herbaceous plant, tarragon is known for its specific aroma. It is often used in cooking as a condiment and in the preparation of drinks. It makes delicious lemonade. At the same time, tarragon is used as a medicinal raw material. In folk medicine, the herb traditionally serves as a remedy for worms and edema. Its other names are tarragon, dragoon-grass and tarragon wormwood.
Description
Tarragon, or in Latin Artemisia dracunculus, is a representative of the numerous genus Wormwood, the Aster family, or Compositae. The genus unites over 400 plant species that are distributed exclusively in the Northern Hemisphere.
Tarragon is a herbaceous bushy perennial. Unlike the more well-known "relative" of wormwood, which has a bitter taste and aroma, it has a pleasant anise smell. Plant height reaches 120–150 cm. Its stems are erect, bare, few. Painted in yellowish, brown colors. Tarragon branches closer to the top. The root system is very strong, well developed, woody.
The leaves of the plant are entire, alternate, devoid of stipules. They have a lanceolate, elongated shape. The edge of the sheet plates is even, their ends are pointed. The color varies from light green to dark green. Tarragon flowers appear in July and persist until the beginning of autumn. Inflorescences racemose, small, spherical. Their hue varies from yellowish white to light red. The fruits are oblong seeds. They ripen in October.
One of the features of tarragon wormwood is the ability to adapt to adverse climatic conditions. Its homeland is the dry steppes of southern and eastern Siberia and Mongolia. All she needs is warmth and a moderate amount of moisture. Therefore, wild tarragon is found in the south of the European part of Russia, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia, in the Far East, in Central Asia, along the northern coast of Africa, in North America. The plant prefers steppes, saline and upland meadows. It withstands droughts and frosts, bears fruit on alkaline soils.
Tarragon is cultivated everywhere due to its unpretentiousness. He feels comfortable both in the shade and in sunny areas.
Medicinal properties
Tarragon leaves have long been used by many peoples both as a flavoring additive to food and as a medicine. They contain the following components:
- carbohydrates - 45%;
- proteins - 25%;
- carotene - up to 15%;
- essential oils - up to 0.8% in wet weight;
- ascorbic acid - 0.19%.
Other substances that make up the plant: flavonoids and alkaloids, tannins and coumarins, vitamins A, C, B1 and B2, phosphorus, calcium, potassium, iron. Traces of alkaloids are found in the root system.
It is believed that the highest concentration of nutrients is found in tarragon during the first three years of life. Then their number gradually decreases. In this case, the life of plants often exceeds 10 years.
Culture is valued not only for its pleasant aroma, but also for the ability to saturate the human body with vitamins. The aerial part contains carotene and ascorbic acid. They strengthen the body's immune defenses, give strength and vigor.
Plant-based remedies help with depression and emotional overstrain.
Essential oils with a pleasant, spicy aroma are obtained from tarragon. They are used in the manufacture of men's and women's perfumes. The composition contains:
- sabinene;
- ocimene;
- phellandrene.
Application in medicine
People have known about the benefits of tarragon for a long time. It has found application in folk medicine for the treatment of toothache, edema, neurosis, insomnia, headache, lack of appetite and for the prevention of scurvy, beriberi. The leaves of the plant were prepared into medicinal teas, infusions and tinctures.
Tarragon-based recipes are also used in Tibetan medicine. In the East, it is considered an effective remedy against diseases of the broncho-pulmonary system: tuberculosis, pneumonia, bronchitis.
Tarragon is used for symptoms of scurvy and as a diuretic for edema.
Teas and decoctions are prepared from tarragon wormwood. For tea drinks, fresh chopped twigs are suitable. They are poured with boiling water, insisted for 15-20 minutes and filtered. Tarragon leaves are added to cups of freshly brewed black or green tea. When preparing decoctions, they take dry grass prepared in advance. It is also poured with boiling water, but insisted for a longer time - about an hour. Then strain and drink. When used, the dosage and possible contraindications are taken into account.
With neuroses and sleep disorders, tarragon essential oil helps. It is added to healing baths.
Contraindications
Tarragon is no exception among medicinal herbs and has its own contraindications. When used in moderation, the plant does not cause harm. For example, when a few leaves are added to tea or food as a healthy spice, no side effects usually occur. And with regular uncontrolled intake of a decoction or homemade lemonade based on tarragon, unpleasant consequences are possible.
Excessive amounts of tarragon and drinks made from it are harmful for:
- chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract - gastritis, ulcers;
- pregnancy and breastfeeding;
- individual intolerance to tarragon, allergic reactions to the substances contained in it.
Prolonged uncontrolled use of tarragon wormwood is unsafe for health. Symptoms that indicate that the reception must be stopped:
- dizziness;
- nausea;
- vomit;
- loss of consciousness.
For children, tarragon is harmless, provided that the plant added to food and drinks is consumed in small quantities. In such cases, the properties of the herb are beneficial.
Treating tarragon with caution is necessary for women during lactation. You can include it in the diet no earlier than the child is 3 months old. Until this age, the baby's digestive system is not completely formed and may be vulnerable. The essential oils of the plant pass into mother's milk. They can cause discomfort in the child. In order not to harm him, it is recommended to refuse the use of tarragon. 3 months after the birth of the baby, the mother can begin to taste drinks with tarragon or food with seasoning and at the same time monitor the reaction of the baby.
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For the preparation of medicines, tarragon grass is harvested. If cultivated plants are used, then they begin to be collected in the second year of life. During the first growing season, roots are formed.
Collection
The period for collecting raw materials begins at the beginning of flowering, with the appearance of leaves and inflorescences, and continues until the time of fruiting. By this time, the plants have time to accumulate the maximum amount of nutrients. In one summer, the collection can be carried out several times. You can also cut young tarragon leaves in spring.
It is important to observe the following rule: you can cut the stems at a height of 12-15 cm above the ground or more.
Ground parts of tarragon can only be harvested in dry weather. Any conditions are suitable for collecting rhizomes. But this is done only in the fall. In this case, the grass is cut off completely, and part of the roots is left in the soil so that the plants can multiply.
Drying
The rhizomes are washed. The leaves are tied in bunches and hung in a shaded, well-ventilated place. The roots are cut into circles and put to dry in the sun or in the shade. Tarragon seeds are dried under the same conditions.
Well-dried leaves and flowers are easily ground into powder. Rhizomes become brittle, fruits and seeds do not stick together.
Storage rules
You can store prepared tarragon in different ways: fresh or frozen in the refrigerator, dried. Freshly cut grass can be stored in the refrigerator. This allows you to save all the beneficial properties of the plant. As a rule, this is done with young leaves. They are wrapped in two layers: one is a damp cloth, the second is an airtight bag. The herb should be consumed within a week.
Another way to store tarragon in the refrigerator, thanks to which useful substances also remain in the raw material, is freezing. The raw materials are washed, allowed to drain moisture, wrapped in foil and placed in the freezer.
Dried tarragon is poured into paper bags, glass jars or linen bags and left in a cool place, protected from dampness and direct sunlight. The shelf life is 3 years. The only condition is the absence of other medicinal herbs nearby, since tarragon is saturated with essential oils.
When using tarragon for food or as a healing agent, it must be remembered that it cannot be subjected to heat treatment for more than 2-3 minutes.
Conclusion
The beneficial properties and contraindications of tarragon as a medicinal plant began to be studied in Europe in the 17th century. Even then, the main pharmacological properties of the herb were noticed - sedative, restorative, anti-inflammatory, antiscorbutic, anthelmintic, secretory. In most countries, tarragon is primarily known as a condiment. French, Italian, German, Greek, Caucasian, Central Asian, Indian cuisine cannot do without this spice. Grass is used fresh, dry, frozen. Dry seasoning acquires an even more pronounced spicy taste and aroma.
Features of the tarragon plant
What is the benefit and harm of tarragon grass? How to grow and harvest spices? For what diseases is it recommended to take decoctions and infusions of herbs?
Growth area
Where can you find wormwood tarragon in the wild? In the southern and eastern countries of Europe, in China, Pakistan, India, Mongolia, Central Asia. In Russia, you can see not only in the middle lane, but even in Siberia and the Far East. Grass is widespread on the North American continent. Likes dry soil, slopes, open, well-lit areas, although it can take root in the shade. The plant is cultivated in many countries of the world.
pharmachologic effect
Medicinal properties of tarragon:
- tonic;
- anti-inflammatory;
- vitamin;
- restorative;
- diuretic;
- sedative;
- antispasmodic;
- wound healing;
- vascular strengthening;
- carminative;
- secretory;
- blood-purifying;
- antiscorbutic;
- anthelmintic.
Plant components:
- the most valuable is the essential oil containing methyleugenol, sabinene, methylchavicol, myrcene;
- alkaloids;
- phenylpropanoids;
- coumarins;
- bitterness;
- resins;
- micro and macro elements;
- vitamin C and A;
- proteins;
- carbohydrates.
The pharmacological properties of this plant are still being studied. Potentially, antitumor activity is considered, and antibacterial properties are experimentally revealed. The rich composition of mineral substances in the roots and leaves of the grass is being studied.
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- collection. It is recommended to collect grass along with flowers and buds at the beginning of flowering - in August or September. You can also cut fresh leaves in the spring. Some herbalists claim that the plant can be harvested throughout the summer and cut several times. Cut the grass not at the very root, but only its tops. It is necessary to leave stems up to 15 cm above ground level.
- Billet. The leaves are tied in bunches and dried in the shade, in a well-ventilated area. The roots are harvested in autumn. They are cut into small circles, dried in the shade or in the sun, like seeds. When harvesting the root, you need to leave part of it so that the plant can multiply next year.
- Storage . You can decompose the raw materials into linen bags or glass, porcelain containers. The grass is protected from dampness and light, stored separately from other medicinal plants due to the high content of essential oil. The maximum shelf life, subject to storage conditions, is 3 years.
Some sources indicate that it is better to harvest tarragon in the first years of the growing season. It is during this period that the maximum amount of useful components accumulates in the grass. Fresh can be stored for 7 days in the refrigerator. Also, the plant can be frozen in small portions. When frozen, all useful substances are preserved.
cultivation
The grass belongs to unpretentious plants, so it can be easily grown in the country or in the backyard. What should be the conditions for the successful cultivation of this spice? What do gardeners recommend?
- In order for the plant to be lush and develop quickly, you need to choose an open, sunny plot of land.
- It is better to fertilize the soil with humus, also add sand and peat to it.
- Tarragon does not like acidic soil, so it is often recommended to sprinkle the soil with ash to reduce acidity.
- Grass can be sown in the spring, without first germinating the seeds.
- When the seeds germinate, they must be thinned out (there should be an interval of 30 cm between the sprouts).
- You can also plant tarragon seedlings, in which case by the end of summer the plant will bloom profusely and give a good harvest.
- For seedlings, seeds are sown at the end of March, and planted in the ground at the end of April, in May, in warm weather.
- Grass does not like high humidity, it can not be filled with water.
- Requires regular loosening and weeding.
- For the winter, it is better to insulate the root system: it is covered with sawdust, dry grass, straw or peat.
Indications
What diseases and symptoms can tarragon (tarragon) help with? How often is the herb used in scientific medicine?
What are the contraindications of tarragon? Chronic diseases of the gastrointestinal tract, in the first place - stomach ulcers and gastritis with high acidity. Grass refers to poisonous plants, so it can be dangerous for pregnant women, nursing mothers, children. Prolonged and uncontrolled intake can provoke nausea, vomiting, dizziness, convulsions, loss of consciousness. There are also cases of individual intolerance to tarragon and an allergic reaction to grass.
The use of tarragon grass at home
What is the use of tarragon herb in folk medicine? How is the plant used in cooking? What are the flavors of this seasoning?
Tea and decoction
You can make tea from tarragon, which can be taken as a sedative, tonic. It is only important to remember the dosage and contraindications.
tea preparation
- Take a few sprigs of chopped fresh herbs.
- Pour in 2 cups of boiling water.
- Insist 15 minutes.
- Strain.
Weak tea can be taken one to two cups a day. Tarragon leaves are also added to black or green tea.
Decoction preparation
- Take 1 tbsp. l. dry grass.
- Pour in a glass of boiling water.
- Boil 2 minutes.
- Leave for 1 hour.
- Strain.
Ointment
An ointment can be prepared from a powder and an oil base, which is used externally for sciatica. It can also be used for local treatment - it is rubbed into the gums, the oral cavity is treated with stomatitis, ulcers, cracks with eczema and dermatitis.
Cooking
- Melt 100 g natural butter.
- Put 20 g of tarragon powder into the hot mass.
- Boil over low heat for a few minutes.
- Cool down.
Store homemade ointment in the refrigerator.
Application in cosmetology
Ready-made decoctions and infusions can be used independently as lotions. They are also added to the composition of various masks for the face and hair. Tarragon rejuvenates, moisturizes, softens, tones, disinfects the skin. It is often combined in masks with green tea, olive oil, oatmeal, honey, milk and curdled milk. Especially useful masks for the neck and décolleté.
Essential oil
This drug is freely sold in phytopharmacies. The main producers are France, the countries of the Middle East. How is tarragon essential oil used?
- Cosmetology. Add to hair and face masks. Well cleanses oily skin, relieves inflammation, heals wounds, weeping eczema.
- Aromatherapy. Tonic, improves emotional state, improves mood.
- Cooking. It is acceptable to use as a seasoning in small doses due to the high concentration.
- Medicine . Indications for use: neurosis, insomnia, digestive disorders, diseases of the respiratory system, kidneys and bladder, arthritis, sciatica, neuralgia. The oil is added to therapeutic baths, applications, compresses, inhalations.
cooking
Tarragon in cooking is an extensive topic, which is devoted to many pages of cookbooks. How can you describe the taste of this seasoning?
- Tart taste, somewhat reminiscent of anise.
- Despite the fact that the grass belongs to the wormwood genus, it almost does not feel bitterness.
- It has a not too pronounced spicy aroma.
For the first time, French chefs experienced it as a seasoning in European cuisine. It happened in the 17th century. Also the herb was popular in Germany. Here, meat was rubbed with it for long-term storage and disinfection. In the Caucasus and Central Asia, lettuce plant varieties were bred, with a less pronounced spicy aroma. What is the use of tarragon in modern cooking?
- Conservation . The spice is added to marinades and pickles, when pickling cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, eggplant. Also added to sauerkraut, pickled apples. However, when salting tomatoes and other vegetables, you should not put a lot of spices, which can give too pronounced a hint of taste.
- Salads. Can be added as greens to any fresh vegetable salads. It is useful to add to the diet in the spring to prevent beriberi and to strengthen the immune system.
- First and second courses. Particularly suitable for meat broths. Most often, dry spices are used. Suitable for the second hot vegetable dishes, it is also added to cheeses, curdled milk, egg dishes.
- Meat dishes and sauces. It goes well with game, poultry, lamb. Add to white sauces.
- Fish dishes and seafood. Can be added to boiled, baked fish. In France, tarragon vinegar is often used to salt fish.
- Aromatization of alcoholic beverages. A sprig of grass can be put in vodka, liquor or wine - tarragon gives the drink a pleasant spicy taste and aroma.
Cooks do not recommend thermally processing fresh herbs, otherwise it will spoil the taste of the dish with bitterness. Fresh tarragon leaves are added to ready-made dishes. And dry seasoning can be added at the very end of cooking, it is also rubbed with meat and fish.
Home "Tarragon"
Everyone is familiar with the non-alcoholic carbonated drink Tarragon, to which tarragon extract is added. The drink was invented by a Georgian pharmacist at the end of the 19th century, and appeared on mass sale only in the 80s of the 20th century in the USSR. In those distant times, it was a pleasant, aromatic drink with the addition of sugar syrup and natural tarragon extract. How to make tarragon at home?
Tarragon drink recipe
- Boil 1 glass of water.
- Add 50 g of sugar and simmer for 5 minutes over low heat.
- Put 100 g of chopped fresh herbs into the syrup.
- Add juice of ½ lemon.
- Leave for 1 hour.
- Strain and dilute with boiled water.
Also, the drink can be diluted to taste with sparkling water. It quenches thirst well in hot weather. Best taken cold. You can prepare a drink from tarragon in another way. To do this, take a large volume of water and immediately prepare a decoction, ready for use. Mint goes well with tarragon, lime can be used instead of lemon, and honey can be used instead of sugar.
The main medicinal properties of tarragon are anti-inflammatory, sedative, restorative, vitamin, secretory, antihelminthic, antiseptic. Relieves coughing fits with colds, flu, SARS, bronchitis. The herb helps men with sexual dysfunction, women with PMS and during menopause. Outwardly, the grass is used to treat the skin and oral cavity, with toothache.
Bright emerald lemonade with the sonorous name Tarragon was invented in 1887 by Georgian businessman Mitrofan Lagidze. He based the drink on soda and the essence of the herb, which in Arab countries is called tarragon, and in Russia it is known as tarragon. We invite the reader to find out how tarragon is useful, how to grow it, how to make a healthy green drink without dyes, and also what the Mexican analogue of the plant is.
Tarragon lemonade was invented by entrepreneur Mitrofan Lagidze
The tarragon plant is a form of wormwood and belongs to the Astrov family. It has many popular names: stragon, dragoon-grass, Fafnir's grass - a dragon from Scandinavian legends. Botanists gave it the Latin name Artemisia dracunculus, which means "dragon wormwood". Such a frequent mention of mythical reptiles in connection with tarragon grass was inspired by the shape of the plant's leaf: a narrow leaf blade looks like a long forked tongue.
Tarragon is a perennial plant with a dense rhizome, weakly branching stems up to 1 meter high and narrow panicles of small yellow flowers. It blooms late - in August-September, and the fruits ripen only by October.
Tarragon is a perennial plant with a dense rhizome
Distribution and habitats
Tarragon has spread throughout the world from the dry steppes of Mongolia and southern Siberia. For normal growth, it needs only warmth and a small amount of water, so it grows well both in Europe and in the Far East, in Turkey, in the Transcaucasus, on the coast of North Africa. The plant was introduced to North America, where it is found from Mexico to Canada. In many countries, it is cultivated as a spicy crop; in Central Asia, salad varieties have been bred.
The most favorable habitats for tarragon are dry steppe slopes, pebbles, upland meadows. It is resistant to frost and drought, can produce crops on alkaline and slightly saline soils.
Tarragon spread from the dry steppes of Mongolia and southern Siberia
Application
What is tarragon and what are its beneficial properties, medieval healers knew well, who widely used the wonderful herb as a vitamin remedy for general strengthening of the body in the cold season or after illnesses. Traditional medicine to this day offers a diet with tarragon as a substitute for salt as a means of lowering pressure in hypertensive patients. It can also be used for:
- hiccups
- anemia;
- insomnia;
- flatulence;
- headache;
- poor appetite.
Tarragon has found even more diverse uses in cooking. Unlike other tarragon, tarragon does not have a pronounced bitterness in taste, but it gives dishes a spicy taste and aroma. They season all kinds of meat, as well as fish, soups, minced meat, sauerkraut, vegetables, rice. Bernese sauce, the best options for tartar sauce and fortified Spanish wine Tarragona are indispensable without tarragon leaves. Getting acquainted with the plant for the first time, cooks ask how to use it correctly so that bitterness does not appear.
Fresh grass should be put in the finished dish, and dried tarragon - a couple of minutes before the end of the heat treatment, so that it has time to reveal its aroma.
Chemical composition, beneficial properties and harm
The amount of useful substances in tarragon grass is sufficient for its effective use in traditional medicine. The plant produces bitters - substances of a distinctly bitter taste that affect digestion. In addition, tarragon shoots contain:
- up to 15% carotene;
- 0.19% vitamin C;
- trace elements calcium, potassium, iron;
- up to 0.45% essential oils;
- flavonoids.
Tarragon is useful for its high content of carotene. This substance is a precursor of vitamin A, so tarragon increases visual acuity in low light, strengthens bones, improves the functioning of that part of the nervous system that is responsible for regulating the functions of internal organs.
Useful properties of tarragon and contraindications to its use are associated with the presence of bitterness in the shoots of the plant. They normalize the condition of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines, increase the secretion of digestive juices. In combination with other substances, they help a person cope with stress, panic attacks, apathy.
However, women during lactation should completely abandon dishes and drinks with tarragon, since any wormwood can add bitterness to milk. During pregnancy, tarragon is used with caution, be sure to consult a doctor. Tarragon is also not recommended for gastritis with high acidity and stomach ulcers.
Tarragon normalizes the condition of the mucous membrane of the stomach and intestines
Cultivation and care
Since tarragon is unpretentious, cultivation and care do not take much time. The plant needs:
moderate watering - 1-2 times a week in the absence of rain;
loosening after watering to destroy the soil crust;
systematic weeding.
After each mowing, tarragon should be fed with mullein infusion (1: 10) on moist soil. It can grow in one place up to 15 years, but it gives usable leaves only in the first 5-6 years.
It is more rational to propagate tarragon with green cuttings, layering or root offspring. Seeds of hybrid varieties do not retain parental qualities, the grass grows from them with almost no flavor. If necessary, grow tarragon from seeds using a seedling method, since seedlings have to wait up to 3 weeks.
It is more rational to propagate tarragon with green cuttings
Collection, preparation and storage
For medicinal purposes, the upper parts of the tarragon shoots are harvested at the beginning of flowering. The grass grows well, so several crops can be harvested from the site during the summer. The shoots are cut with a sickle or scissors, tied into bundles and hung to dry in a dark, cool place, preferably in a draft. Finished raw materials are stored in cardboard boxes or paper bags.
If you want to use fresh tarragon herb, it must be kept in the refrigerator wrapped in cling film for about a week. There is a technology for storing grass in a freezer: washed shoots are blotted with a paper towel, wrapped in cling film or placed in a plastic container. With a lack of space in the freezer, the grass is crushed and small briquettes are formed from it.
For medicinal purposes, the upper parts of the shoots are harvested.
Recipes
If you grow a plant on your own plot without the use of pesticides, a drink from tarragon will only benefit, there will be no harm from it. The tarragon recipe involves the use of fresh herbs. It is washed under running water, ground in a blender, ground with sugar and poured with a glass of boiling water. After 40 minutes, when the aroma of the leaves is fully revealed, the infusion is filtered, lemon juice and sparkling water are added.
Folk recipes offer other options for using tarragon.
Infusion. A tablespoon of dry raw materials is poured with a glass of boiling water, filtered after an hour and drunk three times a day before meals, a third of a glass. The course of treatment is 3-4 weeks.
Strengthening tea. A teaspoon of dry grass is mixed with 3 tablespoons of any tea, brewed and infused for 10-15 minutes. To enhance the healing properties, you can add a little crushed pomegranate peel.
Ointment for the fight against stomatitis. A teaspoon of dry tarragon is mixed with half a pack of softened butter and simmered over low heat for 5 minutes, stirring constantly. The ointment is cooled and rubbed into the gums when stomatitis ulcers appear.
Tarragon brings only benefits, there will be no harm from it
Questions and answers
Mexican tarragon - is it tarragon or not?
In Mexico, a culture grows that resembles tarragon in appearance and smell. But this plant belongs to a different family. The Mexican "tarragon" in Latin is called Tagetes lucida, which means Tagetes radiant. This is a relative of ordinary garden marigolds.
The leaves of Tagetes radiata are used to stimulate digestion, as a diuretic and antipyretic. They make a very fragrant tea with hints of anise flavor. However, the plant contains hallucinogenic substances, so it is a psychedelic and can interfere with the work of neurotransmitters. The indigenous people of Mexico use it for meditation practices and in some religious ceremonies.
The Mexican "tarragon" is called Tagetes lucida in Latin.
Nature has given man a lot of herbs with medicinal properties. One of them is tarragon, a storehouse of vitamins, healthy bitterness and great flavor notes that you really want to feel in your favorite dishes.