Tansy ( Tanacteum vulgare)
Common Names: Golden Buttons, Bitter Buttons, Parsley Fern, Stinking Willy
Family: Asteraceae
This hardy perennial is native to Europe and Asia, but has since naturalize
elsewhere. It derives its name from the Greek athanasia, which means immortality.
In ancient times, tansy would be rubbed onto corpses and into embalming sheets
before burial to deter worms.
In folklore it is said that a fresh leaf of tansy can be placed inside of your shoes to
fevers, infections from the plague or even leg cramps.
Medicinal: Administered by a trained herbalist to expel roundworms and
threadworms.* Tansy tea can be used externally to treat scabies or can be used in
a compress on joints with rheumatism.*
*TANSY SHOULD ONLY BE TAKEN UNDER MEDICAL SUPERVISION. Due to
the constituent thujone, it can create unpleasant side effects and potentially be
toxic; an overdoes can be fatal. Tansy should never be taken by those who are
pregnant.
Additional Uses: For cats and dogs to prevent fleas. Or hung up to deter flies or
spread around to deter ants and mice.
It can also produce a yellow or green dye.
Character: bitter
Constituents: cineole and borneol; citric, butyric and oxalic acid, flavonoids, tannins, lipids, camphor, volatile oil
with thujone, bitter glycosides
Vitamins: C
Minerals: potassium
Actions: anthelmintic, astringent, carminative, digestive, emmenogogue, tonic, vermifuge