Tansy or Common Tansy, Tanacetum vulgare but sometimes labeled Chrysanthemum vulgare, Chrysanthemum tanacetum or Tanacetum audiberti, is also sometimes called bitter buttons, cow bitter, golden buttons, hindheal, mugwort or parsley fern. It is only distantly related to the plant normally called mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), and not related to parsley at all.
This plant, and in particular tansy oil, is subject to legal restrictions in some countries. Check local laws before planting and/or use.
Tansy flowers are a bit like buttons to look at, as they do not have the ray florets (which we normally call petals), but only the type which normally form the center of plants in the Asteraceae family.
Tansy is a native of Europe, a hardy perennial which reaches a height of around 3 feet (1m) and a spread of 5 feet (1.5m). Keep it restricted and remove flowers when they start to go brown, as it can be invasive.
Tansy is toxic in large amounts. Tansy oil can be toxic even when used externally, so is not recommended for anyone not a registered practitioner. Tansy can cause abortion, so should not be used by pregnant women or anyone who is trying to conceive.
Although tansy has been used in the past as flavoring, and in particular was used to make tansy pudding and other Lent food in an imitation of the bitter herbs mentioned in the Bible, it is not used nowadays in the kitchen.
It is also not much used in medicine, having been shown to be ineffective for many of the purposes for which it was used in the past, although it is still used for fevers and jaundice. However, there are other herbs which can be used for these conditions, which do not carry the risks associated with tansy. It is known to be effective as a means of aborting unwanted fetuses, but frequently kills the mother as well, so (quite apart from the morality of abortion, which I leave to your own conscience), it is not advisable to use it for this purpose.
I’m reluctant to advise you to grow tansy even as an ornamental (although it is an unusual and arguably attractive plant), because it is invasive as already mentioned. Even touching the leaves can cause dermatitis in sensitive people, and there may also be legal reasons not to grow it. All in all, tansy is probably best left entirely alone.
Related Posts
Common Calamint
IpecacuanhaRelated posts brought to you by Yet Another Related Posts Plugin.
This is such a great resource that you are providing and you give it away for free. I love seeing sites that envision the value of providing a quality resource for free. I truly loved reading your post. Thanks!
Information wants to be free. This blog is one way of accessing this info, other easier methods will follow some time next year.