home » Engineering systems » The plant is also called tarragon. Grass tarragon (tarragon) photo, useful properties, recipe, application

The plant is also called tarragon. Grass tarragon (tarragon) photo, useful properties, recipe, application

Tarragon, one of the types of wormwood, resembles it only 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 number 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 to the taste, beneficial features which is 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 the 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, mayonnaise 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 already produced in Soviet years, its leaves add brightness and richness to wines and liqueurs.

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.

This is a spicy herb that belongs to the perennial species and the Compositae family. The plant is a relative of wormwood, as it has a similar appearance with it, a significant difference in taste - there is no bitterness.

Estragon what is it

Variety description:

The height is one and a half meters;
The inflorescences are small and collected in panicles, the color is pale yellow;
The taste is sweet, refreshing, spicy, but slightly tart. Thanks to such taste data, a fragrant drink is made from it or you can add it fresh to dishes;
Stem oblong, long;
The leaf is narrow, green, cuttings are absent;
The flowering period occurs in late August-early September

Additional Information. Not everyone knows that tarragon has another name - tarragon. Also, tarragon is called differently as: dragoon, stragon, dragon wormwood.

Tarragon

Where does tarragon grow

Tarragon is a plant that grows in North America, European countries and Asia. This variety is most popular in the following countries:

Russia;
Mongolia;
China;
Mexico;
Pakistan;
India;
Canada.

Tarragon grows on saline and upland steppes and meadows, less often in fields. On gravel and dry slopes, it grows like a common weed.

Varieties: description and features

Tarragon grass has many types. Here is a list of the most common varieties growing in the Russian Federation:

Goodwin. It is a perennial and water resistant variety. Its stems reach a height of one meter, the features are abundant foliage, pronounced aroma and bitter taste. The greenery of the plant is recommended to be used in the second year of vegetation, it is during this period that it reaches a mass of 500 to 600 grams. Green leaves can be used as a seasoning for salads, pickles, for cooking fish and meat dishes;
Variety Monarch. A feature is a spicy smell and a piquant, refreshing taste. The height of the bush is one and a half meters. This plant is used as a spice for vegetable and fish dishes, for canning. The fresh leaves are suitable for making drinks. Even when dried, it retains its natural aroma;
Semko Zhulebinsky - an old Valkovsky variety. Tarragon of this species has dense matte foliage, a pungent smell. Its height is from 60 to 150 centimeters. Inflorescences are yellow, sometimes white and small, contain a large amount of essential oil. This variety is more often used in home cooking and when spinning vegetables. A distinctive feature is resistance to plant diseases and unpretentiousness to climatic conditions. Zhulebinsky variety is used in traditional medicine. Sometimes uses this culture for the production of cheese and as an additive to various dishes;
Variety Dobrynya. The composition contains vitamin C, carotene and essential oil. The height of the stem is 1 meter. The species is frost-resistant, calmly tolerates a dry period and cold. It reproduces and grows in one place for ten years, then it is worth replacing the site. Gardeners still recommend rejuvenating it every three years. Greens make a delicious punch, and homemade dishes with this seasoning are obtained as restaurant ones;
French variety. A distinctive feature is disease resistance and frost resistance. The stem is oblong and dark green in color. Its height reaches one and a half meters. Such tarragon grass blooms with white small inflorescences;
mushroom view. This is the most common type, growing in the garden does not require much effort. The length of the stem is one meter, the shape is elongated, the color is dark green. Able to give a large harvest for fifteen years, does not need a transplant. One of the areas where it is actively used is cooking.

Growing features

How to care

Each variety has the same growing method. The main condition is to prepare the seed and soil in advance, care for and add top dressing in time.

In the spring, in April or May, the seed is soaked in water (water temperature is room). Manipulation lasts three days, while every day the water must be changed. Quality seeds should be bought in professional stores or ordered through the website.

Containers for planting material and soil are being prepared. A box is usually used, there must be holes in it, this will give the soil oxygen and will not allow it to become waterlogged. Small pebbles are poured at the bottom, with a layer of 1 centimeter. Then fertilized soil is poured on top, it is better to purchase ready-made universal soil in a garden store. The earth is watered, the seeds are scattered in any order. It is not necessary to sprinkle the seeds with soil on top. The container is covered with a transparent bag or film, brought into the house and placed on the windowsill.

When the soil begins to dry out, it is sprayed, it is advisable to have a spray gun for this. This method allows you not to drive the seeds deep into the ground, but to keep them on the surface. When seedlings appear, the film is removed. If it has risen too thick, you need to thin out. After the appearance of the second leaf, a pick is carried out. Landing in open ground is carried out at the onset of the first heat.

thinning

Before planting, the garden should be prepared. Weeds are removed, the soil is loosened, fertilized and moistened. Small holes are made at a distance of seventy centimeters from each other. The grooves are not covered with earth.

Care

Although tarragon is a hardy plant, it needs a little care so that it can always look presentable.

Watering is carried out four times until the seedlings are completely rooted. Then the plant is watered if there has been no rain for a long time.

Picking should be done by dividing the bush. In autumn or early spring, the bush is dug up and neatly divided into several parts. You do not need to pull hard on small roots, otherwise the whole plant is injured.

Important! Do not wash the root during separation. To facilitate this procedure, the root system must be slightly moistened.

Properties and uses of tarragon tarragon herb

Not many people know that this plant is useful, it contains a number of trace elements and vitamins. Plant composition:

resins;
essential oil;
medicinal bitterness;
tannins;
alkonoids;
coumarin;
carbohydrates;
flavonoids;
pectin;
cellulose;
fatty acid;
non-fatty acids, omega-3;
macronutrients: potassium, phosphorus, sodium and magnesium;
vitamins: ascorbic acid, phylloquinone, carotene, retinol and adermin;
trace elements: cobalt, vanadium, iodine and manganese.

Beneficial features:

strengthens the immune system;
a great source of antioxidants and ascorbic acid;
restores the efficiency of the intestines and stomach;
normalizes metabolism;
in men increases potency;
acts as a folk antidepressant and sedative;
restores the menstrual cycle;
used as an anthelmintic;
removes inflammatory processes, treats colds.

The use of the tarragon plant in cooking

Some housewives ask what kind of tarragon plant this is? It can be consumed fresh or as a spice. Any recipe for a dish that contains this spice is distinguished by its piquancy and incredible taste. Sprigs of the plant go for appetizers and salads. This product is ideally combined with acid, so it is prepared with lime and lemon juice. To make the food fragrant and rich, the leaf is placed at the end of cooking.

Contraindications

Contraindications are:

allergic predisposition;
pregnancy;
breast-feeding;
individual intolerance to the product;
the period of breastfeeding;
stomach ulcer, gastritis.

With frequent use in large quantities, the following side effects may begin:

Nausea;
convulsions;
Vomit;
Loss of consciousness.

Pest action: control methods

Cicada-pennitsa;
Wireworm.

Aphids are eliminated through natural remedies. A tincture is prepared from potato green tops, onion peel or tobacco. The finished solution is sprayed.

The wireworm damages the root system. For the fight, liming and regular loosening of the soil are used.

So, having figured out that Tarragon is such a healthy and tasty plant, you can safely plant it in your garden and take it for cooking homemade dishes.

Video

The tarragon plant can be successfully grown in your backyard. This useful fragrant herb can be used in cooking in the manufacture of soft drinks and pastries. For harvesting for the winter, the method of drying, freezing and canning is used. You can also save the grass by transplanting into a pot. At home, cultivation is carried out all year round. You can organize care in the same way as for others. indoor plants. With timely watering and fertilizing, the tarragon plant perfectly refreshes the air in the room and decorates the interior.

Tarragon wormwood, tarragon, or tarragon, comes from Southern Siberia, Mongolia.

This spicy plant has been known since ancient times. Since ancient times, it has been grown in Syria, and its Syrian name "tarragon" is used almost all over the world. In Western Europe, as a cultivated plant, it has been known since the Middle Ages. In Russia, it has been found in culture since the 18th century under the name "dragon-grass". At present, it has become very popular to cultivate tarragon in Russian gardens and kitchen gardens as a spicy plant. Not every grower knows what an tarragon plant looks like, so we suggest that you familiarize yourself with its description.

Tarragon- perennial herbaceous plant. The stems are erect, branched in the middle and upper parts, up to 1.5 m high. Rhizome with underground shoots, thick, woody. Leaves linear-lanceolate, middle and upper stem-solid, lower two-three-parted. The flowers are yellow, in spherical baskets, collected on the tops of the central stem and side branches in paniculate narrow dense inflorescences. Seeds are small, flat, brown.

See what tarragon looks like in the photo of the plant, which illustrates various specimens at a young and mature age:

Beneficial features

The beneficial properties of the tarragon plant are that its leaves contain carotene, vitamin C, rutin and other biologically active substances. Fresh tarragon contains up to 0.7% essential oil.

The leaves and flowers of tarragon are actively used as a medicine. World medicine advises tarragon as an antihelminthic and carotene-containing agent. Due to the large amount of rutin, it helps to strengthen the walls of blood vessels.

The essential oil and green mass of tarragon are used in the canning and food industries for marinades, flavoring vinegar, cheeses, pickling cucumbers, mushrooms, tomatoes, sauerkraut, soaking apples. Tarragon is almost devoid of the bitterness characteristic of many representatives of the wormwood genus, and has a slightly spicy anise-like aroma and a sharp, spicy tart taste.

Fragrant greens can be added to all spring salads, sauces, soups, okroshka, meat, vegetable, fish dishes, broths. Fresh greens are placed in the dish immediately before serving, dry spice - 1-2 minutes before readiness. Tarragon can be used dried, although it loses some of its flavor when dried.

Conditions for growing tarragon in open ground

When choosing the conditions for growing tarragon, it is worth remembering that it is drought-resistant and winter-hardy. It overwinters well at -30°C even with light snow cover.

In the conditions of the middle lane, the cultivation of tarragon in open ground begins immediately after the snow melts and the topsoil thaws, in the first or second decade of April. This culture is relatively unpretentious to soil conditions, although it grows best on loose, moderately organic, moist, non-acidic soils.

When growing tarragon, it should not be placed in too damp areas where plants can get wet. It is necessary to allocate open, well-lit areas under it, in one place it is cultivated for up to 10-15 years.

Planting, reproduction and care

Landing. The tarragon plant is propagated for cultivation mainly in a vegetative way. In plants propagated by seeds, the aroma weakens already in the first generation, and in the fourth or fifth generation it completely disappears and a slight bitterness appears.

In the third decade of May - the first decade of June, cuttings 10-15 cm long are cut from mother plants and planted to a depth of 4-5 cm with a distance in rows and between rows of 5-6 cm. After 10-15 days they take root. In the third decade of July - the first decade of August, rooted cuttings are planted in a permanent place. Plants are placed at a distance of 70-80 cm between rows and 30-35 cm in a row.

On a note: in the conditions of the non-chernozem zone, green cuttings are effective, which is carried out in open ground in boxes with a light, loose fertile substrate.

When propagating tarragon by division, the rhizome is cut into pieces before planting so that each has buds and roots, then planted in a permanent place with a feeding area of 70 × 30 cm and be sure to water it. This method of reproduction is used only in the spring.

Basic care. Tarragon does not require special care. It comes down to weeding, loosening the earth, moderate watering and top dressing. Plants are fed with mineral fertilizers (organic ones reduce aromaticity).

It is advisable to grow tarragon from seeds by seedlings or by sowing before winter.

Tarragon is harvested 3-4 times during the growing season, cutting plants at a level of 10-15 cm from the soil surface. Shoots begin to shoot in early spring, when they reach a height of 20-25 cm.

Varieties.

The State Register of Breeding Achievements includes 6 varieties of tarragon: Gribovchanin, Goodwin, Zhulebinsky Semko, Zeleny Dol, King of Herbs, Monarch.

Tarragon is a perennial shrub of the Asteraceae or Compositae family., there is another version of the name - tarragon. People call it tarragon or dragon wormwood, dragoon grass, serpentine, allspice, toguy, chagyr.

The Latin name for the spice is Artemisia dracunculus. The first part of the name is associated with the goddess Artemis, and the second is translated as a small dragon. On English language the name sounds like tarragon. There are several versions of the origin of the name:

Part of the Artemisia grass received in honor of Artemis. The goddess gave the girls a tarragon branch as a gift as a symbol of health and fertility.
The origin is connected with Queen Artemisia, who grieved for her dead husband. Where her tears dripped, bitter-tasting grass grew.
According to the third option, the name comes from the Greek word artemes, which means healthy.

Reference! The French called tarragon estragon. In translation, another name means snake grass.

What does the plant look like?

The bush reaches 1.5 m in height. The stem is straight with a large number of thin leaves of dark green color. The lower leaves are notched at the ends, which resembles the tongue of a snake. Distinctive feature from ordinary wormwood - the absence of a gun on the branches. The flowers are white or pale yellow. They are combined into small paniculate inflorescences. Tarragon seeds are formed into small round boxes. During the flowering period from August to September, it spreads the smell of wormwood.

Features of the root system

Tarragon has powerful roots. The stems originate from a rhizome 0.5–1.5 cm thick. Many lateral branches develop from it, which go 30–40 cm deep. Thanks to this, the bush tolerates frosts well and begins vegetation after thawing the top layer of soil.

Taste and smell

The spice has a pleasant smell that resembles anise or black pepper. When dried, it exudes a spicy and sugary aroma.

Essential oils contribute to this. Such seasoning adds spice to dishes. If you use it during heat treatment, tarragon becomes bitter. Sometimes it gives freshness, so it is confused with mint.

Tarragon has no smell if grown from seeds. The plant loses its aroma after a large amount of nitrogen fertilizers.

Story

Today, tarragon is considered a classic French spice, but in the Middle East it has long been used under the name tarragon.

Reference! The spice was first mentioned in the 8th century. The physician and biologist Ibn Baiter noted in his notes that the juice and fresh shoots of the plant give drinks a piquant taste.

IN Western Europe tarragon came in the 17th century thanks to Arab merchants. The bush was named dracunculus for its pointed leaves that resemble a dragon's tongue. French chefs added it to most dishes, so it spread in this country.

Where does it grow?

Wild tarragon grows in North America, Mexico, East and Central Asia, Eastern Europe. Bushes grow in the European part of Russia, in the south of Eastern Siberia, Western Siberia and Far East. As a garden plant, it is grown in the USA, France, Hungary, Holland, and Russia.

Depending on the place of cultivation, the taste of the spice differs. Russian tarragon is characterized by a sharp smell and taste without sweetness. Plants from Ukraine, the Urals and Transcaucasia are considered more fragrant. The French version is mild in flavor, while the Mexican version is spicy and spicy.

Wormwood tarragon and rosemary: are they the same or not, and what is the difference?

Is it one plant or not? Outwardly, they are similar, but there are several differences between them. Rosemary leaves are roundish and thick at the end, while those of tarragon are sharp and thin. The first plant is grown as an annual(more about growing tarragon -).

When dry and fresh, rosemary exudes a rich resinous-pine aroma. It can kill other odors, so it is handled with care in cooking. The smell of dried and fresh tarragon does not match. Its dried leaves are characterized by a fragrant smell with sugary notes. Fresh branches give an anise-mint aroma.

Types and varieties: description and photo

Harvesting greenery

The stems are cut at a height of 10 - 15 cm. The branches are washed in water and dried in the shade. In bunches or cut into pieces, tarragon lasts up to 3 years. Young stems are put in a jar and sprinkled with salt. Such a workpiece is kept in a cold place.

The leaves are soaked in water and vinegar. The liquid should completely cover the branches. Tarragon with salt is poured with olive oil. Thanks to this, the latter becomes spiritual. We described all the methods of harvesting and storing tarragon in.

Where to buy and how to choose?

Dried tarragon is found at farmers' markets or large supermarkets. Its taste and smell is not intense, but suitable for seasoning. When choosing, pay attention to the expiration date of the product. In St. Petersburg, 100 g of dried seasoning will cost 150 - 300 rubles depending on the manufacturer. Muscovites will pay 180-400 rubles for a similar package.

Fresh greens have a rich aroma, so sluggish and yellowed leaves are not taken. Among the species, it is better to stop at French tarragon. In Moscow, such greens are estimated at 100-450 rubles per 100 g, depending on the type. In St. Petersburg, the price for 100 g varies from 250 to 600 rubles.

What can be replaced in medicine and cooking?

Tarragon in sauces easily replaces mint, fennel and anise. Rosemary often acts as a substitute for it in dishes, but there will be no necessary piquancy. In canning, instead of tarragon sprigs, currant, cherry or horseradish leaves are used. They give the vegetables a crunch and give a delicate flavor. Cranberry or currant juice is added to olive oil. In this case, there is no spicy aroma.

Lemon balm, St. John's wort, hawthorn have a general strengthening effect, so these herbs are used to replace tarragon. Mint and chamomile normalize sleep. For the prevention of cardiovascular diseases, fennel, hops, anise, motherwort are used.

Tarragon is a plant with an interesting taste and aroma. It has been known since ancient times for its medicinal and culinary properties. There are some interesting facts about tarragon:

In Iceland, the grass is called fafnisgras, which translates as the grass of Fafnir, a dragon from Norse mythology.
The ancestors of modern Armenians rubbed the genitals with tarragon to maintain male strength.
Mongolia is called the birthplace of tarragon wormwood.
In Arab countries, it is used against snake bites.
In the old days, people chewed a branch of tarragon to freshen their breath.
If you chew a large amount of greens, your mouth will become numb and you will not feel a toothache.
The plant is used in perfumery to create fragrances.
Tarragon brush is used for grilled meat.
In Slovenia, it has become an ingredient in a sweet nut cake.
The spice is considered a substitute for salt, as it removes excess water and cleanses the intestines.

A plant with a bitter taste and a spicy smell has been popular since ancient times. Tarragon is widely used in medicine, perfumery, cooking and cosmetology. The spice does not have to be bought in the store, as tarragon grows at home.

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. root system 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 they consider him effective tool 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 wormwood leaves are added to cups with freshly brewed black or green teas. 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, take into account the dosage and possible contraindications.

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 contraindications. When used in moderation, the plant does not cause harm. For example, when adding a few leaves to tea or food as a healthy seasoning, no side effects usually does not 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 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 used 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 cooking medicines prepare tarragon grass. 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 next 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 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.