Dark green leaves and thin stems characterize Tarragon, a not so popular bittersweet herb. Native to Southern Europe, this perennial is also known as Estragon, Dragon Wort and Little Dragon. In some European cuisines, they love the Anise like or licorice like flavour it adds to their dishes and beverages. Recent years saw Tarragon’s growth and popularity as a medicinal herb and therefore as a dietary supplement.

Fresh Tarragon has notable health benefits while dried Tarragon is nearly futile as the main essential oils in tarragon like estragole (methyl chavicol), cineol, ocimene and phellandrene dissipate on drying.

Health Benefits of Tarragon

1. Stimulates appetite (especially to the aged, the elderly and the sick)
2. Aids the digestive system
3. Lowers blood glucose levels with its poly phenols
4. Provides a bunch of vitamins and minerals
5. Helps insomniacs
6. Helps to relieve toothache
7. Enhances urine flow to cure water retention
8. A good salt substitute for the hypertensive
9. Calms down hyperactivity

Cooking with Tarragon

Robust leaves of Tarragon can take a place in your backyard to fill your cuisine with its distinct aroma. Whole springs of fresh Tarragon can be frozen and used directly. Dried leaves need to be stored in air tight container.

This herb can be used raw or cooked. After cooking, users say that it loses it Tarrogonic flavour and changes in to a basil like or cilantro like taste. Here is a collection of cooking tips with this herb. A little trial and error goes a long way…

• Add fresh leaves in small amounts to your green salad, fish, lamb or poultry as a seasoning
• Tomato Tarragon Sauce can go well with Grilled Chicken
• Tarragon goes well with most chicken dishes
• Add it to your eggs to make your Tarragon Omelette
• Have Asparagus with Tarragon sauce
• Soften butter, add in tarragon and freeze after reshaping

Safety of Tarragon

It is generally considered to be safe. It has local anesthetic properties and may numb the area that came in contact with it. Some people may show allergic reactions to Tarragon.

We wish to hear about any experience you might have with Tarragon. Please feel free to read through our other articles and comment.

-Aparna K V

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