Tansy: medicinal properties and benefits and harm to the human body

• 5 beneficial properties of tansy inflorescences
• Who is contraindicated for tansy?

Fragrant round plate-inflorescences are branched into yellow shields, like bunches of rowan. Meet the common tansy. By the way, the comparison of tansy with rowan has been going on since ancient times, because other names for tansy are: wild rowan, yellow rowan and field rowan.

This bright herbaceous plant blooms in the central zone of our Motherland from June to September. It must be said that tansy is widespread everywhere, except in the Far North.

An indispensable inhabitant of the fields, tansy has many beneficial properties. In former times, tansy was used to get rid of intestinal parasites, Giardia. Tansy is capable of defeating many bacteria and stopping their reproduction, i.e. It can be classified as an antibiotic plant. Tansy flowers have an unusually beneficial effect on the liver and bile ducts, and also have an immunomodulatory effect.

The healing properties of tansy are explained by the chemical composition of its inflorescences. The flowers contain 2% essential oil, flavonoids, phenolcarboxylic acids, bitterness tanacetin (from the Latin name for tansy Tanacetum), tannins (6%) and alkaloids. Tansy essential oil includes a number of substances that not only have beneficial properties, but are also poisonous, so when consuming tansy, the dosage must be strictly observed.

The tansy flower itself is unusually small. What we call a round flower is actually an inflorescence - a basket of small flowers. This can be clearly seen in macro photography:

To prepare round tansy inflorescences in the summer, you need to wait until it blooms and cut off no more than 2 cm of flower stalks. Next, separate the round yellow inflorescence plates from the stems. In this form, the raw materials are dried by natural drying.

So, it’s time to list the beneficial properties that tansy has on the entire body.

What tansy looks like

The most common types of tansy are ordinary and balsamic. Both plants have been known in folk medicine for more than three thousand years, as they thrive in different climatic conditions in many countries in Europe, Central and East Asia, and North America.

Tansy

This species grows wild, so unpretentious that it is found everywhere: in meadows and forest edges, in fields and steppes, along roads and near human habitation. With enough light it reaches one and a half meters in height.

It is not so easy to pick it - the stem is very strong, and the branching root holds tightly to the ground. The leaves are oblong, dissected. Juicy yellow flower baskets with a characteristic camphor smell are collected in inflorescences at the top of the stem.

Tansy balsamic

This herb is more common as a garden plant. It has long been successfully cultivated as a spice and seasoning, popular in cooking because it also has a distinct but pleasant aroma. It differs from its wild “relative” in the shape of its leaves – elongated, oval and slightly velvety to the touch.

The flowers are small pale yellow baskets that make up the inflorescences.

Both species are perennials with a rich chemical composition, bloom from July to September, and bear fruit with small oblong seeds in August-September. Tansy is mostly used for medical purposes.

Procurement of raw materials

In the flowering phase (from late June to September), the inflorescences are torn off or cut with a knife. Then the flower baskets are picked off. They are laid out in a thin layer and dried under a canopy. It is allowed to use artificial drying at a temperature not exceeding 40°C. At higher temperatures, essential oils evaporate. During the drying process, the raw materials should not be stirred. It is important to ensure that the raw materials do not dry out, as the flowers fall off easily. Raw materials are packaged in paper bags or cardboard boxes. It can be stored for up to 3 years.

Tansy is harvested in an ecologically clean area during the flowering period from late June to September. When collecting inflorescences, plants with peduncles no more than 4 cm are carefully cut with a knife, leaving the root in the ground. Browned inflorescences are not suitable for harvesting. The resulting raw materials are laid out in a thin layer and dried under a canopy. Artificial drying is carried out at a temperature not exceeding 40 ℃. In this case, the raw materials must be carefully turned over. The shelf life of raw materials is three years. Store tansy flowers in paper bags or cardboard boxes.

What is contained in the plant

Usually, when making medicines, it matters which part of the plant is used as the main source of valuable components. In tansy, all the beneficial substances are concentrated mainly in the inflorescences, which contain:

• essential oil;
• camphor;
• flavonoids;
• alkaloids;
• thujone;
• tanacetin;
• borneol;
• pinene;
• tannins;
• bitterness;
• organic acids;
• vitamin C;
• carotene.

The leaves of the plant are also used, most often as part of dry collections.

Medicinal properties

The preparations that include tansy have comprehensive medicinal properties on the human body, for example, anthelmintic, choleretic (for liver diseases), antimicrobial and antispasmodic.

Together with other herbs, tansy is used as a natural antidote for nitrate poisoning.

The plant has an effective effect on the body during allergic reactions in cases where provoking factors have not been identified.

Tansy contains essential oils that relieve inflammation and enhance the ability of tissues and the mucous membrane of the gastrointestinal tract to regenerate. In combination with other medicinal herbs, tansy helps cure gastric and duodenal ulcers. It is also used to enhance bile secretion in diseases such as cholangitis, cholecystitis, liver cirrhosis, and viral hepatitis.

The diuretic properties of the plant help with inflammation of the bladder and kidneys, ascites.

Medical use

Despite the potential toxicity, tansy is used in various fields of traditional medicine. The main thing is not to forget about precautions.

For helminthiasis

This fragrant bitter plant has long established itself as a reliable anthelmintic agent. How to brew tansy to get rid of worms was known back in Ancient Egypt. Knowledge has been passed on from generation to generation, the properties of the plant have been studied for thousands of years, but little has changed in tansy recipes.

The infusion is prepared in the proportion of 1 part inflorescences to 10 parts boiling water and kept under the lid for at least 3 hours. It is recommended to take a tablespoon up to 4 times a day. Parasites cannot stand the bitterness of tansy and the alkaline environment it creates in the body.

For preventive purposes, combined mixtures of tansy, yarrow, buckthorn, wormwood and cloves are also prepared. All components in equal parts are ground into powder and taken a teaspoon before breakfast.

If you don’t have the time or desire to collect herbs by hand, you can buy trichatka in pharmacies - a good old anti-worm drug, consisting of three components: tansy flowers, wormwood grass and clove buds. The components of the drug contain substances that are active not only against parasites, but also fungal infections, pathogenic intestinal microflora, and also strengthen the body as a whole.

In gynecology

Tansy preparations should be used in this area according to strict indications. Self-medication is generally a favorite topic for women, hence the attempts to use a decoction of this plant when menstruation is delayed to speed it up.

Provided that such a delay is not caused by serious hormonal disorders and does not exceed four days, tansy can be used as an exceptional measure. But under no circumstances should you take it to permanently affect your cycle, as it can lead to unpredictable complications.

However, there are practically no restrictions on the external use of the herb in gynecology. As a douche, its decoction has proven itself to be an anti-inflammatory and bactericidal agent.

For cardiovascular disorders

Tansy is a salvation for hypotensive people, as it can increase blood pressure and increase the heart rate. As a result of this effect, the headaches characteristic of low blood pressure disappear.

For men, who often suffer from heart disease in adulthood, this is especially important, since the risk of developing hypotension is no lower than hypertensive abnormalities.

For the gastrointestinal tract

Bitters, which the plant is rich in, are effective components in the treatment of gastritis with low acidity, improve digestion, and stimulate intestinal motility. It has been clinically established that tansy has a therapeutic effect on stomach ulcers, duodenal ulcers and enterocolitis.

In addition, tansy preparations stimulate the secretion of bile and have proven themselves in the complex therapy of cholecystitis and even hepatitis.

For external use

Decoctions and infusions of tansy work well in the form of compresses, baths and lotions for the treatment of swelling, irritation, poorly healing wounds, and relieve pain in the joints during dislocations and inflammatory processes.

They are also used in the treatment of fungal skin diseases, psoriasis, scabies, trophic ulcers and abscesses. For sore throats, tonsillitis and stomatitis, rinsing with tansy infusion gives a quick positive effect.

In everyday life and national economy

Thujone, which determines the toxicity of this plant, creates many problems for livestock farmers, since on pastures it is not always possible to control what and in what quantities grazing animals eat. There are even cases of poisoning of cattle by tansy, which is excessively contained in hay or grows abundantly in grazing areas.

However, for herbivorous rodents, for example, for domestic rabbits, tansy is attractive due to its pungent odor and is perceived as a delicacy. When dried, a small branch per day, the plant will be useful as a vitamin supplement to food and the prevention of helminthiases.

The specific smell of the inflorescences repels insects - mosquitoes, flies, fleas, moths, bedbugs. It is enough to place a bouquet of freshly cut flowers in a vase or place a sachet of dried inflorescences indoors, and insects will stop bothering you.

Contraindications and precautions

Tansy, for all its benefits, is a rather insidious plant. The organic toxins included in its composition can cause poisoning if used incorrectly or overdosed. These properties are associated with a number of restrictions on its use.

1. It is strictly not recommended to be treated with tansy during pregnancy, as it causes contraction of the smooth muscles of the uterus and can cause miscarriage or premature birth.
2. During breastfeeding, it should also be excluded from the diet of a nursing mother, since toxins that enter the baby’s body along with milk can cause serious poisoning.
3. Hypertensive patients should also forget about this plant, since it increases blood pressure and heart rate and can aggravate an already problematic condition.
4. For children under 12 years of age, it is better to limit themselves to the external use of tansy preparations, since it is not possible to accurately calculate the safe dosage for a growing child’s body.
5. To prevent the concentration of thujone in the body from exceeding the safe limit and negating all the positive effects of using the herb, the duration of treatment should not exceed a week. After a month's break, the course of treatment can be repeated.

Determination of the main groups of biologically active substances

Thin layer chromatography

On the starting line of an analytical chromatographic plate with a layer of silica gel with a fluorescent indicator on an aluminum substrate measuring 10 × 15 cm, 20 μl of the test solution is applied (see section “Quantitative determination” preparation of solution A of the test solution), 10 μl of a standard sample solution (SS) is applied next to it. luteolin (see section “Quantitative determination” solution A CO of luteolin). The plate with the applied samples is dried, placed in a chamber pre-saturated for 1 hour with a mixture of solvents: chloroform - 96% alcohol - water (26:16:3), and chromatographed using an ascending method. When the front of solvents has passed about 80 - 90% of the length of the plate from the starting line, it is removed from the chamber, dried until traces of solvents are removed and viewed under UV light at 254 nm.

The chromatogram of the test solution should show purple adsorption zones below and above the adsorption zone on the chromatogram of the CO solution of luteolin-7-glucoside.

Then the plate is treated with diazo reagent and kept at 100 – 105 °C.

The chromatogram of the CO solution of luteolin-7-glucoside should show an adsorption zone with yellow or yellow-orange fluorescence.

The chromatogram of the test solution should show a yellow adsorption zone below the luteolin-7-glucoside zone; detection of other adsorption zones is allowed.