Tarragon and its many surprising health benefits

Sunday, April 27, 2014 by: P. Simard
Tags: tarragon, health benefits, pain relief

(NaturalNews) There are different kinds of the tarragon herb, but the most notable are the Russian and French ones. The French variety happens to be one of the most important herbs used in French cuisine thanks to the exquisite flavor and scent it brings to various dishes. It is also an excellent source of various vitamins and minerals, such as vitamins A, B and C, potassium, calcium, iron, magnesium and zinc.

Based on a report published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, Turkish tarragon apparently has superior antioxidant properties. Some studies have noticed that its oil works effectively to help contain or reduce any damages that free radicals do cause, such as increasing the pace of aging.

The recognition of its ability to get rid of toothaches goes as far back as ancient Greece. It is tarragon's high concentration of eugenol that's mostly responsible for its pain-relieving effect. Some also say that it will minimize sore gums which may go along with any possible toothache.

If you want to get rid of hiccups, you may want to follow Dr. Jean Valnet's recommendation which consists of either chewing tarragon leaves or taking three to four drops of its essential oil on a lump of sugar as soon as the problem occurs.

Tarragon can counteract Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli

A study published by the Iranian Journal of Microbiology shows that tarragon may very well possess quite potent antibacterial properties. Tests were done essentially using white cheese to determine the kind of effects tarragon had on strains of the E. coli and S. aureus bacteria. The results clearly showed that tarragon was capable of reducing the bacterial count found in cheese. This leads researchers to believe that tarragon may be recognized in the near future as a possible preservative for foods similar to cheese.

Back in 2010, as reported by the Diabetes publication, some studies performed on laboratory mice concluded that tarragon was reliable for helping increase appetite. This is believed to be quite valuable for the elderly or ill people struggling to find the will to eat.

Tarragon has long been known as a tonic for the liver because it helps with bile, but now the Alternative Medicine journal reports that tarragon works remarkably well to help alleviate upset stomachs caused by stress. It may in fact also play a substantial role in treating irritable bowels and even dyspepsia.

Bodybuilders may be happy to hear that research shows how tarragon, more specifically the Russian kind, helps enhance creatine absorption. This could be a way to replace using big quantities of carbohydrates in order to obtain similar results.

There's absolutely no doubt that tarragon's a wonderful herb you should start adding right now to certain dishes.

Sources for this article include:

http://www.herbwisdom.com

http://lifestyle.iloveindia.com

http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov

http://www.womenfitness.net

http://science.naturalnews.com

About the author:
After spending several years working in property management, P. Simard is now focusing on being a naturopath in Quebec.