Tansy

Tanacetum vulgare

History

Tansy has been used as a medicinal herb for more than 2,500 years. It was first mentioned and used by the Greeks who gave the plant its name from the Greek word for immortality, Athanasia. They believed it to be food of the Gods, and in Greek Mythology, Zeus gave the shepherd Ganymede a drink of tansy to make him immortal.

This divine belief of tansy carried into the Middle Ages, where it was similarly valued by kings and clerics. Charlemagne, ruler of the Holy Roman Empire in the ninth century C.E. planted tansy in his garden. Tansy has also historically been used to ease menstrual pains end pregnancies and as insect repellant.

Over time, usage of tansy continued to spread through cultivation, and it was introduced to North America in 1631 by John Winthrop Jr. Many colonialist had tansy in their colonial gardens, and Thomas Jefferson even grew it in his kitchen garden at Monticello.

Medicinal Uses

Intestinal parasites
Gastrointestinal issues
Menstrual disorders
Inflammation and pain

Recipe For Home

Tansy Pancakes

Ingredients:

4 tbsp plain flour
300ml single cream
4 eggs
2 tbsp spinach juice (approx 2 handfuls of leaves)
1 tbsp tansy juice (approx 1 handful of leaves)
1/2 a nutmeg (grated)
butter
1/2 an orange
honey

Instructions:

In a bowl put the flour and cream and mix until it has formed a smooth batter.

Beat 4 eggs well and put them into the bowl with the flour and cream, now whisk by hand for 10 minutes.

Put the juice of spinach and tansy along with grated nutmeg into the bowl and stir in well.

In a frying pan, add a small knob of butter, and pour a small amount of the mixture into the pan until it covers the base. The same as you would for regular pancakes. Cook for a short while, then flip over and cook the other side.