Witnessed by: Western
Tansy (Tanacetum vulgare), of the Asteraceae family. Robust perennial with fern-like divided leaves and flat-topped clusters of button-like golden discoid flowers; native range: roadsides, waste ground and riverbanks of Europe and Asia, naturalised in North America. Globally recognized as common tansy · bitter buttons · golden buttons in English. The part used is flowering herb and leaves. Strongly aromatic and very bitter, the scent camphoraceous and pungent.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
TANSY
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- tansy
- Scientific name
- Tanacetum vulgare L.
- Family
- Asteraceae
Form
- Part used
- flowering herb and leaves
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Western
- bitter · aromatic · pungent
Temperature
- Western
- warm, drying
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- digestion · intestines · uterus · liver
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Western
- anthelmintic, bitter, carminative, emmenagogue, diaphoretic
Cautions
Contraindications: pregnancy (abortifacient and uterine stimulant), lactation, epilepsy
Toxicity: the volatile oil is high in thujone, a convulsant and abortifacient poison; overdose causes vomiting, convulsions and has proved fatal
Interactions
- Western
- antiepileptics: thujone is proconvulsant and may antagonise seizure control
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