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The health benefits of Tansy Essential Oil can be attributed to its properties like anti bacterial, anti fungal, anti inflammatory, anti histaminic, anti viral, febrifuge, insecticide, hormone stimulant, sedative and vermifuge.
Tansy is a common European herb and the scientific name of Tansy is Tanacetum Vulgare or Tanacetum Annuum. The essential oil of Tansy is extracted by steam distillation of all the plant parts. The chief components which form this essential oil are artemisone, borneol, camphone, camphor, isopinocamphone, piperitone and thujone. Although this herb is very poisonous, still it was popular among the poor people, villagers and nomadic groups like Gypsies as they found some medicinal uses of this plant.
Let us find out the medicinal properties which gave this plant recognition as a medicinal plant, despite being so poisonous.
- Anti Bacterial: This should not be very hard to understand that the essential oil, which is so poisonous and can be fatal to humans, will be deadly for those tiny bacteria. Although some bacteria can survive unimaginably extremities of temperature and toxins, still for most of the bacteria which abode human body, this oil is lethal. It kills them and inhibits their multiplication. This gives an effective protection against bacterial infections, provided that it is taken in very-very mild doses.
- Anti Fungal: There is little doubt that the oil which can kill some very adamant and hardy species of bacteria infecting the human body will be harsh on the fungus too. Fungus too, cannot stand the toxicity of this oil and are killed when subjected to this oil. Their spores are also destroyed. This makes this oil efficient protector against the fungal infections which cause skin diseases, running ears, hair problems, dysentery etc.
- Anti Inflammatory: The Essential Oil of Tansy has been found effective in giving relief from inflammations, particularly those pertaining to skin, and others too. It also gives relief to some extent from inflammations in the respiratory system, digestive system and nervous system.
- Anti Histaminic: Histamine in the body is responsible for triggering off allergies and the various problems related to allergies, such as rashes, itches, severe coughs, asthma, breathing troubles, continuous sneezes or hiccups etc. Allergy can turn seriously fatal if it takes over the internal organs, particularly liver and heart. These attacks of allergies can be countered by lowering the level of histamine in the body and checking its production. The Tansy Essential Oil neutralizes histamine and checks its further production, thereby controlling these allergies.
- Anti Viral: The components like thujone and camphor, being toxic to living cells, are capable of killing viruses too. These components rupture the cyst, probe inside it and kill the virus. This stops growth of virus and gives immunity against viral diseases like common cold, mumps, measles and pox.
- Febrifuge: Most of the fevers are actually indications of the ongoing fight between the body’s immune mechanism and infection by bacteria (like typhoid, yellow fever, black fever etc.), viruses (like influenza), protozoa (like malaria and few others) and fungi. The severe our body’s reaction, the higher the body temperature. So, if infections are causes to fevers, then inhibiting these infections would be the way to reduce fevers. The Essential Oil of Tansy, being an anti bacterial, anti fungal and anti viral at the same time, assists our body counter these infection and thereby reducing body temperature. The anti inflammatory property of this oil adds to this effect, since inflammations also raise body temperature sometimes.
- Insecticide: Insects like cockroaches, ants, termites, moths etc. which are very commonly found in our households and parasitic insects like mosquitoes, fleas, ticks, lice and bed bugs, prefer to keep a safe distance from this oil as it is poisonous to them and has a pungent aroma which they cannot withstand. So, this oil serves as an effective insect repellant when used in fumigants, vapourizers and sprays. Even smaller animals like wall lizards, mice etc. avoid this oil.
- Hormone Stimulant: Tansy Oil stimulates the endocrinal glands and increases secretion of hormones. It was found particularly effective on the thyroid and thymus glands, which directly affects growth and maturity.
- Sedative: This oil acts as a sedative for nerves and emotional impulses. In cases like anxiety, depression, anger, convulsions, nervous afflictions, epileptic and hysteric attacks, impulsive behaviour etc., it can be used to pacify them and induce a relaxing effect on the nerves and brain.
- Vermifuge: The poisonous effect oil kills the intestinal and other parasitic worms in the human body, such as round worms, tape worms, hook worms and others. It is also used to kill worms in the wounds. This helps in the growth and quicker healing of wounds.
- Other Benefits: It is also used to treat sciatica, dyspepsia, skin infections etc. and miscarriages.
Few Words of Caution: Tansy oil is a potent poison due to presence of high concentration of thujone and even small doses can be fatal. It can also trigger on hallucinations and severe nervous & neurotic disturbances and have narcotic effects.
Blending: The Essential Oil of Tansy blends well with those of cedar wood, helichrysum, lavender, ravensara and rosemary.
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This article was contributed by Aparup Mukherjee.
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