Tarragon: Taste, Benefits, Substitutes & How to Cook With It

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Crush a sprig of French tarragon between your fingers and it smells sweet, like licorice and anise, the scent that has made it an important herb in French cooking.1 Tarragon is a narrow-leaved perennial, Artemisia dracunculus, and its fresh or dried leaves season chicken, fish, sauces, rice dishes and herbal vinegars across Europe, Asia and the Americas.1

Its medical record runs deep, from Persian, Arabic and Ayurvedic healers to the European herbals of the 16th and 17th centuries.1 A placebo-controlled trial of 24 adults with prediabetes has now measured what tarragon does for blood sugar, insulin and blood pressure.2

On my show, I've encouraged people to start using more herbs and spices, as herbal teas or simply sprinkled on food.5 Tarragon is an easy one to learn.

Did you know?

• Renaissance botanists argued over an old belief that tarragon didn't grow on its own at all but sprouted from flax seeds planted inside a hollowed-out onion; Conrad Gessner, Pietro Mattioli and Jacques Dalechamps all rejected it.1

• Tarkhun, a carbonated soft drink, is made mainly from fresh tarragon leaves.1

• In lab tests, a tarragon essential oil shut down the chemical signals that fish-spoilage bacteria use to coordinate, and it cut their breakdown of protein in fish juice by 29%.6

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What is tarragon?

The plant grows up to about 5 feet (150 cm) tall, with lance-shaped leaves, small yellow flowers in hanging, rounded heads and strong, woody roots.1 It belongs to the Artemisia genus, which also includes mugwort and wormwood.8 Tarragon is grown across the Americas, Asia and Europe, and its aroma comes from a small amount of essential oil, between 0.15% and 3.1% of the herb.19

French, Russian and Mexican tarragon

Three plants share the name, and they behave differently in the kitchen:

French tarragon is the one to cook with. It grows only from root cuttings, while Russian tarragon also grows from seed, so buy a plant rather than a seed packet if you want to grow the French flavor at home.1 Mexican tarragon is a marigold relative with its own uses.

A short history of tarragon

The name comes from the Latin dracunculus, "little dragon." Pliny the Elder, writing in the first century, tied it to the plant's serpentine roots, and a later explanation points to leaves shaped like dragon tongues.1 The Persian physician Avicenna knew the herb as tarcon, and in the 16th century Pietro Mattioli described its sharp taste and warming effect and wrote that it stimulated the appetite.1

In 1613, the Polish herbalist Simon Syrennius wrote that tarragon relieved toothache and stimulated digestion, and that as a spice it "restores the appetite, eaten with salad or meat."1 By the 18th and 19th centuries, European pharmacopoeias treated it mainly as a kitchen herb, and Krzysztof Kluk's Polish plant dictionary noted that its leaves "are suitable for salads and seasoning dishes" and that vinegar made with them "can be very useful on the table."1

Across Asia, the medical tradition ran deeper. In Iran, Pakistan, Azerbaijan and India, tarragon has long been used for digestive complaints, pain, sleeplessness, seizures, fever and intestinal worms; Arabic medicine used it for insomnia and inflamed gums; Central Asian and Russian traditional medicine used it for digestion and appetite; and Ayurvedic practice used it as a tonic and to regulate the menstrual cycle.1 Iranian traditional medicine also knew it as a "blood-diluting" herb.12

What does tarragon taste like?

French tarragon tastes sweet and licorice-like, close to anise, with a slightly bitter aftertaste and an herbaceous note that has also been compared with basil.1 Russian tarragon is more bitter and pungent and lacks the anise note, which is why it's far less popular in the kitchen.1

Fresh leaves carry the brightest flavor, and cooks prize the fresh herb because dried tarragon quickly loses its quality.1 Crush a pinch of dried tarragon before you cook with it; if it no longer smells of anise, it has lost its flavor.

How do you cook with tarragon?

Tarragon is used around the world to season meat, sauces, rice dishes, fish and marinades, to flavor mustard and herbal vinegars, and to pickle cucumbers and cabbage.1 Its fresh leaves also go straight into vegetable salads.1 The fines herbes blend pairs it with parsley, chives and chervil, all chopped fresh and added at the end.

Tarragon fits right into a food-first way of eating. The 7-day meal plan in my Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes protocol is full of meals it suits, from egg scrambles, omelets and frittatas to roast chicken, baked wild salmon and baked cod.13 The Biblio Diet, the book Jordan Rubin and I wrote, puts dried herbs and dried spices on its list of foods to eat.14 For a cooking fat, reach for olive oil every day, and use butter in moderation when a sauce calls for it.

Fresh or dried tarragon?

Use fresh tarragon in dishes that cook briefly or not at all, such as eggs, salads, sauces and fish, and add it at the end so its anise brightness stays. Dried tarragon works in dishes with a little simmering time, such as soups, stews and braised chicken. The usual kitchen swap is about 1 teaspoon of dried tarragon for each tablespoon of fresh.

To prepare fresh tarragon, pinch the top of a stem and slide your fingers down toward the base to strip the leaves, then chop them. Wrap unused sprigs loosely in a barely damp paper towel, keep them in a bag in the refrigerator and use them within a few days. Keep dried tarragon in a sealed jar away from the stove, heat and light.

What can you substitute for tarragon?

Dried tarragon is the closest substitute for fresh. Beyond that, choose an herb that matches what the dish needs: the anise note, or the fresh, green flavor.

• Dried tarragon: For fresh tarragon in cooked dishes, use about 1 teaspoon dried for each tablespoon fresh.

• Chervil: A delicate, faintly anise-flavored herb from the same fines herbes blend. Use it fresh, in the same amount, in eggs, salads and sauces.

• Fennel: Chopped fennel fronds carry the licorice note in fresh dishes; a pinch of crushed fennel seed works in sauces that simmer.

• Basil: French tarragon's flavor has been compared with basil's, so basil works where a sauce or salad needs a fresh, green flavor.1

• Anise seed or star anise: A small pinch of anise seed, or one piece of star anise removed before serving, gives a long-cooked dish the anise note.

• Dill: In cold dishes such as chicken salad, egg salad and yogurt sauces, dill gives a similar fresh lift.

Tarragon nutrition facts

Tarragon also brings plant compounds to the plate, and herbs as a group sit near the top of the antioxidant scale: in a survey of more than 3,100 foods, spices, herbs and supplements included the most antioxidant-rich products tested.15

What is tarragon good for?

How does tarragon work in the body?

Most of what's known about how tarragon affects blood sugar comes from one research program's standardized ethanol extract of Russian tarragon, tested in human muscle cells and in mice.

From leaf to insulin signal

Russian tarragon has lowered blood sugar in rats too: when the rats were given a dose of glucose, a water extract worked as well as an alcohol extract.11

Tarragon benefits, ranked by evidence

Ranked by evidence, tarragon does the most for blood sugar and blood pressure in people, with a long traditional record for appetite, digestion, toothache and sleep.

Does tarragon lower blood sugar?

The trial, run at the University of Guadalajara in Mexico, enrolled 24 adults aged 30 to 60 with impaired glucose tolerance, a form of prediabetes in which blood sugar stays high 2 hours after a glucose drink; 20 of them were women. Twelve took 1,000 mg of tarragon in capsules before breakfast and again before dinner for 90 days, and 12 took a placebo. Neither the people nor the researchers knew who got what, and 23 of the 24 finished.221

In the tarragon group, the insulin released over the 2 hours after a 75-gram glucose drink fell from 56,136 to 44,472 pmol/L, about 21% less, and a measure of total insulin secretion fell from 0.45 to 0.35. A1C, your average blood sugar over about three months, dropped from 5.8% to 5.6%; systolic blood pressure fell from 120 to 113 mmHg; and HDL cholesterol rose from about 50 to 54 mg/dL (1.3 to 1.4 mmol/L).2 The trial's registry adds that the liver enzyme ALT fell from 43.8 to 32.8 U/L.21 Fasting and 2-hour blood sugar, insulin sensitivity and weight didn't change significantly, and the published results compare each group with its own starting point.212

On placebo, nothing changed significantly: systolic pressure went from 123 to 125 mmHg and A1C from 5.9% to 5.8%.21

The lab and mouse studies in the diagram above suggest a possible reason for the smaller insulin response: the extract helped muscle cells take up sugar and kept insulin's signal working.2628

Tarragon works best inside a bigger plan. My Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes protocol starts by steadying meals: 30 grams of protein at breakfast, vegetables and protein before carbohydrates, a 10- to 15-minute walk after your two biggest meals, and no sweet drinks or refined carbs.13 As the protocol puts it, "Add a supplement to a day of sweet drinks, eight hours sitting and six hours of sleep and you're fighting the tide. Steady the meals. Build the muscle. Then insulin comes down."13 Seasoning those steady meals with tarragon is a simple way to bring the herb into your day. For more, see the insulin resistance diet and normal blood sugar levels. If you take diabetes medicine, the medication guidance in the safety section comes first.

How much tarragon should you use?

Cooking amounts are the everyday way to enjoy tarragon, and they carry the herb's long safety record as a spice.7 The capsules in the trial were a measured amount taken twice a day; the safety section covers who should skip concentrates and how they differ from the leaf.2

Is tarragon safe? Side effects and who should be careful

Tarragon's anise scent comes largely from estragole, the same compound found in basil and fennel, which can make up most of the herb's essential oil.319 Tarragon itself has tested clean: dried tarragon powder fed to rats at up to 6.25 grams per kilogram of body weight, which for a 154-pound (70-kilogram) adult would be more than 240 tablespoons, didn't damage DNA.32 Pure estragole is different at very high doses: male rats given 300 to 1,000 mg per kilogram of body weight by stomach tube showed dose-related DNA damage in the liver, and none in the stomach;33 for the same adult, the lowest of those doses would be about 21 grams of pure estragole.

Both fresh-frozen and dried tarragon reduced the DNA damage from added estragole in lab tests, and the researchers concluded that tarragon consumption poses no risk of DNA damage to humans.32 In human liver cells, pure estragole caused oxidative stress while extracts of tarragon, chervil and basil didn't,34 and water extracts of tarragon contain very little estragole.911 European regulators estimate that everyday diets supply about 0.5 to 5 mg of estragole a day, treat that background from food as tolerable, and ask makers of herbal medicines to keep added estragole as low as practical.31

Concentrated products are a different exposure from a seasoning. In mice given a tarragon extract by mouth, liver enzymes and liver-tissue changes rose with the dose,35 while the developers' own safety tests of a standardized ethanol extract of Russian tarragon found no toxicity in rats at up to 1,000 mg per kilogram a day for 90 days.36 In the 24-person prediabetes trial, constipation affected 1 of 12 people on tarragon and 2 of 12 on placebo, with no serious side effects, and uric acid rose in the tarragon group, from about 4.8 to 5.9 mg/dL (285.5 to 350.9 µmol/L); on placebo it went from about 4.6 to 5.2 mg/dL (273.6 to 309.3 µmol/L).21

Allergy to spices is rare, reported in about 4 to 13 of every 10,000 adults, and most people who react became sensitized through pollens that cross-react with spices, especially mugwort and birch.37 Tarragon shares mugwort's genus.8 In one documented case, a florist with a sunflower allergy had life-threatening throat swelling after handling mugwort at work, and skin tests showed strong sensitization to both mugwort and tarragon.8

The bottom line

Tarragon: frequently asked questions

References

1. Ekiert H, Świątkowska J, Knut E, et al. Artemisia dracunculus (Tarragon): A Review of Its Traditional Uses, Phytochemistry and Pharmacology. Front Pharmacol. 2021;12:653993. doi:10.3389/fphar.2021.653993
2. Méndez-Del Villar M, Puebla-Pérez AM, Sánchez-Peña MJ, et al. Effect of Artemisia dracunculus Administration on Glycemic Control, Insulin Sensitivity, and Insulin Secretion in Patients with Impaired Glucose Tolerance. J Med Food. 2016;19(5):481-5. doi:10.1089/jmf.2016.0005
3. Yu Y, Simmler C, Kuhn P, et al. The DESIGNER Approach Helps Decipher the Hypoglycemic Bioactive Principles of Artemisia dracunculus (Russian Tarragon). J Nat Prod. 2019;82(12):3321-3329. doi:10.1021/acs.jnatprod.9b00548
4. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Spices, tarragon, dried. FoodData Central, SR Legacy, FDC ID 170937 (NDB 2041). Accessed October 5, 2026.
5. Axe J. 7 Foods That Quiet Inflammation Better Than Supplements. The Dr. Josh Axe Show. August 10, 2026 (YouTube upload "How to Reduce Chronic Inflammation Naturally," JFeUM50IzBI; Dr. Axe at 23:11 and 27:48).
6. Sobieszczańska N, Myszka K, Szwengiel A, et al. Tarragon essential oil as a source of bioactive compounds with anti-quorum sensing and anti-proteolytic activity against Pseudomonas spp. isolated from fish - in vitro, in silico and in situ approaches. Int J Food Microbiol. 2020;331:108732. doi:10.1016/j.ijfoodmicro.2020.108732
7. 21 CFR 182.10. Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings (Tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus L.). Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). Accessed October 5, 2026.
8. Kurzen M, Bayerl C, Goerdt S. [Occupational allergy to mugwort]. J Dtsch Dermatol Ges. 2003;1(4):285-90. doi:10.1046/j.1610-0387.2003.02034.x
9. Obolskiy D, Pischel I, Feistel B, et al. Artemisia dracunculus L. (tarragon): a critical review of its traditional use, chemical composition, pharmacology, and safety. J Agric Food Chem. 2011;59(21):11367-84. doi:10.1021/jf202277w
10. Ventura-Martinez R, Angeles-Lopez GE, Gonzalez-Trujano ME, et al. Study of Antispasmodic and Antidiarrheal Activities of Tagetes lucida (Mexican Tarragon) in Experimental Models and Its Mechanism of Action. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2020;2020:7140642. doi:10.1155/2020/7140642
11. Weinoehrl S, Feistel B, Pischel I, et al. Comparative evaluation of two different Artemisia dracunculus L. cultivars for blood sugar lowering effects in rats. Phytother Res. 2012;26(4):625-9. doi:10.1002/ptr.3605
12. Shahriyary L, Yazdanparast R. Inhibition of blood platelet adhesion, aggregation and secretion by Artemisia dracunculus leaves extracts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2007;114(2):194-8. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2007.07.029
13. Axe J. Insulin Resistance & Prediabetes: The 90-Day Healing Protocol. DrAxe.com. 2026 ("The 4-phase blood sugar protocol," p. 15; Phase 1, "Stabilize," p. 16; "The 7-day meal plan," p. 21).
14. Axe J, Rubin J. The Biblio Diet. Hachette Book Group; 2025. ISBN 9781546008439. Chapter "A Biblical Spice Rack"; foods-to-eat list (dried herbs, dried spices).
15. Carlsen MH, Halvorsen BL, Holte K, et al. The total antioxidant content of more than 3100 foods, beverages, spices, herbs and supplements used worldwide. Nutr J. 2010;9:3. doi:10.1186/1475-2891-9-3
16. Ilnytska O, Stütz AM, Park-York M, et al. Molecular mechanisms for activation of the agouti-related protein and stimulation of appetite. Diabetes. 2011;60(1):97-106. doi:10.2337/db10-0172
17. Maham M, Moslemzadeh H, Jalilzadeh-Amin G. Antinociceptive effect of the essential oil of tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus). Pharm Biol. 2014;52(2):208-12. doi:10.3109/13880209.2013.824007
18. Sayyah M, Nadjafnia L, Kamalinejad M. Anticonvulsant activity and chemical composition of Artemisia dracunculus L. essential oil. J Ethnopharmacol. 2004;94(2-3):283-7. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2004.05.021
19. Bloomer RJ, Canale RE, Pischel I. Effect of an aqueous Russian tarragon extract on glucose tolerance in response to an oral dextrose load in non-diabetic men. Nutr Diet Suppl. 2011;3:43-49. doi:10.2147/NDS.S16511
20. Oliver JM, Jagim AR, Pischel I, et al. Effects of short-term ingestion of Russian Tarragon prior to creatine monohydrate supplementation on whole body and muscle creatine retention and anaerobic sprint capacity: a preliminary investigation. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2014;11(1):6. doi:10.1186/1550-2783-11-6
21. ClinicalTrials.gov. NCT02330341: Effect of Artemisia Dracunculus on Glucose Intolerance, Insulin Sensitivity and Insulin Secretion. University of Guadalajara; results first posted October 8, 2020.
22. Țicolea M, Pop RM, Pârvu M, et al. Phytochemical Composition Antioxidant and Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Artemisia dracunculus and Artemisia abrotanum. Antioxidants (Basel). 2024;13(8):1016. doi:10.3390/antiox13081016
23. Watcho P, Stavniichuk R, Tane P, et al. Evaluation of PMI-5011, an ethanolic extract of Artemisia dracunculus L., on peripheral neuropathy in streptozotocin-diabetic mice. Int J Mol Med. 2011;27(3):299-307. doi:10.3892/ijmm.2011.597
24. Watcho P, Stavniichuk R, Ribnicky DM, et al. High-fat diet-induced neuropathy of prediabetes and obesity: effect of PMI-5011, an ethanolic extract of Artemisia dracunculus L. Mediators Inflamm. 2010;2010:268547. doi:10.1155/2010/268547
25. Benli M, Kaya I, Yigit N. Screening antimicrobial activity of various extracts of Artemisia dracunculus L. Cell Biochem Funct. 2007;25(6):681-6. doi:10.1002/cbf.1373
26. Wang ZQ, Ribnicky D, Zhang XH, et al. Bioactives of Artemisia dracunculus L enhance cellular insulin signaling in primary human skeletal muscle culture. Metabolism. 2008;57(7 Suppl 1):S58-64. doi:10.1016/j.metabol.2008.04.003
27. Vandanmagsar B, Haynie KR, Wicks SE, et al. Artemisia dracunculus L. extract ameliorates insulin sensitivity by attenuating inflammatory signalling in human skeletal muscle culture. Diabetes Obes Metab. 2014;16(8):728-38. doi:10.1111/dom.12274
28. Wang ZQ, Ribnicky D, Zhang XH, et al. An extract of Artemisia dracunculus L. enhances insulin receptor signaling and modulates gene expression in skeletal muscle in KK-A(y) mice. J Nutr Biochem. 2011;22(1):71-8. doi:10.1016/j.jnutbio.2009.11.015
29. Wang J, Fernández AE, Tiano S, et al. An Extract of Artemisia dracunculus L. Promotes Psychological Resilience in a Mouse Model of Depression. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2018;2018:7418681. doi:10.1155/2018/7418681
30. Durić K, Kovac Besovic EE, Niksic H, et al. Anticoagulant activity of some Artemisia dracunculus leaf extracts. Bosn J Basic Med Sci. 2015;15(2):9-14. doi:10.17305/bjbms.2015.384
31. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products. Public statement on the use of herbal medicinal products containing estragole. EMA/HMPC/137212/2005 Rev 1 Corr 1. 12 May 2023.
32. Nesslany F, Parent-Massin D, Marzin D. Risk assessment of consumption of methylchavicol and tarragon: the genotoxic potential in vivo and in vitro. Mutat Res. 2010;696(1):1-9. doi:10.1016/j.mrgentox.2009.11.003
33. Ding W, Levy DD, Bishop ME, et al. In vivo genotoxicity of estragole in male F344 rats. Environ Mol Mutagen. 2015;56(4):356-65. doi:10.1002/em.21918
34. Bidri M, Conti M, Franetich JF, et al. Fresh aromatic herbs containing methylchavicol did not exhibit the pro-oxidative effects of pure methylchavicol on a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. Ann Pharm Fr. 2012;70(5):256-63. doi:10.1016/j.pharma.2012.06.005
35. Kalantari H, Galehdari H, Zaree Z, et al. Toxicological and mutagenic analysis of Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon) extract. Food Chem Toxicol. 2013;51:26-32. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2012.07.052
36. Ribnicky DM, Poulev A, O'Neal J, et al. Toxicological evaluation of the ethanolic extract of Artemisia dracunculus L. for use as a dietary supplement and in functional foods. Food Chem Toxicol. 2004;42(4):585-98. doi:10.1016/j.fct.2003.11.002
37. Chen JL, Bahna SL. Spice allergy. Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol. 2011;107(3):191-9; quiz 199, 265. doi:10.1016/j.anai.2011.06.020
38. 21 CFR 182.20. Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives (including distillates) (Estragon/tarragon, Artemisia dracunculus L.). Code of Federal Regulations (eCFR). Accessed October 5, 2026.

Dr. Josh Axe, DC, DNM, CNS

Doctor of Natural Medicine · Founder, DrAxe.com

Dr. Axe is a certified doctor of natural medicine, clinical nutritionist, and multiple New York Times bestselling author. He has spent 20+ years in clinical practice helping people heal at the root cause and founded one of the most-visited natural-health platforms in the world.

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