Herb library · Spice · Artemisia dracunculus
Tarragon
An anise-flavored kitchen herb, also sold as "Russian tarragon" capsules for blood sugar. One small trial in people with prediabetes found modest changes; a review of such botanicals found too little evidence to recommend any. Like basil, it contains estragole.
Traditional use
A bitterish, aromatic, anise-scented herb which King's American Dispensatory (1898) records as cultivated in southern Europe, Tartary and Siberia; it is used mainly to flavor food. Extracts of Russian tarragon are among the botanicals promoted to help manage blood sugar, and it has been tested as an add-on to creatine for athletes.
What studies show
- Limited
Blood sugar: in a 2016 trial, 24 people with impaired glucose tolerance (prediabetes) took 1,000 mg of tarragon or placebo twice a day for 90 days. In the tarragon group, HbA1c, insulin output and systolic blood pressure fell slightly from where they started and HDL cholesterol rose; the placebo group did not change. A 2008 review of nine botanicals, Russian tarragon among them, found too little clinical evidence to recommend any for blood sugar.
- Insufficient
Creatine uptake: in a small 2014 preliminary study, taking 500 mg of Russian tarragon before creatine did not increase creatine in muscle or sprint performance compared with placebo.
Be careful of
Cautions
- AmountTarragon contains estragole, and its essential oil is 60–75% estragole. EMA calls estragole a genotoxic carcinogen in rodents and says the risk to people from low, food-level amounts has not been worked out. European advisers have told consumers to limit estragole-containing herbs beyond occasional kitchen use, and EMA asks that herbal medicines keep it as low as possible and be used for no more than 14 days.
- PregnancyEMA does not recommend estragole-containing herbal medicines in pregnancy or breastfeeding when they give more than 0.05 mg of estragole a day. Tarragon as a seasoning is not what this addresses.
- ConditionChildren: EMA does not recommend estragole-containing herbal medicines for children up to 11 when they exceed 1 microgram of estragole per kilogram of body weight a day.
- InteractionTarragon capsules were studied for blood sugar; if you take diabetes medicines, ask your clinician before adding a supplement that is meant to lower blood sugar.
- Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.
From the old books
What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.
“Cultivated in southern Europe, Tartary, and Siberia. A bitterish, aromatic, anise-odorous plant, the volatile oil of which is chiefly anethol”
Sources
- Public statement on the use of herbal medicinal products containing estragole (EMA/HMPC/137212/2005 Rev 1 Corr 1) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Public statement on the use of herbal medicinal products containing estragole (EMEA/HMPC/137212/2005) (opens in a new tab) · EMA · read September 25, 2026
- Effect of Artemisia dracunculus administration on glycemic control, insulin sensitivity, and insulin secretion in patients with impaired glucose tolerance (J Med Food, 2016) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- Efficacy of dietary supplementation with botanicals on carbohydrate metabolism in humans (Endocr Metab Immune Disord Drug Targets, 2008) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
- 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) — PubMed record (opens in a new tab) · NIH · read September 25, 2026
Reviewed September 25, 2026.