Tansy essential oil is a volatile oil that is derived by steam distillation of the buds, flowers, and leaves of the plant Tanacetum vulgare. The main components of this essential oil are thujone, camphor, artemisone, piperitone, borneol, camphone, and isopinocamphone.
The health benefits of tansy essential oil can be attributed to its antiviral, antibacterial, anti-fungal, antihistaminic, sedative, anti-inflammatory, insecticide, hormone stimulant, vermifuge, and febrifuge effects.
However, tansy oil is poisonous and should be used with caution.
Health Benefits of Tansy Essential Oil
Let’s take a closer look at the many impressive health benefits of tansy essential oil.
Acts as a Natural Sedative
Tansy essential oil is effective as a sedative for soothing nerves and emotional impulses. For impulsive behaviors, anger, anxiety, mild depression, convulsions, nervous disorders, epilepsy, and hysteria, the essential oil can be used as a relaxant to induce a pacifying effect on the nerves and brain.
The essential oil can also help in combating stress and anxiety, as well as keep the mind at ease.
Prevents Bacterial Infections
Although it is very toxic and can be fatal, tansy essential oil helps eliminate bacteria. While some can survive certain toxins, this oil proves lethal for most bacteria. Tansy essential oil destroys them and prevents their proliferation. When taken in very small doses, the oil can protect the body against bacterial infections.
Relieves Inflammation
Tansy essential oil has proven to be effective in providing relief from skin inflammations. It also offers significant relief from inflammations that affect the nervous, digestive, and respiratory systems of the body.
Protects Against Fungal Infections
Evidently, if the essential oil can kill some harmful species of bacteria in the body, it can as well eliminate fungus. The fungus cannot survive the toxicity of this essential oil and are destroyed when they come in contact with it. This makes tansy essential oil effective in protecting the body against fungal infections, which can lead to dysentery, skin issues, ear problems, and hair problems.
Improves Digestion
Tansy essential oil contains carminative properties act as a digestion aid and cure for common digestive disorders like dyspepsia and gas. It is also effective for treating pain, cramps, stomach ulcers, and gallbladder issues. The oil is also considered effective as an appetite stimulant.
Destroys Intestinal Worms
The toxicity of tansy essential oil destroys intestinal and other parasitic worms in the body, including hookworms, tapeworms, roundworms, and several others. It is also used to eliminate worms that develop in wounds. This encourages the growth of healthy cells and speedy healing of wounds.
Counters Allergic Attacks
Histamine in the body can trigger allergies and the various health issues related to allergies, such as asthma, chronic coughs, rashes, itches, hiccups, heart palpitations, or sneezes. When allergic attacks are allowed to take over the internal organs, they can become fatal. These allergies can be dealt with by reducing histamine production levels in the body. Tansy essential oil neutralizes histamine and inhibits its further production, thereby regulating these allergic reactions.
Reduces Fevers
When the body’s immunity is compromised, it can lead to issues like black fever, typhoid, yellow fever, influenza, malaria, and other ailments. The body’s temperature becomes high as it tries to react to infections, viruses, bacteria, protozoa, and fungi. This means that when infections are prevented, it goes a long way to reduce fevers. Tansy essential oil has antiviral, antibacterial, and anti-fungal effects, making it effective for combating these infections and thereby reducing body temperature. As an anti-inflammatory substance, this oil reduces inflammation which, in turn, reduces body temperature.
Stimulates Menstruation
Tansy essential oil is popular for its powerful emmenagogue properties. This makes it effective for stimulating menstruation in women who experience irregular periods. However, keep in mind that that the oil must never be used by pregnant women as it may also induce abortion.
Protects against Viral Diseases
The oil contains components such as thujone and camphor, which are poisonous to living cells and are able to destroy viruses as well. These components function by rupturing the cyst and killing the virus inside. This inhibits the growth of the virus and provides immunity against viral ailments like smallpox, common cold, and measles.
Serves as an Insect Repellant
Household insects like ants, cockroaches, moths, and termites can be eliminated with the help of tansy essential oil. Parasitic insects like lice, mosquitoes, bed bugs, ticks, and fleas also find the oil poisonous as it has a pungent smell that they cannot withstand. The oil serves as a powerful insecticide when used in sprays, fumigants, and vaporizers. It may also kill smaller animals like lizards and mice.
Stimulates Secretion of Hormones
Tansy essential oil helps to stimulate the endocrine glands and boost the secretion of hormones. It has proven particularly effective on the thyroid and thymus glands, which are directly responsible for the growth and maturity of the human body.
Other Benefits of Tansy Essential Oil
Tansy oil is also used as a treatment for skin infections, sciatica, dyspepsia, and for preventing miscarriages. In addition, the oil provides relief for arthritis, rheumatism, neuritis, asthma, emphysema pulmonary, and polyarthritis.
Side Effects of Tansy Essential Oil
While tansy essential oil is considered generally safe, there are a few side effects to take note of.
- Due to the presence of camphor in tansy essential oil, it is not recommended for the aged, pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers, epileptics, and children who are less than 10 years of age. People who have high blood pressure or suffer endocrine imbalance should also avoid the oil.
- Since tansy oil can be very poisonous in large amounts, only minimal doses of the oil should be used internally. Some of the symptoms of poisoning may include muscle spasms, convulsions, uncontrolled bleeding in the uterus, stomach inflammation, and an unusually high or low pulse rate.
- Avoid the long term use of smaller doses of the oil as the toxins can accumulate gradually over time and eventually result in an overdose.
- For those with sensitive skin, tansy essential oil should be diluted before use. When tansy is applied topically, it can result in allergic reactions or lead to contact dermatitis. Some symptoms of allergic reactions include burning sensations, pain, and severe itching.
- People with other plant allergies may be at an increased risk of skin sensitivity after using tansy oil.
- Do not consume tansy essential oil or drink more than a cup or two of tansy tea on a daily basis.
- Because it is high in camphor, tansy essential oil should not be used by people with Parkinson’s disease or epilepsy.
- Owing to its high toxicity, do not apply to pets topically.
Since dosing guidelines are extremely insufficient at the moment, it is better to always consult a doctor or herbal expert before using tansy essential oil.
Is Tansy Essential Oil the Same as Blue Tansy Oil?
Tansy essential oil is derived from the Tanacetum vulgare plant and should not be confused with blue tansy oil from another type of tansy (Tanacetum annum).
Unlike Tanacetum annum, Tanacetum vulgare contains thujone and is never blue in color.
Bottom Line
Tansy essential oil is widely used for its medicinal properties and because it blends well with other essential oils of lavender, rosemary, and cedarwood.
However, because its thujone content is very high, using large doses of tansy essential oil may be fatal. It is better to use a thujone-free variety or only apply the essential oil topically.
