Common Tansy – 0.5g

Tansy Seeds. Scientific Name: Tanacetum vulgare
Common Names: Tansy , Bitter Buttons

Sold in 0.5g packets. Each Packet contains approximately between 500 – 5000 Tansy Seeds mixed with some chaff. (The seeds are very small and difficult to separate from the chaff)

Tansy was a popular strewing herb in times past because it’s clean, camphorous scent repelled flies and other pests. It is still a good custom to plant tansy outside the kitchen door and around the garden for the same reasons.

Tansy has been used for a very long time not only as an ornamental plant but also as a pesticide, a preservative and a medicinal herb. The plant is however known to be toxic to both humans and livestock which has seen its medicinal use decline and these days it is rarely included in herbal guides.

The plant has compound leaves and produces small, yellow flowers that look a little bit like buttons. The flowers can be seen during the summer months. The plant has a scent reminiscent of camphor with a slight hint of rosemary. Both the leaves and the flowers are extremely toxic if they are consumed in high doses.

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Tansy Medicinal Benefits

• Medicinal tea.
• Vermifuge (eliminates intestinal worms).
• External: various skin conditions, relieve sprains, reduce swelling, neuralgia and painful rheumatic parts

WARNING: The plant’s essential oil contains several toxic substances including thujone. Thujone is known to cause liver damage as well as convulsions and brain damage.

When tansy is applied topically, it can also cause allergic reactions or lead to contact dermatitis.

Pregnant women and nursing mothers must avoid taking tansy.

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Tansy Garden & Home Uses

• Moth, ant, fly and flea repellent indoors as well as outdoors.
• It also repels borers when planted among young fruit trees.
• It is a good companion plant to raspberries, black-berries and grapes.
• It deters cucumber beetle, squash bugs and Japanese beetles.
• It concentrates potassium making it a good addition to the compost pile.
• Planted near a walkway, tansy releases its aroma each time it is brushed against.
• Plant near the doorway to prevent flies from entering.

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Growing Tansy

Indoor Sowing: Not Recommended.

Direct Sowing: Spring and Autumn.

• It is grown from Seed in the spring or autumn.
• Directly seed them into your flower garden after all danger of frost.
• Sow the seeds early in the season and cover lightly with 1/4″ of fine garden or potting soil.
• Water thoroughly once.
• Thin or space plants 6″ apart.
  Established plants can be propagated by division in the fall.
• Tansy plants are easy to grow and low maintenance.
• They prefer full sun to partial shade.
• They grow well in average or even poor soils.
• Add a general purpose fertilizer when planting them, especially if the soil is poor.
• Once your plant is established, it should grow well with few problems and no maintenance.
• Keep the soil moist to slightly dry.
• Water them during dry periods, once a week.