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Distribution of A. dracunculus cytotypes in Asia. Asia has the highest diversity of cytotypes with all known cytotypes except 109 being documented. When a general locality had more than one record for a single cytotype it is depicted with only one point, and when a locality had records of multiple cytotypes it is depicted with either a single symbol representing those cytotypes or by the individual cytotype symbols which are connected by a black line
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Artemisia dracunculus (wild or Russian tarragon), is a polymorphic, herbaceous perennial with a widespread distribution that spans western North
America, Eastern Europe and most temperate of Asia. This wild relative of the culinary herb French tarragon has recently been
the focus of a number of studies which have investigated its medicinal activity...
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Citations
... French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a widely known perennial, aromatic subshrub belonging to the Asteraceae plant family. The species is distributed over most of temperate Asia, central and eastern Europe, and over western North America (Eisenman & Struwe, 2011). Its relative, Russian tarragon differs from it in external morphology and also in flavour characteristics. ...
In this study, the influence of different preservation methods on the phytochemicals and organoleptic properties of two French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) varieties was evaluated. Among preservation techniques freezing and shade drying could retain the essential oil content of tarragon leaves the most (2.77–4.41 ml/100 g d.w.), whereas oven drying at 60 °C and lyophilization caused the highest loss (0.1–1.90 ml/100 g d.w.). Lyophilization significantly changed the volatile composition, the ratio of larger molecules (e.g. methyl eugenol) increased, but the proportion of smaller ones (e.g. estragole) decreased. In addition, new components also appeared. Lyophilization, oven drying at 40 °C and microwave drying at 700 W highly preserved the total phenolic content (106–133 mg GAE/g d.w.) and total antioxidant capacity (136–146 mg AAE/g d.w.), but oven drying at 60 °C had the opposite effect (70–75 mg GAE/g d.w., 65–71 mg AAE/g d.w.). The original green colour of leaves was kept by freezing, oven drying at 40 °C and lyophilization, while in leaves dried at 60 °C and at 250 W a significant colour degradation could be observed. The taste of leaves was unambiguously altered by each preservation method according to the e-tongue measurements. The applied treatments resulted in very similar changes for both varieties.
... This tremendous diversity accounts for a wide range of phytochemicals, and a high variation of compound composition even within one single species, depending on growth conditions (soil, climate, nutrient status etc.), and harvest practices and timing, not even taking intraspecific variation into account. Eisenman et al. [1,2] showed this effect exemplarily for Artemisia dracunculus. While traditional plant use and medicine preparation normally takes these details into account, they are often seen as of marginal importance in the herbal trade. ...
Over the last decades there has been an increasing recognition of the importance of herbal medicine around the globe. Apart from the obvious use of crude plant preparations or plant extracts, plant-based natural product research has become a common tool in drug development. Plant material for research is often sourced either directly from the wild, or form a wide variety of venders and providers, most commonly over the Internet. The quality of the source material is often highly variable, and it has been our experience that much of the available material lacks all, or at least careful, documentation, identification and vouchering. Many well-respected researchers in phytomedicine are deficient in plant taxonomy and might be convinced that the correct scientific name and vouchering of plant material sourced does not really matter, if only a consistent vernacular name is provided. In this chapter we explore the necessity of correct scientific identification of material in herbal medicine, point to common errors in the process, and suggest ways to avoid potentially disastrous mistakes.
Most taxonomic errors are simply caused by orthographic mistakes, by citing synonyms instead of the correct scientific name, wrong or missing author citations, mistakes in family classification, and simple extrapolation from a common vernacular name to a possible scientific identification. Most of these problems can easily be avoided by using open access online databases. The identification of vouchering material should however always be done, or at least confirmed, by specialists. Taxonomy remains a crucial tool for the validation and safety of herbal medicine.
... Like most species of Artemisia, Tarragon has a base chromosome number of x = 9 and several ploidy levels (2n = 2x = 18; 2n = 3x = 27; 2n = 10x = 90; 2n = 8x = 72; 2n = 6x = 54; 2n = 4x = 36) (Eisenman et al., 2013). The different cell types of this species indicate differences in phytochemical profiles, which clarifies the necessity for awareness of the origin of plant materials when conducting biological and phytochemical studies (Eisenman and Struwe, 2011). Tarragon possesses insecticide, antifungal, and radical-scavenging activities (Karimi et al., 2015a). ...
... Estragole is one of the dominant constituents in French Tarragon essential oil, which reaches up to 82 %. The essential oil composition of plants is largely influenced by weather conditions, day length, harvesting time and plant age (Nooshkam et al., 2017;Obolskiy et al., 2011;Eisenman and Struwe, 2011). ...
The experiment was aimed to evaluate the effects of water deficit stress on the drug yield, essential oil content and composition and antioxidant enzymes activity of Tarragon. The results showed that the impact of drought stress and the interactive effects of drought stress and accessions on the activity of superoxide dismutase, catalase, ascorbate peroxidase, guaiacol peroxidase, proline, drug yield and essential oil yield (only in second year) were significant. Our findings showed that water deficit increased the essential oil content in both years, while decreased the essential oil and drug yield. Estragole (up to 88.39 %), Z-β-ocimene (up to 7.81 %), E-β-ocimene (up to 5.84 %), terpinolene (up to 4.92 %), limonene (up to 3.32 %), methyl eugenol (up to 2.59 %) and α-pinene (up to 1.3 %) were identified as the major components of essential oil in the most of studied plants. However, there were variations among the different accessions in terms of essential oil components. Water deficit led to a change in the quality and quantity of essential oil, which were not the same in different plants. In some genotypes, the content of some essential oil components in Tarragon had the highest values under severe water deficit stress. Based on the results of drought tolerance indicators and essential oil yield assay, Estahbanat and Hamadan in the first year and Varamin and Kermanshah in the second year were selected as drought-tolerant accessions. Given the wide variety of Tarragon genotypes in response to drought stress in terms of traits studied, these local accessions appear to have good potential to be used as raw materials in breeding programs. So that using them in breeding programs is a proper shortcut to achieve the intended target, especially in screening programs.
... Species: Artemisia dracunculus Plant family: Asteraceae Geographical distribution: Known as tarragon or estragon, Artemisia dracunculus is a species native to E. Europe, Asia, and N. America. It is cultivated in several Mediterranean countries and naturalized in France (Eisenman and Struwe, 2011;Greuter, 2006). ...
... Essential oils: Major essential oil components of tarragon are estragol, elemicin, methyleugenol, and terpinolene (Eisenman and Struwe, 2011;Werker et al., 1994). ...
The Mediterranean region, including 24 countries at the crossroads of Europe, Africa, and Asia, has a strong culinary tradition shaped through the rich Mediterranean biological and cultural diversity. In this chapter, the variety of culinary aromatic herb species used in the region, their geographical distribution, morphology, essential oils, and culinary applications in Mediterranean countries are documented. The most commonly used aromatic herbs in Mediterranean cookery are parsley, mint, laurel, oregano, thyme, rosemary, coriander, dill, basil, tarragon, chives, sage, marjoram, fennel, and chervil, most of them members of the Lamiaceae and Apiaceae families. Mint, sage, pennyroyal, mountain tea, and several oregano and thyme species are popular herbal teas. Mint, basil, lavender, rosemary, and laurel are sometimes used to aromatize sweet-flavored dishes. Historical uses of culinary herbs in the Mediterranean (ancient Egypt, Greece, Rome) are also discussed. Besides their local culinary importance, Mediterranean aromatic herbs are also part of the international herb trade. Several to numerous botanical species with different essential oil characteristics (and thus different aroma, taste, and biological activity) underlie the commercial names oregano, thyme, mountain tea, mint, and sage. It is suggested that herbal products traded under these names are botanically identified and characterized about their main essential oil compounds so that quality standards are kept. Controlling overharvesting and systematizing the cultivation of wild-collected species will help prevent overexploitation of local plant resources.
... French tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a widely known perennial, aromatic subshrub belonging to the Asteraceae plant family. The species is distributed over most of temperate Asia, central and eastern Europe, and over western North America (Eisenman & Struwe, 2011). Its relative, Russian tarragon differs from it in external morphology and also in flavour characteristics. ...
Herbs and spices have a prolonged history of use in culinary purposes, as preservatives and also as pharmaceuticals. Their characteristic flavour and aroma is mainly due to the volatiles accumulated within them. These compounds are very sensitive to different factors (e.g. high temperature, moisture or oxygen), therefore the methods used for preserving herbs and spices can influence not only their healing characteristics but also organoleptic properties and enjoyment value. During the drying process, the temperature of plant parts is increased, which results in the loss of essential oils. Among the artificial drying methods, lyophilization or freeze-drying helps to obtain dried products with good organoleptic properties, as this method uses a low temperature and a shorter processing time. In recent times, lyophilization has become an accepted method for preserving different herbs and spices as it has many advantages compared with other drying and preservation techniques. However, only relatively little and contradictory information is available in relation to the formation of essential oils during freeze-drying. This review aims to summarize the effects of lyophilization on the essential oil content and composition of herbs and spices.
... Artemisia dracunculus (tarragon) is a woody, perennial sub shrub, growing from 40 to 150 cm in height (Obolskiy et al., 2011) (Figure 1). In various traditional medicines, wild tarragon has a long history of economical use (Eisenman and Struwe, 2011). Phytochemical testing of the aerial extract of tarragon supplied essential oils (3.1% v / w), coumarins (> 1% v / w), flavonoids, phenolcarbonic acids and alkamides (Eidi et al., 2016). ...
... The widespread presence of soft cheese with tarragon (but also other aromatic herbs such as parsley and sage) or tarragon-based dishes in southern Germany and France (Fox 1970;Pouriau 1872) suggests this use probably transferred to the linguistic island of Sappada/Plodn from northern Europe. Another hypothesis about saurnschotte origin was proposed in a study that dates back to 1938 but published only in 2005 (Bruniera 2005), in which a "Zaure sotte" is mentioned and defined as "ricotta cheese from Sauris". No trace of saurnshotte has been found in Sauris, the nearby linguistic island, by authors. ...
... No trace of saurnshotte has been found in Sauris, the nearby linguistic island, by authors. Maria Bruniera (2005) accurately debated the linguistic and etymological aspects but strangely identified pèrschtròmm with another Asteraceae species, Anacyclus pyrethrum (L.) Lag. (Roman pellitory or Mount Atlas daisy). ...
Background: tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a perennial herb or subshrub belonging to the Asteraceae family. It is widely used in culinary recipes from several areas of the world for its aromatic properties. This study analyses the traditional use and the cultivation of this crop in the village of Sappada/Plodn, a German linguistic island in northeastern Italy. Here, the species, vernacularly known as pèrschtròmm, is employed to flavour a sour soft cheese, called saurnshotte.
Methods: this paper verifies the taxonomic identity of pèrschtròmm and studies its traditional use in Sappada/Plodn. The gathered information concerned tarragon propagation, cultivation, plant material processing and preparation of saurnshotte. The survey is based on ethnobotanical interviews integrated with literature research.
Results: tarragon is still cultivated by a dozen inhabitants, but its use on domestic scale for cheese production is almost disappeared. Nevertheless, the recent revival of this tradition is bringing the production of saurnshotte from a domestic scale to a commercial one finding a place in the Sappada economy that is mostly touristic based.
Discussion: tarragon is not a common ingredient in northern Italy culinary tradition and It is interesting to note that the cultivation of this crop is limited to Sappada/Plodn, not occurring in neighbouring villages. This fact supports the connection between Sappada/Plodn with Tyrolean and Carinthian regions, where the village inhabitants are supposed to come from.
Conclusions: the survey definitely verified the taxonomic identity of pèrschtròmm with tarragon, sustaining the identification with herbarium vouchers. The current cultivation and processing of tarragon for saurnshotte production is still a cultural heritage of the linguistic island, even if threatened by the low number of depositaries of folk knowledge and the commercialization of new tarragon-based products designed ad hoc for tourists’ consumption.
... The genus Artemisia part of the family Asteraceae (Compositae), consisting over 500 diverse species distributed principally in Europe, Asia and North America [1]. Artemisia dracunculus L. distribution spans over western North America, eastern and central Europe, and most of temperate Asia [2]. Tarragon (A. dracunculus) is a medicinal plant known and used in folk medicine from ancient times with anti-inflammatory, carminative, antiparasitic, digestive, antispasmodic, antiseptic, antipyretic and anthelmintic effects [1][2][3]. ...
... Artemisia dracunculus L. distribution spans over western North America, eastern and central Europe, and most of temperate Asia [2]. Tarragon (A. dracunculus) is a medicinal plant known and used in folk medicine from ancient times with anti-inflammatory, carminative, antiparasitic, digestive, antispasmodic, antiseptic, antipyretic and anthelmintic effects [1][2][3]. Also, tarragon has been used for flavoring foods. His pleasant, spicy aroma of the entire plant and its essential oil, represent the main reasons for the extensive use in the food industry [2,3]. ...
... Also, tarragon has been used for flavoring foods. His pleasant, spicy aroma of the entire plant and its essential oil, represent the main reasons for the extensive use in the food industry [2,3]. ...
Free radical scavenging activity, total phenolic content and the chemical composition of the essential oil isolated by steam distillation from Artemisia dracunculus L. was investigated. The isolation yield was 0.24% (v/w) based on the fresh plant material (leaves). GC-MS investigation identified 21 components, accounting 99.93% of the total amount. The major components were sabinene (42.38%), isoelemicin (12.91%), methyl eugenol (9.09%), elemicin (7.95%) and beta-ocimene (6.46%). The free radical scavenging activity of the essential oil of Artemisia dracunculus L. was evaluated in vitro by the DPPH assay (IC50 = 0.730 ± 0.213 mg/mL), BHA and alpha-tocopherol were used as a positive control. The total phenolic content of the tarragon essential oil was evaluated by the Folin-Ciocalteu method (GAE = 0.451 ± 0.001 mg/g sample). In view of these data, we consider that tarragon essential oil could represent a new antioxidants source as a reliable option to reduce the usage of synthetic additives.
... The widespread presence of soft cheese with tarragon (but also other aromatic herbs such as parsley and sage) or tarragon-based dishes in southern Germany and France (Fox 1970;Pouriau 1872) suggests this use probably transferred to the linguistic island of Sappada/Plodn from northern Europe. Another hypothesis about saurnschotte origin was proposed in a study that dates back to 1938 but published only in 2005 (Bruniera 2005), in which a "Zaure sotte" is mentioned and defined as "ricotta cheese from Sauris". No trace of saurnshotte has been found in Sauris, the nearby linguistic island, by authors. ...
... No trace of saurnshotte has been found in Sauris, the nearby linguistic island, by authors. Maria Bruniera (2005) accurately debated the linguistic and etymological aspects but strangely identified pèrschtròmm with another Asteraceae species, Anacyclus pyrethrum (L.) Lag. (Roman pellitory or Mount Atlas daisy). ...
... It is also cultivated as ornamental plant [3,4]. Artemisia species are distributed in North America even though some species grow in the Southern Hemisphere [5,6]. In traditional medicine, these species are used to prepare homemade remedies with anti-inflammatory, antifungal, and anti-thermic properties and to treat gastrointestinal disorders [7][8][9]. ...
The objective of the present paper was the assessment of the chemical composition of the essential oils from four Asteraceae species with a considerable food, medicinal, and agricultural value, collected in Egypt, together with their in vitro inhibitory activity against molds and yeasts. The essential oil of Launaea cornuta flowers was also evaluated for the first time, but because of its very low yield (<0.01%), no antifungal test was performed.
