What is Tanacetum vulgare?

Tansy is a homeopathic remedy. It is made from a yellow-flowered weed called tansy. Homeopaths give it for worms in the gut, belly cramps and period pain.

The remedy is made by mixing plant extract with liquid, then diluting it over and over. At 30C, not one bit of the plant is left. What you take is sugar, water or alcohol.

No trial has shown that it works. In tests, homeopathy does not beat a dummy pill. Long use in the past is not proof that a remedy works.

One warning matters most. The raw plant and its oil are poisons. They can cause fits and can end a pregnancy.

How does Tanacetum vulgare work?

No one has shown how this remedy could work in the body.

Homeopathy uses a rule called "like cures like". Raw tansy can cause fits and gut pain. So a tiny dose is said to ease those same things.

Makers shake the liquid hard at each step. They say this leaves a trace of the plant's action behind. Chemistry and physics give no support for this idea.

At 30C there is nothing of the plant left to act on you. Any change you feel is most likely a placebo effect (you feel better because you expect to).

What forms does Tanacetum vulgare come in?

Most shops sell small sugar pills soaked in the dilution. Drops in water and alcohol are also sold.

Strengths are printed as 6C, 30C or 200C. The bigger the number, the more the plant was diluted. At 6C and above, no plant matter is left.

Mother tincture, 1X, 2X and 3X are different. They are alcohol extracts of the raw plant and can hold thujone. Treat them as the herb itself, not as a homeopathic pill.

Where it comes from:

Tansy has a long record in Europe. Folk healers used it to expel worms and to keep bugs and moths away. Cooks once baked its leaves into Easter cakes.

The remedy entered homeopathy in the 1800s. Followers of Samuel Hahnemann took it and wrote down what they felt.

It has always been a minor remedy. No school of homeopathy treats it as a first choice.

What does Tanacetum vulgare help with?

• Threadworms and roundworms in the gut: This is the oldest use of tansy in Europe. Folk healers gave strong tansy tea to push out worms. That crude use caused poisonings and deaths. The homeopathic remedy carries no plant matter and has not been tested for worms in people. Worms are easy to treat with proven medicine from a pharmacy or doctor. Do not rely on this remedy instead.
• Period cramps: Homeopaths pick tansy for cramping pain with a heavy, dragging feeling. This comes from old provings, not from trials. No human study has tested it for period pain. If your periods are very painful or the pattern changes, see a doctor.
• Belly cramps and colic: Old homeopathic notes list gripping belly pain and wind. That is a symptom picture, not a proven effect. There are no trials in people. Severe or lasting belly pain always needs a proper check, not a home remedy.
• Restless, twitchy or jumpy states: Provings of tansy describe twitching, restlessness and low mood. Homeopaths match those notes to people who feel jumpy and worn out. No trial has tested this. Twitching that will not stop, or any fit, needs medical care the same day.

Which foods are rich in Tanacetum vulgare?

1. Old European Easter cakes and puddings: cooks once added tansy leaves for colour and a bitter taste. This is no longer done, because the leaves hold thujone.

What are the side effects of Tanacetum vulgare?

• No expected physical effect from 30C pills, as they hold no plant matter
• A short flare of your symptoms, which homeopaths call an aggravation
• Sugar load from the pills, which matters if you have diabetes
• Alcohol in liquid drops, which matters if you avoid alcohol
• From raw tansy or its oil: sickness, vomiting and belly pain
• From raw tansy or its oil: fits (seizures)
• From raw tansy or its oil: liver damage and kidney damage
• From raw tansy or its oil: fast or uneven heartbeat
• From tansy oil: miscarriage, coma and death

Good to know:

Side effects from 30C pills are rare and mild, because there is nothing in them to act on you.

The real danger sits in the raw plant, strong tansy tea and tansy essential oil. These have caused fits, organ damage and deaths, mostly when people took them to expel worms or to end a pregnancy.

The other real risk is delay. Using pills instead of proven treatment lets a treatable problem get worse.

How much Tanacetum vulgare should you take?

• Recommended daily: No dose has been set by research, because no trial has tested this remedy in people. Homeopaths most often use 30C pills. A common label direction is 3 to 5 pills, up to three times a day. Follow the label on the pack you hold. Do not take the mother tincture, 1X, 2X or 3X. These can hold real thujone, and thujone can cause fits and organ damage.
• Best time of day: Any time of day. Homeopaths usually say to take it away from strong tastes such as coffee, mint toothpaste or menthol sweets.
• With or without food: Between meals is the usual advice. Let the pills melt under your tongue about 15 to 30 minutes before or after food.
• Time to effect: No reliable time can be given, because no trial has measured an effect. People who report a change usually report it within a few days.
• How long to take it: Keep any trial short. A few days is enough to see if you feel any different. Stop after one week if nothing has changed. Stop at once if any symptom gets worse. Do not use it for weeks on end in place of care for worms, heavy periods or lasting pain.