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Tanacetum balsamita

Common name:	Alecost	Family:	Compositae
Author:	L.	Botanical references:	200
Synonyms:	Chrysanthemum balsamita (L.), Balsamita major ((L.)Desf.)
Known Hazards:	None known
Range:	Europe to W. Asia.
Habitat:	An introduced weed of roadsides in eastern N. America[43].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	3	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	2

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	Balsamita major var. tanacetoides[B,P] Balsamita mas[H] Chrysanthemum balsamita var. tanacetoides[B,P] Chrysanthemum majus[G,H] Pyrethrum majus[B,G,P] T. balsamita subsp. balsamita[G] T. balsamita subsp. balsamitoides[G] T. balsamitoides[G]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Alecost [H,E], Balsam Herb [H], Balsamita [H], Balsamite [E], Costmarie [H], Costmary [H,B,P,E], Costum [E], Erba Costa [E], Frauenblatt [E], Garten Rainfarn [E], Hierba De Santa Maria [E], Mace [H], Menthe Coq [E], Mintgeranium [H], Tanaceto [E], Tuinbalsem [E],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Britain; Europe; France; Germany; Italy; Netherlands; Portugal; Spain

Physical Characteristics

Perennial growing to 0.9m by 1m . It is hardy to zone 6. It is in flower from September to October. The scented flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Insects. We rate it 3/5 for edibility and 2/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

Condiment; Leaves; Tea.

Leaves - raw or used as a flavouring in soups, beer etc[2, 4, 14, 27, 52, 177, 183]. They can be chopped and added sparingly to salads[183]. They have a very pleasant aroma, but can be overpowering in the food if you are not careful[K]. The leaves were at one time widely used in brewing beer, before being superseded by hops (Humulus lupulus)[238]. The whole leaves can be laid in cake trays to flavour the cake whilst it is baking[183].
The flower petals are used for conserves[183].
A delicious tea is made from the dried leaves[14, 21, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Antiseptic; Astringent; Digestive; Laxative.

Alecost is seldom used in herbal medicine, though it does have a beneficial effect upon the digestive system[268].
The leaves are antiseptic, astringent, digestive and laxative[4, 14, 238]. They have been used internally as an aperient in the treatment of dysentery, and as a remedy for liver and gall bladder complaints[238]. Externally, they have been used as a salve to treat burns and insect stings[238, 268]. They are considered to be virtually obsolete in modern herbalism[4, 238].

Other Uses

Insecticide; Pot-pourri; Strewing.

The plant was traditionally used for its insecticidal properties[200].
The dried leaves retain their fragrance well and so are used in pot-pourri[4, 238], they are also used as a strewing herb[200].

Cultivation details

An easily grown plant, it prefers a sunny warm position[52] in a dry soil[14, 37] but thrives under most conditions[4]. Tolerates a pH in the range 5.0 to 7.6.
The leaves emit a soft balsamic odour[4]. The sub-species T. balsamita tomentosum is called the camphor plant because of its camphor-scented foliage[238].
Plants produces lot of leaves but no flowers when grown in the shade[4], though this is an advantage when the plant is being grown for its useful leaves[200].
Alecost used to be commonly grown in the herb garden but it has fallen out of favour in recent times[4].

Propagation

The seed is seldom produced in Britain[4]. If seed is obtained it would probably be best sown in a cold frame in early spring. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and grow them on in the greenhouse for their first winter. Plant them out into their permanent positions in late spring or early summer, after the last expected frosts.
Division in spring or autumn[4]. Very easy, it can be done successfully at almost any time of the year. Larger divisions can be planted out direct into their permanent positions. We have found that it is best to pot up smaller divisions and grow them on in light shade in a greenhouse or cold frame until they are growing away well. Plant them out in the summer or the following spring.
Basal cuttings in late spring[K]. Harvest the shoots with plenty of underground stem when they are about 8 - 10cm above the ground. Pot them up into individual pots and keep them in light shade in a cold frame or greenhouse until they are rooting well. Plant them out in the summer.

Scent

Leaves: Crushed: The leaves emit a soft balsamic odour. The sub-species T. balsamita tomentosum is called the camphor plant because of its camphor-scented foliage.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

References for Balsamita major (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[B] Data (Latin & Common names, other references) from the BONAP's Synonymized Checklist of the Vascular Flora of the United States, Puerto Rico, and the Virgin Islands.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.

References for Chrysanthemum balsamita (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[W] Photos (common names, range) from the University of Washington Medicinal Herb Garden.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.

References for Chrysanthemum majus (a possible synonym).

[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database

References for Tanacetum balsamita subsp. balsamita (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

References for Tanacetum balsamita subsp. balsamitoides (a possible synonym).

[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[43] Fernald. M. L. Gray's Manual of Botany. American Book Co. 1950
A bit dated but good and concise flora of the eastern part of N. America.

[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

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Bibliography

Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
WEB search engine by Rich Morris - Home Page- Contact Info
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