DESCRIPTION

French tarragon, or true tarragon, is a small perennial indigenous to the
Mediterranean; it is a member of the daisy family. Its history is not as long as
that of many other herbs, and it was not really known in Europe until around the
sixteenth century. Its Latin name means “dragon,” as does its Arabic name,
tarkhum; estragon, its French name, means “little dragon.” Most sources
attribute the origin of the name to a belief that tarragon was an antidote to the
venom of poisonous serpents.