CALUER OR BALSAMIC PURITY – Tanacetum balsamita L.

The plant was actively cultivated in ancient Greece. In Europe in the Middle Ages kaloufer was mass grown as a medicinal and spicy plant. In the times of Alexei Mikhailovich in Russia kalufer begin to plant on the royal gardens. From Moscow gardens kalufer is brought to the Summer Garden.

In leaves and inflorescences, the content of essential oil reaches 0.8 and 2.1%, respectively. The most popular property of tansy balsamic is the distinct and pleasant scent of its leaves. Not only leaves, but the whole plant as a whole has a strong enough and tart odor. When touched to the velvety surface of the leaves or, even more so when damaged, the fragrance multiplies.

Throughout Europe, Kalufer was very popular as a spicy plant for two thousand years, until the beginning of the XX century. In Russia, the fame of tansy balsamic was more short-lived, but for about two centuries it was grown willingly and abundantly.

In food used aboveground parts: flowers, buds and young leaves. Used as seasoning for sweet dishes and confectionery, is added to homemade kvass. As a spice it is recommended to fish products. In Lithuania and Latvia it is included in the recipes for the preparation of cheese and curd products. Calufer leaves are used both fresh and dried to give flavor to various dishes and drinks, as an additive to salads, like the way they eat coriander or parsnip. Also tansy balsamic is added as one of the components when pickling cucumbers and mushrooms, as well as during the washing of apples. In Germany, kalufer (along with other herbs) has long been added (and added so far) to traditional beers to give it a special spicy taste. Bouquets of equal parts of lavender and kaloufera are believed to repel the moth, but also with prolonged storage give the linen a pleasant fresh smell.

Long ago kaloufer was valued as a medicinal plant. In folk medicine, the aerial part of the plant is recommended in small doses as an analgesic for spasms. Also kalufer is a part of fragrant teas together with oregano, mint and thyme. Collection of grass is carried out during budding.

A separate subject for conversation – the so-called “balsam oil”, which is an olive oil, infused on the leaves of the kanupera. Balsamic tansy, when aged, gave up its fragrance and some antiseptic properties to the oil. Balsamic oil was greased with wounds, bruises and various hematomas, to which the canoe has a particularly effective effect. The indigenous population of the Caucasus widely uses wild balsamic tansy as a traditional medicinal plant. Fresh leaves or powder from them are applied to wounds or make bandages.