I came across another interesting ingredient in my pre workout supplements lately - this time it was Russian Tarragon Extract. Prior to seeing it here, the only place I had ever heard of tarragon was in cooking, so yeah, I was intrigued. The claim on...
I came across another interesting ingredient in my pre workout supplements lately - this time it was Russian Tarragon Extract. Prior to seeing it here, the only place I had ever heard of tarragon was in cooking, so yeah, I was intrigued. The claim on the package was that there was no need for carbs in the supplement since it used RTE - I'm guessing it causes some sort of insulin response - and upon further research, that is indeed the claim.
Tarragon (Artemisia dracunculus L.) is a plant of the Asteraceae family which is called the "King of Herbs" by the French.There are two kinds of tarragon cultivated in herb gardens : The French Tarragon (Native of the Southern Europe & the Mediterranean area) & the Russian Tarragon (Native in Siberia and Western Asia). Russian Tarragon has more medicinal use than culinary. There is another variety of tarragon which is actually a member of the marigold family (Tagetes lucida) commonly called Mexican Marigold or Winter Tarragon.
Russian Tarragon Has The Following Claims:
So does Russian Tarragon Work?
The jury is still out on Russian Tarragon in my opinion. Until the package says "proven" and not "research supported" I would hesitate to spend too much more $$ for something with Russian Tarragon as opposed to consuming a few grams of dextrose - which we know will definitely spike insulin levels - which *should* increase the uptake of your creatine. For now, you have some background and what it is supposed to do. What it won't do is bust your ass for you in the gym - so focus on that and not the next miracle ingredient.
Here is a great post on Bodybuilding.com that goes deeper into the science and chemistry behind Russian Tarragon Extract:
