Can I eat tarragon while pregnant?
Doola Scan's answer in the United StatesTarragon used as a herb in cooking, fresh or dried, isn't on the pregnancy food lists of the US, UK, Canada, Australia, New Zealand or Ireland, so Doola Scan shows No known issues for it. Wash fresh tarragon first, as you would any raw leaves. Two things made with tarragon follow other advice. Tarragon tea is a herbal tea, which Doola Scan shows as Check in the US, UK, Canada and Australia and Avoid in New Zealand and Ireland. Béarnaise sauce is read as a dish made with raw or lightly cooked egg: Check in the US, UK and Canada, Avoid in Australia, New Zealand and Ireland.
Checked against Doola Scan's pregnancy rules · UpdatedFresh tarragon leaves, in salads, dressings or on top of a dish
No known issuesIn all six countriesTarragon cooked with chicken, fish or eggs
No known issuesIn all six countriesDried tarragon
No known issuesIn all six countriesTarragon vinegar
No known issuesIn all six countries
Tarragon while pregnant: what each country says.
Each country's own pregnancy guidance on tarragon, with a link to it. Doola Scan uses your country's first.
No known issuesNone of the six countries' pregnancy guidance names tarragon.
United States
No known issuesWashing raw vegetables and herbs- FDAAvoid unwashed fresh vegetables, including lettuce and salads.Source
United Kingdom
No known issuesWashing raw vegetables and herbs- NHSSoil on produce can carry bacteria and toxoplasma.Source
Tarragon tea and other herbal teas- NHSLittle research on herbal teas in pregnancy.Source
Canada
No known issuesWashing raw vegetables and herbs- Health CanadaRinse delicate produce under cool running water; scrub firm produce.Source
Tarragon tea and other herbal teas- Health CanadaSome herbal teas (e.g. chamomile) are unsafe; citrus peel, ginger, orange peel, rose hip are safe at 2-3 cups a day.Source
Béarnaise sauce- CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid raw-egg foods (homemade mayonnaise, batter, ice cream) unless made with pasteurized liquid eggs.Source
- CPSAvoid raw egg and egg dishes with runny yolk, such as eggnog.Source
- Health CanadaAvoid foods with raw egg: some dressings, sauces, cookie dough, cake batter, homemade eggnog (unless heated to 71 °C).Source
Australia
No known issuesWashing raw vegetables and herbs- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Wash fruit, vegetables and herbs to remove soil (toxoplasma).Source
Tarragon tea and other herbal teas- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Limit herbal tea to 2 cups a day; check with doctor or pharmacist.Source
Béarnaise sauce- NSW Food AuthorityDo not eat raw egg in food (home-made mayonnaise, aioli, mousse, batter).Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)No homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter; commercial mayo/custard OK.Source
- FSANZSafer alternatives to raw egg dishes: pasteurised eggs, commercial custard and dressings.Source
- Pregnancy, Birth and Baby (Australian Government Dept of Health)Commercially made products with egg (e.g. shop mayonnaise) are fine; not homemade mayonnaise, aioli, mousse or raw cake batter.Source
New Zealand
No known issuesWashing raw vegetables and herbs- Health NZWash and dry all fresh fruit and vegetables well just before eating.Source
Tarragon tea and other herbal teas- Health NZSome herbal teas may be harmful; avoid aloe, buckthorn bark, chamomile, coltsfoot, comfrey, juniper, Labrador tea, lobelia, pennyroyal, sassafras, senna.Source
Ireland
No known issuesWashing raw vegetables and herbs- HSEWash all fruit, vegetables and pre-packed salads before eating.Source
Tarragon tea and other herbal teas- HSEOnly ginger, peppermint, camomile and fruit teas are safe; avoid all other herbal teas and supplements.Source
Before you eat tarragon.
Wash fresh tarragon before you chop it
Rinse the sprigs under running water to remove soil. Australia's Pregnancy, Birth and Baby asks you to wash fruit, vegetables and herbs in pregnancy because soil can carry toxoplasma, and the other five countries ask the same for raw produce. Pregnancy, Birth and Baby
Count tarragon tea as herbal tea
The NHS asks you not to drink more than 4 cups of herbal tea a day, and Pregnancy, Birth and Baby says to limit herbal tea to 2 cups a day. Ireland's HSE lists only ginger, peppermint, camomile and fruit teas for pregnancy, so tarragon tea isn't on its list. NHS
Ask how béarnaise is made
FoodSafety.gov asks for foods made with raw or lightly cooked eggs to use pasteurised eggs, and Ireland's HSE asks you to avoid foods made with raw or under-cooked eggs. Doola Scan reads béarnaise under that advice, so ask the kitchen whether the sauce uses pasteurised eggs. FoodSafety.gov
About tarragon
in pregnancy.
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Point Doola at a plate, a menu or a label. It checks every ingredient against your country's pregnancy guidance and shows its sources. Food scans are free, 3 a day.
Download app nowDoola shows what official guidance says; it never diagnoses. No known issues means none of these countries' pregnancy guidance names it, not a promise that a food is safe.