Is Tarragon Acidic or Alkaline?
Tarragon (dried) is strongly alkaline: Negative PRAL: alkalizing after digestion.
Classification
At −64.5, dried tarragon is one of the strongest alkalizing foods of all, because drying concentrates the herb's potassium and calcium into very little mass. In everyday cooking, this matters less. A teaspoon weighs almost nothing, and the effect on your daily balance stays small. As a seasoning for fish, poultry or béarnaise sauce, it's still a flavorful alternative to more salt.
In the Herbs, Spices & Sauces category, tarragon (dried) ranks #2 of 75, sorted from alkaline to acid-forming. More alkaline options include Chervil (−92.5). More acid-forming are Sage (−46.5), Oregano (−44.4), Paprika powder (−36.2).
Acidic or alkaline: PRAL, not pH
On this site, acidic and alkaline refer to the PRAL (potential renal acid load). It estimates what a food leaves behind once it has been digested: a positive value is acid-forming, a negative value is alkalizing. That is different from the pH of the food itself: a lemon tastes sour, yet its PRAL is −4.0, so it is alkalizing. Your diet does not change your blood pH. It does change how much acid your kidneys have to deal with.
Goes well with
Frequently Asked Questions
Is tarragon acidic?
It depends on what you mean by acidic. The pH describes the food itself, for example how sour it tastes. The PRAL describes what it leaves behind after digestion: Tarragon (dried) has a PRAL of −64.5 per 100 g, so it counts as strongly alkaline in your daily acid-base balance.
How much tarragon do I need for a noticeable effect?
A teaspoon (5 g) of tarragon adds −3.2 to your daily balance. For comparison: an egg is around +5.4, a slice of cheese around +6. So one serving of tarragon roughly offsets one of them.
Why is tarragon alkaline even though it is not a typical alkaline food?
The PRAL depends on the minerals left over after digestion, not on taste or pH. Tarragon provides more potassium, magnesium and calcium than phosphorus and protein, so the balance is negative (−64.5).
Tarragon logged, balance checked.
Basentracker adds up every meal automatically and shows whether your day is in the alkaline range. The same values as on this page, all 977 foods, photo scan, recipes.
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Compare all Herbs, Spices & Sauces: Herbs, Spices & Sauces table. Common questions are answered in Acidic or Alkaline?, and the PRAL calculator adds up a whole meal.
Source: Basentracker food database (PRAL according to Remer & Manz, calculated from protein, phosphorus, potassium, magnesium and calcium per 100 g). This information does not replace medical advice.