Home Ingredients Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)

Anthriscus cerefolium
Evidence Level
Preliminary
3 Clinical Trials
6 Documented Benefits
1/5 Evidence Score

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium), also called garden chervil or French parsley, is an annual kitchen herb in the carrot and celery family with delicate, finely divided leaves and a mild taste of anise and parsley. The FDA lists chervil among spices and among essential oils and natural extractives generally recognized as safe for their intended use in food. The leaf is rich in polyphenols such as caffeoylquinic acids and apiin, and its small amount of essential oil is often dominated by estragole, a compound the European Medicines Agency treats as a genotoxic carcinogen in rodents. No human trial of chervil was found: its reported antioxidant, antimicrobial and enzyme effects come from extracts tested in the lab. Garden chervil should not be confused with wild chervil (cow parsley), a different species, or with poison hemlock, a deadly look-alike in the same plant family.

Studied Dose No human dose has been tested. Chervil is used as a culinary herb; a tablespoon of the dried herb weighs about 1.9 g and a teaspoon about 0.6 g according to USDA data. Lab studies used water or methanol extracts applied to cells and test-tube assays.
Active Compound Polyphenols, mainly caffeoylquinic acid derivatives (including a malonyl dicaffeoylquinide) and the flavones apiin and luteolin 7-glucoside; a small amount of essential oil rich in estragole (methyl chavicol) and 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene.

Benefits

Culinary herb listed for US food and flavoring use

Federal rules list chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) among spices and other natural seasonings and among essential oils and natural extractives generally recognized as safe for their intended use in food. That status covers seasoning and flavoring amounts, not concentrated extracts or supplement doses taken daily.

Supported by Trial 1, Trial 2

Minerals and vitamins in the dried herb

USDA data for dried chervil list, per 100 g, about 1,346 mg calcium, 32 mg iron, 4,740 mg potassium, 274 mcg folate and 50 mg vitamin C. A tablespoon weighs only about 1.9 g, so a typical seasoning amount supplies roughly 0.6 mg iron and 26 mg calcium. The entry gives no vitamin K value.

Supported by Trial 1

Vitamin C in young chervil microgreens

In a controlled environment growing study of four carrot family microgreens, chervil and dill had similar total vitamin C (about 151 mg per 100 g fresh weight), higher than anise and caraway, and chervil was highest in manganese. Chervil had the lowest total polyphenols of the four. These are young seedlings, not the mature leaf sold as a herb.

Supported by Trial 3, Trial 1

Polyphenols including caffeoylquinic acids and apiin

Garden chervil grown in Norway held about 1,260 mg gallic acid equivalents of phenolics per 100 g dry matter. Its main phenolic was a newly described malonyl dicaffeoylquinide, alongside apiin (a sugar-bound form of apigenin) and luteolin 7-glucoside. A methanol extract in a separate lab analysis contained 72 identified phenolics, led by caffeoylquinic acids.

Supported by Trial 2

Antioxidant activity of chervil extracts in lab tests

Lab work only. Standardized water extracts of chervil herb and root showed hydrogen-donating, metal-binding, reducing, free radical scavenging and membrane protective activity in test-tube assays, and the herb extract outperformed the root extract in every test. Whether eating chervil changes antioxidant status in people has not been studied.

Supported by Trial 1

Microbial, enzyme and cell tests of a chervil extract

Lab work only. A methanol extract of chervil was active against selected bacteria and fungi, inhibited several enzymes in test-tube assays, showed anti-inflammatory activity in a skin cell infection model and showed cytotoxic activity in tumor cell line tests. Extract concentrations in a dish do not show what culinary amounts do in the body.

Supported by Trial 2

Mechanism of action

1

Phenolic compounds as test-tube antioxidants

Chervil's caffeoylquinic acids and flavone glycosides such as apiin are the compounds linked to the radical scavenging and lipid peroxidation results of its extracts. These effects were measured in chemical assays and cell cultures, not in people.

2

Estragole needs liver activation to become reactive

Estragole in chervil oil is thought to cause tumors in rodents after cytochrome P450 enzymes and sulfotransferases convert it into a reactive, genotoxic metabolite. Because of this, the European Medicines Agency advises keeping estragole exposure from herbal medicines as low as practically achievable.

3

Whole-herb matrix and estragole effects in liver cells

In human liver cancer cells, pure methyl chavicol (estragole) raised oxidative stress and altered CYP2E1, iNOS and Mn-SOD, while fresh chervil, tarragon and basil extracts did not. The authors suggest other herb compounds may counteract it. The EMA notes such matrix effects are possible but not yet enough to set a safe threshold.

Clinical trials

1
Lab Study: Antioxidant Activity of Chervil Herb and Root Water Extracts
PubMed

In vitro study of standardized aqueous extracts of chervil herb and root, testing hydrogen-donating, metal binding, reducing, free radical scavenging and membrane protective activity, with apiin as the reference compound. (Fejes et al. 2000, J Ethnopharmacol)

No participants; in vitro assays only.

Both extracts showed antioxidant and anti-lipoperoxidant activity, and the herb extract was more active than the root extract in every test. The study did not test whether eating chervil affects antioxidant status in people.

2
Lab Study: Chervil Methanol Extract in Microbial, Enzyme and Cell Tests
PubMed

Chemical profiling by LC-HRMS/MS of a methanolic extract of Anthriscus cerefolium, with antimicrobial tests (six bacteria, eight fungi), six antioxidant assays, five enzyme inhibition assays, cytotoxicity in keratinocytes and tumor cell lines, a cell model of bacterial inflammation, molecular docking and KEGG pathway analysis. (Stojkovic et al. 2024, Fitoterapia)

No participants; human cell lines (HaCaT, SiHa, MCF7, HepG2) and microbial cultures.

Seventy-two phenolics were identified, led by malonyl-1,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid. The extract showed antimicrobial, antioxidant, enzyme-inhibiting, cytotoxic and anti-inflammatory activity in these lab tests. The authors suggest the compounds deserve further research; no animal or human testing was done.

3
Lab Study: Fresh Chervil, Tarragon and Basil Extracts vs Pure Estragole in Liver Cells
PubMed

Cell study comparing pure methylchavicol (estragole) with extracts of fresh tarragon, chervil and basil on oxidative stress (luminol-dependent chemiluminescence) and on CYP2E1, iNOS, Cu/Zn-SOD and Mn-SOD expression in the HepG2 human hepatoma cell line. (Bidri et al. 2012, Ann Pharm Fr)

No participants; HepG2 human liver cancer cells grown in culture.

Pure methylchavicol significantly raised oxidative stress and markedly altered CYP2E1, iNOS and Mn-SOD expression. Under similar conditions the tarragon, chervil and basil extracts did not cause these changes. This is a single cell-line study and does not establish that estragole in chervil is harmless in people.

Side effects and drug interactions

Common Potential side effects

Chervil is generally recognized as safe as a seasoning and flavoring in food. No human study has tested chervil extracts or capsules, so the safety of concentrated products is unknown.
Estragole: chervil essential oil can be rich in estragole (up to 95% in fruit oil from one wild Vienna site), and an EMA table lists garden chervil at up to 0.8% estragole in the plant part used. The EMA treats estragole as a genotoxic carcinogen in rodents, says exposure from herbal medicines should be kept as low as practically achievable, and limits such use to 14 days. At that table maximum, 1 g of herb could hold up to about 8 mg, far above the EMA guidance value of 0.05 mg per person a day, which the EMA uses for adults and as the limit in pregnancy and breastfeeding.
Pregnancy, breastfeeding and children: no safety data exist for chervil products. The EMA does not recommend estragole-containing herbal medicines when intake exceeds 0.05 mg a day in pregnancy or breastfeeding, or 1.0 microgram per kg of body weight a day in children up to 11. Ordinary kitchen amounts are a different situation from extracts.
Do not forage for chervil-like plants. Misidentification within the carrot family is common: poison hemlock (Conium maculatum) closely resembles wild carrot and cow parsley, and it is also mistaken for parsley. All parts of hemlock contain toxic alkaloids such as coniine, recent human deaths have come from mistaking it for edible carrot family plants, and poisoning can stop breathing. Buy cultivated chervil.
Wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris, cow parsley) is a separate species from garden chervil; it contains deoxypodophyllotoxin, a lignan studied as a starting material for anticancer drugs, and research on it does not apply to garden chervil.

Important Drug interactions

No human interaction studies of chervil were found, and no interactions are documented for culinary amounts.

Explore Other Ingredients

Bone Health
Collagen
Collagen is the main structural protein of skin, bone, cartilage, tendons and ligaments. S…
Hair, Skin & Nails
Hyaluronic Acid
Hyaluronic acid is a naturally occurring substance in the body, primarily found in connect…
Hair, Skin & Nails
Astaxanthin
Astaxanthin is a red-orange carotenoid antioxidant. It is naturally produced by the microa…

Frequently asked questions about Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium)

How is chervil different from parsley, cow parsley and poison hemlock?

Garden chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) is a cultivated kitchen herb with fine, lacy leaves and a mild anise-like taste. Parsley is a different plant. Cow parsley, also called wild chervil (Anthriscus sylvestris), is a separate wild species. Poison hemlock belongs to the same plant family and resembles wild carrot, cow parsley and parsley; it has purple-blotched stems and a foul smell when crushed, and it can be deadly. Buy chervil rather than foraging for it.

Does chervil contain estragole?

Yes. Chervil essential oil is often dominated by estragole (methyl chavicol), and an EMA table lists up to 0.8% estragole in the plant part used. The EMA treats estragole as a genotoxic carcinogen in rodents and advises keeping exposure from herbal medicines as low as practical. In one cell study, chervil extract did not show the effects of pure estragole.

Has chervil been tested in human studies?

No human trial of chervil was found in PubMed or ClinicalTrials.gov. Its reported antioxidant, antimicrobial and enzyme effects come from extracts tested in test tubes and cell cultures. Chervil is used as a seasoning, and its nutrient contribution depends on the small amounts used in cooking.

Is chervil the same as sweet chervil or wild chervil?

No. Sweet chervil (Myrrhis odorata), and wild chervil or cow parsley (Anthriscus sylvestris) are different plants. Wild chervil contains deoxypodophyllotoxin, a lignan studied as a starting material for anticancer drugs, so research on it should not be credited to garden chervil.

What is Chervil?

Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium), also called garden chervil or French parsley, is an annual kitchen herb in the carrot and celery family with delicate, finely divided leaves and a mild taste of anise and parsley.

What is Chervil used for?

NutraSmarts does not list Chervil under a health category. What the research covers: Federal rules list chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium) among spices and other natural seasonings and among essential oils and natural extractives generally recognized as safe for their intended use in food.

What is the recommended dosage of Chervil?

No human dose has been tested. Chervil is used as a culinary herb; a tablespoon of the dried herb weighs about 1.9 g and a teaspoon about 0.6 g according to USDA data. Lab studies used water or methanol extracts applied to cells and test-tube assays. Always follow the product label and check with a healthcare provider for personal advice.

Is Chervil safe, and does it have side effects?

Side effects and cautions reported for Chervil include: Chervil is generally recognized as safe as a seasoning and flavoring in food. No human study has tested chervil extracts or capsules, so the safety of concentrated products is unknown. It may also interact with some medications. Chervil is not right for everyone, so check with a healthcare provider first if you are pregnant or breastfeeding, have a medical condition, or take prescription medication.

Does Chervil interact with any medications?

Possible interactions include: No human interaction studies of chervil were found, and no interactions are documented for culinary amounts. If you take prescription medication, check with a pharmacist or doctor before using it.

How strong is the scientific evidence for Chervil?

NutraSmarts rates the evidence for Chervil as Preliminary (1 out of 5). It is backed by 3 study summaries and 14 cited references summarized on this page. A higher rating reflects more, larger, and better-designed human studies.

References(14 citations)

Evidence ratings on NutraSmarts are based on the totality of human clinical research, with emphasis on randomized controlled trials, meta-analyses, and systematic reviews. The references below directly support claims made throughout this page.

  1. Fejes S, Blázovics A, Lugasi A, Lemberkovics E, Petri G, Kéry A. In vitro antioxidant activity of Anthriscus cerefolium L. (Hoffm.) extracts. J Ethnopharmacol. 2000;69(3):259-65. doi: 10.1016/s0378-8741(99)00171-3.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study: standardized water extracts of chervil herb and root showed hydrogen-donating, metal binding, reducing, free radical scavenging and membrane protective activity in vitro, with the herb extract more active than the root extract in all tests. No human or animal data.
  2. Stojković D, Gašić U, Uba AI, Zengin G, Rajaković M, Stevanović M, Drakulić D. Chemical profiling of Anthriscus cerefolium (L.) Hoffm., biological potential of the herbal extract, molecular modeling and KEGG pathway analysis. Fitoterapia. 2024;177:106115. doi: 10.1016/j.fitote.2024.106115.PubMedUsed to support: Lab study: a methanolic chervil extract contained 72 identified phenolics, dominated by malonyl-1,4-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid and 3,5-O-dicaffeoylquinic acid, and showed antimicrobial (six bacteria, eight fungi), antioxidant, enzyme-inhibiting, cytotoxic (tumor cell lines) and anti-inflammatory (HaCaT cell model) activity, plus docking and pathway predictions. No human or animal testing.
  3. Bidri M, Conti M, Franetich JF, Tefit M, Mazier D, Arock M, Vouldoukis I. Fresh aromatic herbs containing methylchavicol did not exhibit the pro-oxidative effects of pure methylchavicol on a human hepatoma cell line, HepG2. Ann Pharm Fr. 2012;70(5):256-63. doi: 10.1016/j.pharma.2012.06.005.PubMedUsed to support: Cell study in HepG2 human hepatoma cells: pure methylchavicol (estragole) induced oxidative stress and altered CYP2E1, iNOS and Mn-SOD expression, while extracts of fresh tarragon, chervil and basil did not; the authors note estragole's rodent carcinogenicity may involve bioactivation by cytochrome P450 enzymes and sulfotransferases to a genotoxic metabolite, and suggest the herbs may contain counteracting compounds.
  4. Chizzola R. Composition of the essential oils from Anthriscus cerefolium var. trichocarpa and A. caucalis growing wild in the urban area of Vienna (Austria). Nat Prod Commun. 2011;6(8):1147-50.PubMedUsed to support: Essential oil analysis of Anthriscus cerefolium var. trichocarpa growing wild in Vienna: the oils were dominated by estragole (methylchavicol) and 1-allyl-2,4-dimethoxybenzene in varying proportions; young flowering plants had more estragole, and fruit oil from one location reached 95% estragole.
  5. Slimestad R, Rathe BA, Aesoy R, Diaz AEC, Herfindal L, Fossen T. A novel bicyclic lactone and other polyphenols from the commercially important vegetable Anthriscus cerefolium. Sci Rep. 2022;12(1):7805. doi: 10.1038/s41598-022-11923-0.PubMedUsed to support: Composition study of fresh cut garden chervil from a farm in southwestern Norway (the herb is widely used in Norwegian large-scale commercial kitchens): about 1,260 mg gallic acid equivalents of phenolics per 100 g dry matter; the main phenolic was the newly described 1,3-dicaffeoyl-5-malonyl-delta-quinide, with apiin, a malonyl apiin and luteolin 7-glucoside also identified; the main compound showed moderate cytotoxicity to leukemia and rat kidney cells only at high concentrations (EC50 400 to 600 micromolar).
  6. Giordano M, Petropoulos SA, Kyriacou MC, Graziani G, Zarrelli A, Rouphael Y, El-Nakhel C. Nutritive and Phytochemical Composition of Aromatic Microgreen Herbs and Spices Belonging to the Apiaceae Family. Plants (Basel). 2022;11(22):3057. doi: 10.3390/plants11223057.PubMedUsed to support: Controlled environment study of anise, chervil, caraway and dill microgreens: chervil and dill had the highest total ascorbic acid (about 151 mg per 100 g fresh weight in the results text; the abstract prints the unit as per gram), chervil had the highest manganese and ferulic acid and the lowest total polyphenols, and caraway and dill showed the highest antioxidant activity.
  7. Olaru OT, Niţulescu GM, Orțan A, Dinu-Pîrvu CE. Ethnomedicinal, Phytochemical and Pharmacological Profile of Anthriscus sylvestris as an Alternative Source for Anticancer Lignans. Molecules. 2015;20(8):15003-22. doi: 10.3390/molecules200815003.PubMedUsed to support: Review of Anthriscus sylvestris: known as wild chervil or cow parsley, a wild plant of hedgerows and road verges with 2n = 16 chromosomes; its key constituent deoxypodophyllotoxin has antiproliferative effects and is a precursor for semisynthetic cytostatic drugs; traditional European use of the plant is described as more the result of confusion with other Apiaceae species than of ethnobotanical knowledge.
  8. Şahin EA, Seida I, Balcioglu ZB. Conium Maculatum, one plant, four presentations: A case series. Am J Emerg Med. 2026;103:26-29. doi: 10.1016/j.ajem.2026.01.037.PubMedUsed to support: Case series (not a trial) of four people with Conium maculatum (poison hemlock) poisoning, reported by an emergency department in Istanbul: the plant strikingly resembles edible species such as parsley and wild carrot, and its piperidine alkaloids cause early nicotinic overstimulation that can progress to fatal respiratory depression, with presentations including cardiac arrest and rash.
  9. European Medicines Agency, Committee on Herbal Medicinal Products (HMPC). Public statement on the use of herbal medicinal products containing estragole (EMA/HMPC/137212/2005 Rev 1 Corr 1), Final. European Medicines Agency. 2023;Revision 1 adopted 22 September 2021; corrected 12 May 2023..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed (official EU public statement, read in full). Table 1, a food-sector compilation partly based on older publications, lists (garden) chervil, Anthriscus cerefolium ssp. cerefolium, at 0.9% essential oil in the fruit, up to 85% of it estragole, and a maximum of 0.8% estragole in the plant part used. Because of evidence of genotoxic carcinogenicity, estragole exposure should be kept as low as practically achievable, with herbal medicine use limited to 14 days; guidance values are 0.05 mg a day in pregnancy and breastfeeding and 1.0 microgram per kg body weight for children up to 11. It notes that European bodies advised limiting estragole-containing herbs beyond occasional kitchen use. The same table lists Myrrhis odorata as sweet chervil, a different plant.
  10. U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026). 21 CFR 182.10 Spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings eCFR, Title 21, Part 182. 2026;Version of 2026-10-21 read via the eCFR API (not PubMed-indexed)..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed: federal regulation (read via the eCFR API). Lists Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium (L.) Hoffm.) among spices and other natural seasonings and flavorings generally recognized as safe for their intended use.
  11. U.S. Food and Drug Administration; Electronic Code of Federal Regulations (accessed 2026). 21 CFR 182.20 Essential oils, oleoresins (solvent-free), and natural extractives (including distillates) eCFR, Title 21, Part 182. 2026;Version of 2026-10-21 read via the eCFR API (not PubMed-indexed)..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed: federal regulation (read via the eCFR API). Lists Chervil (Anthriscus cerefolium (L.) Hoffm.) among essential oils, oleoresins and natural extractives generally recognized as safe for their intended use in food. GRAS status covers food and flavor use, not supplement doses.
  12. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Agricultural Research Service. Spices, chervil, dried (FDC ID 171318). FoodData Central, SR Legacy. 2019;Published April 1, 2019. Accessed 2026..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed (USDA food composition database). Per 100 g of dried chervil: 237 kcal, 23.2 g protein, 11.3 g fiber, 1,346 mg calcium, 31.95 mg iron, 130 mg magnesium, 4,740 mg potassium, 2.1 mg manganese, 50 mg vitamin C, 274 mcg folate and 293 mcg vitamin A (RAE); no vitamin K value is listed; a tablespoon weighs 1.9 g and a teaspoon 0.6 g.
  13. Parr K. This foul-smelling plant is so deadly it was used to execute condemned prisoners in ancient Greece, and it's found all across the world, including UK. Countryfile Magazine. 2026;Published September 8, 2026. Accessed 2026..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed (UK magazine article by a writer and amateur naturalist, read online; kept as a magazine source because no poison center, extension or peer-reviewed source naming cow parsley confusion was found). Hemlock could very easily be mistaken for wild carrot and cow parsley, and the two overlap in flower in early summer; hemlock has purple blotches on the stem, slightly glossy leaves and a foul odor when crushed; all parts contain coniine, as little as 150 mg of which can be fatal if eaten; cow parsley is edible, hemlock is poisonous.
  14. Pokorny M, Davis S, Mangold J. Poison Hemlock (Conium maculatum). MontGuide MT200013AG. Montana State University Extension. 2018;Revised January 2018. Accessed 2026..SourceUsed to support: Not PubMed-indexed (university extension guide, read in full). The most recent human deaths from poison hemlock resulted from mistaking it for edible species of the carrot family; misidentification with other carrot family members is common, including wild carrot (Queen Anne's lace) and cow parsnip; the lower stems are mottled with purple spots; all parts of the plant are extremely poisonous, with coniine and gamma-coniceine as the principal toxins, and poisoned animals die of respiratory paralysis.