Habitat: Waste ground. Features ? Stem two feet high, whitish, silky hairs. Leaves downy, three inches long by one and a half inches broad, pinnatifid, stalked, lobes linear, obtuse. Flowers (August) pale yellow with greenish tint, small, globular, clustered in erect, leafy panicle. Part used ? Herb.
Action: Tonic, stomachic, anthelmintic. Infusion of 1 ounce to 1 pint of boiling water, taken in wineglass doses for poor digestion and debility. A reliable remedy for worms.
FAMILY: Asteraceae (Compositae)
SYNONYMS: Common wormwood, green ginger, armoise, absinthium (oil).
GENERAL DESCRIPTION: A perennial herb up to 1.5 metres high with a whitish stem, silvery-green, divided leaves covered in silky fine hairs, and pale yellow flowers.
DISTRIBUTION: Native to Europe, North Africa and western Asia; naturalized in North America. It is extensively cultivated in central and southern Europe, the USSR, North Africa and the USA, where the oil is mainly produced.
OTHER SPECIES: There are many other Artemisia species such as davana and the Roman wormwood. See also entry on mugwort (A. vulgaris) also commonly called ‘armoise’; remedy for epilepsy and as an aromatic stewing herb to banish fleas.
HERBAL/FOLK TRADITION: Used as an aromatic-bitter for anorexia, as a digestive tonic and as a choleretic for liver and gall bladder disorders, usually in the form of a dilute extract. It is also used to promote menstruation, reduce fever and expel worms. It was once used as a remedy for epilepsy and as an aromatic stewing herb to banish fleas.
ACTIONS: Anthelmintic, choleretic, deodorant, emmenagogue, febrifuge, insect repellent, narcotic, stimulant (digestive), tonic, vermifuge.
EXTRACTION: Essential oil by steam distillation from the leaves and flowering tops. (An absolute is occasionally produced by solvent extraction.)
CHARACTERISTICS: A dark green or bluish oil with a spicy, warm, bitter-green odour and a sharp, fresh topnote. The ‘de-thujonized’ oil blends well with oakmoss, jasmine, neroli, lavender and hyacinth.
PRINCIPAL CONSTITUENTS: Thujone (up to 71 per cent), azulenes, terpenes.
SAFETY DATA: Toxic. Abortifacient. Habitual use can cause restlessness, nightmares, convulsions, vomiting and, in extreme cases, brain damage. In 1915 the French banned the production of the drink Absinthe with this plant, due to its narcotic and habit-forming properties.
AROMATHERAPY/HOME: USE None. ‘Should not be used in therapy either internally or externally.’.
OTHER USES: Occasionally used in rubefacient pharmaceutical preparations and as a fragrance component in toiletries, cosmetics and perfumes. Widely employed (at minute levels) as a flavouring agent in alcoholic bitters and vermouths; also to a lesser extent in soft drinks and some foods, especially confectionery and desserts.