Artemisia absinthium / Wormwood / Compositae (Sunflower family)

Information

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Contents

Silica, Absinthine, Anabsinthine, Thujone, Tannin, Resin, Starch, Malic acid and Succinic Acid. (1)(2)

Historical

The earliest record of Wormwood is found on an ancient Egyptian papyrus from 1600 B.C. where it was noted to rid the human body of worms. In ancient Greece it was recorded to be used by the physician and botanist Dioscorides for its stimulating effect on the stomach, gallbladder and digestion. (3)
It also seems to have been very commonly known in ancient Rome and was mentioned by the famous playwright Plautus and also the famous poet Ovid. In addition it was mentioned by the poet Lucretius in his great work On the Nature of Things. Knowledge of Wormwood in ancient Rome appears to have been widespread. (5)
The great nineteenth-century German healer and one of the founders of the Naturopathic medicine movement wrote of the herb; "Wormwood ranks among the stomachics…It leads the wind out of the stomach, improves the stomach juices and so affects a good appetitive and good digestion". (3)
Recently studies have confirmed that Artemisia absinthium "contributes to appetite" and "helps support digestion". (6)

Plant Description

Artemisia absinthium is a hardy perennial plant that grows up to 2.5 Feet in height. Its leaves are round to oval, long stalked, around 1.5-4 inches long with a strong distinct acid odor. Its flowers are small, round and yellow. They are in floret form and rest on erect panicles. (4)

Legal Remarks

This product is illegal or somehow problematic to send to the following countries. Click on the country link for further information.

• Australia
• Finland
• Norway

References

(1) Artemisia absinthium, Wikipedia
(2) Wormwoods, A Modern Herbal, M. Grieve
(3) The Book of Herbal Wisdom, Matthew Wood
(4) Rodale's Illustrated Encyclopedia of Herbs, Claire Kowalchik, William H. Hylton, Anna Carr.
(5) The Chemical Muse, D.C.A. Hillman
(6) Document: NL-E4-0-C-REF, Netherlands Ministry of Health, Welfare and Sport

Articles

Any information provided about products on this website, including any links to external websites, is purely intended for historical, scientific and educational purposes and should never be interpreted as a recommendation for a specific use of the products.

Erowid Wormwood Vault