Flavors/Temps: A. absinthium – Very Bitter, Astringent, Cold, Dry. A. annuae – Very Bitter, Cold.

Caution: The compound thujone can cause convulsions and kidney failure if overdosed.

History/Folklore: Common wormwood (A. absinthium) is famous as an ingredient in the hallucinogenic liqueur absinthe. The liqueur Vermouth is made from Roman Wormwood (A. pontica) which has a very aromatic flavor. The word “Vermouth” is derived from the German Word “wermut” which means wormwood.

The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used a different recipe for making absinthe that was recommended by early physicians as a digestive and liver cleanse. Winners of sporting events in Rome drank a wine containing wormwood to remind them that victory was bitter as well as sweet. The genus name, “Artemisia” is derived from the Greek name for Diana, “Artemis.”

In Biblical days it was considered a symbol of pending calamity and sorrow.

“Bitter as wormwood” is an old saying that derives from the plant’s very bitter taste.

Roman wormwood (A. pontica) is the most delicate and least powerful of all the wormwoods. Culpepper considered this varietal “excellent for strengthening the stomach” and good for treating gout.

Sea wormwood (A. maritima) is said to be particularly useful for increasing the appetite. Only the fresh flowery tops and young shoots are recommended, the older leaves and stalks are said to be useless. It is not as strong as the Roman, Common or Chinese Qing Hao varieties of wormwood.

Qing Hao (A. annuae), is named after the plant’s dark green leaves and its tall stalks. It is a common weed in Southern China. It has a sweet aroma that gives the plant its common western name of “sweet wormwood” and it has also been used to kill lice, brighten the eyes, and heal itchy scabs and oozing sores as well as ease what the Chinese call “heat lodged in the joints.”

One of the largest research efforts for any Chinese herb was taken to study the powerful antimalarial effects of Qing Hao (Artemisia annuae) by Professor Yu Youyou in Beijing. The study isolated a new type of sesquiterpene lactone that resolved the problem of drug-resistant malarial strains. The compound was later named artemisinin and is found in the plant’s leaves. It is at its highest levels when the plant is in flower. This compound has also been found to be excellent for treating certain parasitic diseases (schistosomiasis and clonorchiasis) commonly encountered in China and Africa.

The oil produced after the artemisinin has been removed, called huang hua oil (yellow flower oil) has been shown to have strong antifungal capabilities for treating funguses that attack the skin.

In Mexico, the Great Festival of the Goddess of Salt is celebrated by dancing women who wear garlands on their heads made of wormwood.

The compound thujone, found in wormwood excites the central nervous system and can cause convulsions and other adverse effects if too much is taken.

The plant’s leaves resist putrefaction allowing them to become a principal ingredient in antiseptic formulas.

According to old folklore traditions wormwoods counteracted the effects of poisoning by hemlock and toadstools.

Wormwood is the traditional coloring agent for the green dumplings eaten during the Korean thanksgiving festival called Chuseok.

An old love charm recommends drying marigold flowers, a sprig of marjoram, thyme and a little wormwood before a fire and then rubbing them into a powder and simmered over a slow fire on St. Luke’s Day. Add a small amount of honey and vinegar. Anoint yourself with the blend before you go to bed and repeat “St Luke, St. Luke, be kind to me, in dreams let me my true-love see” three times and you will then dream of the person who will become your true love.

The Chinese herb, Qing Hao, is not recommended for long decocting times as it decreases the herb’s effectiveness.