Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) – Cut Herb from Hungary

More about Wormwood or Artemisia Absinthium

Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) is one of the ingredients pf the legendary drink Absinthe. It that was the favorite of the likes of Vincent van Gogh. Because of its supposed hallucinating effect it was one of the most popular rinks in the late nineteenth century. We can imagine why Vincent liked it and looking at his paintings one would say it worked.

It has been used in other recipes as a bitter because of its taste. It is considered toxic. The name comes from the Greek goddess Artemis, a goddess of the hunt and protector of the forest and children. Absinthium means the same.

It has been used in Traditional Chinese medicine. Different benefits have been atributed to its use but further studies are needed to prove them. One of the main compounds is thujone which can be toxic. Thujone is thought to excite your brain by blocking gamma aminobutyric acid (GABA), a neurotransmitter that has calming effects on the central nervous system.
Wormwood is thought to be anti inflammatory and anti oxidant. It is mainly sold in tinctures against parasites and although there are some results in animals in humans further testing hasn’t been done so the results are considered mainly anecdotal.

Artemisia Absinthium botanical

Wormwood or Artemisia absinthium belongs to the Compositae (Sunflower family). It 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