Description

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a silvery-green perennial herb growing up to 1.5 meters tall. Wormwood belongs to the genus 'Artemisia' of which there are 180 species. Artemisia Absinthium is know as the 'common wormwood' or 'green ginger' and grows in europe, Siberia and is naturalised in the United states of America. In britain it appears to be truley indiginous near the coast.

Wormwood was used to repel fleas and moths, and in brewing (wormwood beer, wormwood wine). The aperitif vermouth (derived from the German word Wermut, "wormwood") is a wine flavored with aromatic herbs, but originally with wormwood. Wormwoods most famous application was for the drink 'Absinth'. It has also been used medicinally as a tonic, stomachic, febrifuge and anthelmintic.

CONSTITUENTS

The main constituent is a volatile oil normally dark green or sometimes blue in colour. The oil contains thujone (absinthol or tenacetone), thujyl alcohol (both free and combined with acetic, isovalerianic, succine and malic acids), cadinene, phellandrene and pinene. The herb also contains the bitter glucoside absinthin, absinthic acid, together with tannin, resin, starch, nitrate of potash and other salts.

HISTORY

Below is mention of wormwood in historical accounts:

The Common Wormwood held a high reputation in medicine among the Ancients. Tusser (1577), in July's Husbandry, says:

'While Wormwood hath seed get a handful or twaine To save against March, to make flea to refraine: Where chamber is sweeped and Wormwood is strowne, What saver is better (if physick be true) For places infected than Wormwood and Rue? It is a comfort for hart and the braine And therefore to have it it is not in vaine.'

An Old Love Charm 'On St. Luke's Day, take marigold flowers, a sprig of marjoram, thyme, and a little Wormwood; dry them before a fire, rub them to powder; then sift it through a fine piece of lawn, and simmer it over a slow fire, adding a small quantity of virgin honey, and vinegar. Anoint yourself with this when you go to bed, saying the following lines three times, and you will dream of your partner "that is to be": "St. Luke, St. Luke, be kind to me, In dreams let me my true-love see." '

References

Botanical.com
Erowid.org
Wikipedia