The Herb of the Year

The International Herb Association has picked an entire genus* of herbs this year as the herb of the year! To celebrate, let's talk about Wormwood, a fantastic member of the Artemesia genus.

This silvery green beauty, with its drooping yellow flowers, is bitter! It also has a pungent taste and a dry cold feel in the mouth.  The name, absinthium, means “without sweetness” in Latin, while one legend about the name wormwood is that is comes from the German “Werrnut, or “preserver of the mind”.  The herb, or above ground parts, are harvested when it is in full bloom.

Wormwood is traditionally used to stimulate the liver and gallbladder. For this reason, it has been an ingredient in a number of  bitter digestive tonics.  It also has a history of if use removing some parasites from the body - hence "wormwood".  It can also move the uterus - harshly! That makes it a no no during pregnancy (nursing too, actually).  

Externally it has a history of use in healing insects bites, strain, sore feet, and more.

A major component of Absinthe, the thujone is thought to be addictive and damaging to the nervous system, and the discovery of its presence in the drink Absinthe lead to the ban of the alcoholic beverage Absinthe throughout Europe at around the turn of the eighteenth century to the nineteenth.  Several people are credited with inventing the liquor.  Van Gogh is rumored to have been an addict.  It has been replaced in Absinthe liquor to some degree by the milder Roman Wormwood, Artemesia pontica.

There are many warnings associated with Wormwood, please check with an herbalist or physician trained in the use of this herb before using!

*What's a genus?!?  For an herbal fan, the first thing to know about genus is that is it the first half of the Latin name you usually see in books: Artemesia absinthum and Artemesia dracunculus are both in the same genus (Artemisia), but they are very different plants - Wormwood and Tarragon!  It is a bit like having a last name.  The second half of the Latin name is like the plant's first name.