Artemisia Absinthium is the botanical and Latin name for the plant Common Wormwood. Artemis is a Goodess of Greece from whose name the word “Artemisia” came. Artemis was not only the goddess of forests, hills and hunt but also a saviour of children. It was thought to be link between Artemis and the moon. The Latin word “Absinthium” was thought to be used for the bitter taste of wormwood.
In the rocky areas and on arid ground of Asia, North Africa and the Mediterranean this Common Wormwood plant is grown. After spreading from people’s gardens it developed in parts of North America. Other names for common wormwood, or Artemisia Absinthium, are armoise, green ginger and grande wormwood.
Due to their silver gray leaves and tiny yellow flowers wormwood plants look preety. One can get Wormwood oil from the tiny glands on the leaves. Tarragon, sagebrush, sweet wormwood, Levant wormwood, silver king artemisia, Roman wormwood and southernwood are also members of the Artemisia group. The Artemisia plants belongs to the Aster plant family.
Wormwood has been used as a herbal medicine for different medical purpose
– The labor pains can be lowered down by it.
– One can check the poisoning from toadstools and hemlock.
– A very good antiseptic.
– One can use it to ease digestive problems and stimulate digestion. People lacking sufficient stomach acid can be treated with wormwood.
– It is also being used as a cardiac stimulant in pharmaceuticals.
– One can use it in reducing fevers.
– To discharge intestinal worms it can act as an anthelmintic.
– People used it as a tonic.
There is research claiming that wormwood may be effective in treating Alzheimer’s disease and Crohn’s disease.
Effects of Artemisia Absinthium
Wormwood is a key ingredient in the liquor Absinthe, the Green Fairy, which was banned in many countries in the early 1900s. Absinthe is named after this herb which also gives the drink its characteristic bitter taste,
Absinthe was banned because of its alleged psychedelic effects. People thought that it was responsible for hallucinations and mental illness. Absinthe was also associated to the Bohemian culture of Parisian Montmartre with its loose morals, courtesans, artists and writers.
The effects of thujone in wormwood and THC in the drug cannabis are said to be the same. The quantity of thujone is so small in Absinthe that one had to drink excess of Absinthe to feel the harmful effects of thujone!
Drinking too much of Absinthe can harm a person as it is twice stronger than whisky and vodka.
An Absinthe without Artemisia Absinthium is not the real Absinthe. A lot of manufacturers make “fake” Absinthes using other herbs and flavorings. If you want the real thing you must check that they contain thujone or Common Wormwood or use essences,such as those from AbsintheKit.Absinthe with Artemisia Absinthium can be prepared by visiting the website AbsintheKit.com.