Introduction to Wormwood:

     Called Absinthium by the Romans for the latin word absinthial meaning "bitter".  The name Wormwood may have come from the Anglo-Saxon word wermode meaning "waremood" or "mind preserver", or the Greek word apsinthion meaning "undrinkable" (because of its bitter taste).
      The Greeks dedicated wormwood to the goddess Artemisia.  They claimed it counteracted the poisons of hemlock, mushrooms, and sea dragons!
      The bitterness is thought to be found in the Bible, Proverbs 5, under A. herba-alba or A. Judaica.
      Hippocrates prescribed it for jaundice, rheumatism, anemia, and menstrual pains.
      Wormwood has been used medicinally to expel intestinal worms for over 3500 years. 
     Absinthium, the plant's specific name, denotes the traditional and most celebrated use of wormwood -- in the potent French drink, Absinthe, reputedly first prepared by witches.
      The plant, via the Old English wermod (spirit mother) and the German wermut, gives its name to vermouth and is still used as a flavoring.

Description:
     Approximately 4 feet in height.  Dark green in color, leaves are covered in silky, grayish hairs and have downy undersides.  Shrub and bushes are very coarse, known to spread and sprawl, and are very aromatic.  The leaves and roots exude a substance that restricts the growth of many neighboring plants.  Known to grow wild on roadsides and waste ground.  Perennial: Grows from  mid-summer to mid-autumn.

Habitat:
     Native to  the Mediterranean and central Europe.  Introduced to North America from Newfoundland, and now naturalized in many parts of the northeastern United States and Canada.

Constituents:
     Rich in essential oils including thujone bitters (absinthum), absinthol, thujyl, bitter sesquiterpene lactones (absinthin, etc), flavonoids, azulenes, and glycosides.

Related Herbs:
      Related to Mugwort (A. vulgaris), Southernwood (A. abrotanum), Tarragon (A. dracunculus) and the sagebrushes of American desert country.  Similar garden attractions are Roman Wormwood (A. pontica) and Old Woman (A. maritima).  A quiterpene lactone in Sweet Wormwood (A. annua) call Quighaaosu has successfully cured thousands of Chinese with malaria.

• Parts used:

Berries, fruits, flowering tops and leaves.

Remedy Use:

• Worm-expelling properties, especially roundworm and threadworm.
• Bitter stomach remedy: 
• stimulates and restores a poor appetite.
• known to help to a wide range of digestive problems.
• clinical studies proved it does effectively increase bile.
• Reputation as a tonic to stimulate and prevent liver and gall bladder problems.
• External compress of the leaves applied to painful rheumatic joints and to stimulate poor circulation.
• Used as a muscle relaxer that is occasionally added to liniments.
• Used as a mild sedative to treat anxieties.
• Known to be used to hasten childbirth and expel afterbirth.

Members of the Bedouin African tribe, who sell wormwood in the Cairo market, place the antiseptic leaves inside their nostrils as a decongestant and drink it for coughs.  The leaves are burned around their newborns to ensure their health. (*Guide to Herbs)

• Insect repellent, especially for moths and fleas.
• Used in potpourri for its aromatic qualities.

Culinary Uses:

• Used in brewing beer before the advent of hops to make the beer more heady and because of its bitter taste.
• Provides the bitter taste for vermouth, Absente, Pastis, and in martinis.
• Flavors the alcoholic drink, Absinthe.
• Used in traditional stuffing mixtures for goose. 

Side Effects:

Known Adverse Effects:

• Depresses the central nervous system.
• Thujone causes mind-altering changes and may lead to psychosis.
• Increases stomach acidity.

• Wormwood can be habit forming, like ethyl alcohol.
• Do NOT take if you are pregnant, think you may be pregnant, or plan pregnancy in the near future.  The dangers  outweigh any benefits.  Don't use.
• Do NOT take if you are breast feeding.  Dangers outweigh any possible benefits.  Don't use.
• Do NOT allow the intake by infants or children.  Children under 2 years of age consuming any herbal preparation is hazardous to their health.  Keep away from children and store in a safe place.

    Absinthe, the alcoholic drink with wormwood, has been banned from most countries due to the alarming amount of adverse effects of this habit-forming drink, including hallucinations and epileptic-like convulsions.

• Large amounts of wormwood can be toxic to people, as well as worms.
• The chemical Thujone (absinthol) that this herb contains, is addictive and can damage the central nervous system.
• The United States FDA classifies the herb as "dangerous".  It is thought to interact with the same brain receptors as does marijuana (cannabis sativa).  Products flavored with wormwood must contain thujone-free extracts.
• Rated slightly dangerous in many countries, particularly dangerous for children, persons over 55 years of age and those who take larger than appropriate quantities for extended periods of time.
• Adverse Reactions, Side Effects or Overdose Symptoms:
  • Can cause insomnia, nightmares, vomiting.
  • Convulsions - Seek emergency treatment immediately.
  • Stupor - Seek emergency treatment immediately.
  • Trembling - Discontinue use and call a doctor when convenient.