Part of the plant used for medicinal purposes: common wormwood herb (Absinthii herba)
Other names: mugwort, sagebrush.
Description and harvesting
It is cultivated in gardens, but it also grows naturally on dry rocky slopes and uncultivated ground. The branched plant grows up to 120 cm tall. The basal leaves are long, tripinnate, and lanceolate, while the uppermost leaves are simple. The entire plant is covered with grey trichomes. Flowers have yellow bent-down heads; flowering occurs in July and August. The plant has a distinctive fragrance and a bitter taste. The leaves and flowers are used.
Constituents and medicinal use
Its bitter substances made it an excellent remedy for appetite stimulation. It is invigorating and very beneficial after severe illnesses, surgeries and during pneumonia. It quickly treats any kind of digestive problems and flatulence and is especially recommended for people without gall bladder. It should also be used in case of anxiety and mental exhaustion. It is extremely effective in treating diarrhoea, intestinal cramps, heartburn, jaundice, stomach catarrh and excessive gastric acid. It promotes kidney function, strengthens the liver, lungs, heart, and stomach. It is particularly recommended for women during labour because it stimulates blood circulation, thereby alleviating labour by making contractions stronger and faster. As tea, it works well on worms. As a steam bath, it helps with sharp pain in the ears. Infused in spirit, it can be used as a rub in case of rheumatism and gout. A cloth soaked in such spirit can be put on a child’s stomach to get rid of worms. Boiled in vinegar, it is effective in case of mushroom poisoning; however, always seek medical help in case of mushroom poisoning! Treatment with herbs is merely an addition to medical treatment. The same applies to lead, hemlock, and rotten meat poisoning; in such cases, boil wormwood in wine or water. Wormwood tea should be measured and taken in spoons several times a day because it contains poisonous thujone which causes dizziness and headache. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should not consume it. Due to toxicity, spirits made with wormwood (absinthe) are even prohibited in some countries.
Monk Simon Ašič’s product containing wormwood:
Sources:
1. Domača lekarna patra Simona Ašiča. Priročnik za nabiranje zdravilnih rastlin. Celjska Mohorjeva družba.
2. Domača lekarna patra Simona Ašiča. Recepti. Celjska Mohorjeva družba.
3. Willfort R. Zdravline rastline in njih uporaba. Založba obzorja Maribor.
