Chinese Wormwood

This is a genus of about 300 species of annuals, biennial, perennials, or subshrubs that grow wild in northen temperate regions, western S America, and S Africa. Many artemisias are grown as ornamentals for their finely cut, aromatic, often silver foliage, which makes excellent background material for arrangements and posies. They are easily cultivated, even on poor, dry soils. Several are attractive border plants, especially for white gardens. Artemisia arbrotanum, A. absinthium 'Lambrook Silver', and A. arborescens may be grown as informal hedges. Artemisia annua is a large but neat plant with handsome, fragrant foliage, useful for filling gaps in the back of a border or providing contrast to smaller, more colorful plants. Used as an anti-malarial for 2,000 years in the East, its active ingredient, artemisinin (qinghaosu) was isolated in 1972. Synthetics derived from A. annua are now the most promising anti-malarials for drug-resistant strains of the disease. Populations of A. annua in Vietnam have the highest concentration of artemisinin.Various artemisias are used medicinally and include some of the most bitter herbs known. Southernwood (A. abrotanum) has been cultivated since antiquity to repel insects and contagion. It was popular in nosegays (posies carried to ward off infection and unpleasant smells); until the 19th century, a bunch of southernwood and rue was placed in court to protect against the spread of jail fever from the prisoner. Another traditional use was as a cure for baldness: "The ashes [of southernwood] mingled with old salad oil helps those that have their hair fallen and are bald, causing the hair to grow again, either on the head or the beard" (Culpeper, The English Physician Enlarged, 1653). Wormwood (A. absinthium) has been a household remedy since Biblical times, its bitterness becoming a metaphor for the consequences of sin: "For the lips of a strange woman drop as an honeycomb, And her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood" (Proverbs 5:3-4). The word absinthium means "without sweetness", and refers to the intensely bitter taste. Essential oil of wormwood was an ingredient in absinthe, an alcoholic aperitif first made by Henri Pernod in 1797. Consumption of absinthe became a serious problem in the 19th century, both in Europe and the USA. The use of wormwood oil as a flavoring was banned in various countries, beginning in 1908 with Switzerland, after the discovery that the thujone content is addictive, and in excess causes hallucinations and damage to the central nervous system. Ironically, the common name "wormwood" comes from the German Wermut, "preserver of the mind", as the herb was thought to enhance mental functions. Today's successors to absinthe-anisette and vermouth- do not contain thujone, although absinthe liqueurs are enjoying a revival in France, Italy and Spain. Tarragon (A. dracunculus) used to be known as dragon herb, a cure for poisonous stings and bites, hence the species name. Russian tarragon (A dracunculus subsp. dracuculoides is similar in appearance but hardier, with a pungent, less pleasant flavor. Mugwort (A. vulgaris) was important in Druidic and Anglo-Saxon times, being one of the nine herbs used to repel evil and poisons. The common name is from the Anglo-Saxon mucgwrt, "midge plant", because of its use in repelling insects. It was known as the "Mother of Herbs" and was associated with witchcraft (old goddess religions) and fertility rites. On the Isle of Man mugwort is worn on the national day, July 5 (midsummer day in the Old Calendar), and is known as "Bollan bane". The herb is mentioned frequently in the first-century CE Greek and Roman writings and appears in Chinese medical literature dating back to c.CE500. It was reputedly planted beside roads by the Romans for soldiers to put in their sandals on long marches. Both the plant and it reputation for soothing sore feet persisted: "if a footman take mugwort and put it into his shoes in the morning he may goe forty miles before noon and not be weary…" (William Coles, The Art of Simpling, 1656). Other wormwoods with medicinal and culinary uses include: A. afra, used in southern Africa for digestive and menstrual problems, and feverish illnesses; A. anomala, used externally in China for burns and inflamed skin; A. apiacea, a fragrant biennial Asian species, used to lower fever, control bleeding, and improve appetite; A. asiatica, used to flavor and color Japanese glutinous rice dumplings (yomogi-mochi); A. cina (Levant wormseed, santonica), one of the oldest and most reliable, though extremely toxic anthelmintics, especially for roundworms in children; A. frigida, used by the Hopi trib in N America to flavor corn; A. genipi (spiked wormwood), an Alpine species used to flavor eau d'absinthe; A. glacialis, for the SW Alps, used to flavor liqueurs and vermouth; A. judaica (semen contra, graines à vers), a Middle Eastern condiment and flavoring for liqueurs; A. pallens (davana), a fragrant Asian species, used in perfumery, food flavoring and ritual; A. princeps (Japanese mugwort, yomogi), an important flavoring herb in Japanese and Korean cuisines; and A. tilesii, an Arctic species with properties similar to codeine, used by Eskimos.

Named for the Greek goddess Artemis, Artemisia is a genus containing about 300 species, although few are grown in gardens, a number of species inhibit other plants, sometimes to the point of death.

Tufted, mat-forming, evergreen or semi-evergreen shrublet, with silky, finely cut, fern-like, silver-green leaves. Loose panicles of tiny, globose, yellow flowers appear in summer.

Artemisia, known in literature as wormwood, is a bushy perennial that grows from two to four feet (60 to 120 cm) high. It bears tiny yellow-green flowers from July to October. It is native to Japan, Taiwan, and Northern China.
Herbalists use broken pieces taken from the top of the soft aromatic plant. Unfortunately, a misunderstanding about wormwood's chemical properties have led some to condemn artemisia as a dangerous drug.


Common Name:
Chinese Wormwood
Botanical Name:
Artemisia capillaris
Genus:
Artemisia
Family:
Asteraceae
Native Location:
Japan, Taiwan, Northern China
Cultivation:
Well-drained, neutral to slightly alkaline soil in sun. Artemisia absinthium, A. a. 'Lambrook Silver', and A. lucoviciana tolerate drought. A. capillaris thrives in moist soil and tolerates light shade. Hardiness varies with species; cover marginally hardy plants with loose straw or overwinter plants under cover. In spring, cut back shrubby species near ground level, or remove dead stems and trim to shape. Rust may attack foliage.
Position:
Most species prefer rull sun, good drainage and almost neutral soil, (although mugwort tolerates partial shade). As it is strongly insecticidal, use it as a companion plant in the edge of gardens.
Propagation:
By seed sown in spring (annuals, perennials, and A. d. subsp. dracunculoides); by semi-ripe cuttings with a heel in summer (shrubby species); by division in autumn or spring (perennials).
Propagate all perennial artemisias by semi-hardwood cuttings taken from midsummer to autumn, or raise from seed. Propagate rhizomatous species by root division in autumn. Directly sow the annual species A. annua into the garden in spring, or raise as seedlings and transplant at 6 weeks.
Maintenance:
Lightly prune and shape perennial bushy artemisias in spring. Prune southernwood heavily in spring. Artemisias are drought-tolerant group once they are established, and perennial forms have good frost tolerance.
Pests and Diseases:
Wormwoods are rarely troubled by pests and diseases.
Harvest:
By seed sown in spring (annuals, perennials, and A. d. subsp. dracunculoides); by semi-ripe cuttings with a heel in summer (shrubby species); by division in autumn or spring (perennials).
Harvest the leaves as required to use fresh or dried.
Height:
60-120cm (2-4ft)
Width:
15-30cm (6-12in)
Hardiness:
Z4-8
Parts Used:
Leaves
Properties:
An aromatic herb
Misunderstood Artemisia:
Several herb handbooks warn that artemisia may have intoxicating effects similar to those of marijuana. Whether you consider this to be desirable or undesirable, it is simply not true.
This misunderstanding stems from the use of a form of artemisia known as absinthe, a fashionable drink in the nineteenth century. The herb became associated with the death of the American writer Edgar Allan Poe and the suicide of the painter Vincent Van Gogh. It was immortalized in a painting by Edgar Degas, which shows a haunting portrait of two absinthe drinkers, hollow-eyed and oblivious to all but the intoxicating beverage. Of course, the absinthe drinkers in the picture were merely models.
Thujone, the intoxicating chemical in artemisia, and tetra-hydrocannabinol (THC), the active ingredient of marijuana, have similar molecules, and both attach to the same receptor sites in the brain. However, the thujone content of alcoholic beverages containing artemisia is less than one-twentieth of the amount needed for intoxication. Any "high" from artemisia comes from the alcohol in which it is dissolved.
Medicinal Uses:
Anti-microbial and Cholagogue
Evidence of Benefit:
Artemisia has several useful antimicrobial properties. It is also a cholagogue, a substance that stimulates the production of bile. Benefits of artemisia for specific health conditions include the following:
  • Bladder and Parasitic Infections: Artemisia is a powerful parasite exterminator that is compatible with intestinal flora and cleanses the instestines. It treats urinary tract infections caused by Klebsiella bacteria. It is an important treatment for malaria as well. Artemisia contains a chemical, artemisine, that acts against Plasmodium falciparum, which causes a serious form of malaria. Artemisine is one of very few treatments for that illness. Artemisine is also effective against the organsisms that cause river blindness.
  • Constipation and Diarrhea: Artemisia soothes inflamed intestinal tissues, aids digestion, and promotes the circulation of nutrients to the cells, and alleviates abdominal cramping.
  • Hepatitis and Jaundice: Artemisia increases the secretion of bile into the gastrointestinal tract, thus aiding that liver in draining its waste products. Used with gardenia (Gardenia jasminoidis), it has been shown to increase the rate of liver cell regeneration. It works on the liver, stomach, spleen, and gallbladder to clear jaundice and fever, and to treat hepatitis.
Considerations for Use:
Artemisia is used in teas or tinctures. The practitioners of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) who supply artemisia usually refer to this herb and the products made from it as Yen Chen Hao.
Economic Uses:
Leaves are used fresh or dried in herbal posies.
Warning:
Artemisias, and extracts from them, such as cineole and santonin, are subject to legal restrictions in some countries.
Bibliography:
Encylopedia of Herbs by Deni Brown Copyright ©: 1995, 2001 Dorling Kindersley Limited pp 130-132
Prescription for Herbal Healing by Phyllis A. Balch,CNC Copyright©2002 Phyllis A. Balch. Pg. 24