ABSINTHE

Family: Asteraceae

Botanical name: Wormwood

Also known as:

Wormwood, Mugwort, Artemisia, Holy Herb, Worm Grass, Common Wormwood, Grand Wormwood

Origin:

Continental regions with temperate climates in Europe, Asia, and North Africa

BOTANY

This type of mugwort is a bushy perennial plant that grows in Europe up to 2000 m (6500 ft) in altitude and can reach up to one meter (3 ft) in height. Its leaves are covered with a fine white down, giving them a cottony appearance.
Flowering occurs from Julyto September. The flowersare yellow, tubular, and clustered in capitula. It belongs to the same family as the dandelion.

Properties and uses:

In infusion, wormwood is traditionally used to aid convalescence after illness and in states of fatigue. It is also useful against nausea, motion sickness, digestive disorders, and excessive flatulence. Its antiparasitic action makes it an excellent dewormer. It was also traditionally used as an abortifacient.

Precautions

This plant contains thujone (a terpene compound). This molecule, combined with alcohol, causes irreversible neurotoxicity to the nervous system – hence the ban on this alcoholic absinthe beverage. Absinthe use should not exceed 4 weeks and remains contraindicated for pregnant and breastfeeding women.

Did you know?

The word mugwort comes from the Latin Artemisia, from the name of the Greek goddess Artemis, the goddess of hunting, forests, childbirth, and the moon. This is the species that was used in the highly popular aperitif enjoyed by artists of the Enlightenment and the late Napoleonic Empire, and then became emblematic of the Belle Époque. Its production has been forbidden in France since the 20th century because it is reputed to cause madness and blindness.