Wormwood (plant)

Description

Hardy perennial, herbaceous, being able to measure up to 1 Meter. Plant covered with silver plated white silky hairs and many glands Oléifère S. The Tige is of color green money, right-hand side, grooved, ramified and very broken into leaf.

The Feuille S are alternate, gray greenish on the top and almost white and silky on the lower part. The sheets Basiliaire S measure up to 25 centimetres length and are lengthily petiolate. The sheets Caulinaire S briefly petiolate, are divided. The sheets at the top can even be simple and sessile (without Pétiole). Flowering takes place of July to September. The Fleur S yellow, tubular, are joined together in flowerheads (Made up) globulous, leaning, in their turn joined together in Panicule S broken into leaf and ramified.

The plant has a hard rhizome.

Characteristics

reproductive bodies:

Standard of Inflorescence: ear of flowerheads
Distribution of the sexes: Standard hermaphrodite
of Pollination: anémogame
Period of Flowering: July at September
Seed:
Standard of Fruit: Akène
Mode of dissemination: barochore

Habitat and distribution:

standard Habitat: long-lived Xerophilous S, médio-European waste lands
Surface of distribution: eurasiatique

given according to: Julve, pH., 1998 FF. - Baseflor. Botanical, ecological and chorologic index of the flora of France. Version: April 23rd, 2004.

Distribution and habitat

Originating in the areas Unintermitting ales with moderate Climate of Europe, Asia and North Africa. Naturalized in addition. It pushes there on the waste and arid lands, on the rock slopes, at the edge of the ways and of the fields.

Culture

Can easily be cultivated in a dry and poor ground. To put in hot exposure on fertile, and semi-heavy grounds. She prefers the grounds Calcaire S and rich in Azote. Reproduces by glare of the old feet to the autumn or spring, possibly by sowing in March April.

In a natural garden

Its characteristic odor can make it use to carry out Purin S of plants. In the principle of the associated cultures, the wormwood, of share its secretions racinaires of Absinthine, exerts an inhibiting effect on the growth of the surrounding plants, as well as Adventices. It would move away the plant louses. It is useful as Vermifuge but it should be planted only on the edges of the boards of culture.

Medicinal properties

Disinfectant, vermifuge and stimulative. The other properties are not proven.

Uses

the wormwood was the plant of Artémis, Greek goddess responsible for violent deaths. In the Antiquity gréco-Roman, one used it out of infusion like Antidote poison (conium) or for its virtues Abortive S. At the 17th century, the wormwood was used as Insecticide.
the wormwood is especially known to have been the basic ingredient of a popular drink at the 19th century. Rimbaud and Verlaine was drinkers of wormwood. Prohibited in many countries since the beginning of the 20th century, it has again been authorized in certain countries for a few years.
Wine of wormwood
In North Africa, where they are called Chiba (and not chih which is another plant which especially pushes in the plains desert of the Eastern area Morocco groin and is usable in popular medicine in Infusion or Décoction to treat the abdominal spasms), the sheets of wormwood are sometimes added to the With traditional mint (in minor amount, the taste being very strong) either for their particular taste and very appreciated, or to mitigate the scarcity of mint in winter, or quite simply to heat the body.
In dry bouquet, the wormwood moves away the insects

Use

Left used: Gathering of the Celebrity S flowered by adding the sheets at the time of the full flowering.
Property: Vermifuge, Stomachique, Emménagogue, Cholagogue.
active Substances: Silica, two principles bitter (Absinthine and Anabsinthine), resinous , acid tannic substances and malic, succinic and thuyonic (or Thujone).

Preparation:

fast Drying in the shade, or by artificial heat, with the furnace of 35° with 40°C to the maximum or the microwave.
Infusion: to put 5 gr. of flowered celebrities dried per liter of ebullient water, to take a small cup 2 to 3 times per day.
Maceration: one can obtain wine or liquor. For the ratafia it is necessary to let macerate 15 days in 1 liter of brandy to 60° the mixture of 40gr of sheets of wormwood, 20 bay gr. of juniper, 5 gr. of grooves and 1 gr. of fresh stem of angelica. After having filtered one adds the mixture of 1/3 water L 15 gr. of water of flower of Oranger and 250 sugar gr.
Poudre: The grass thus employed can be used as Vermifuge: the amount for a potion is then from 2 to 3 grams.
Dyeing (also sold in pharmacy): 10 to 30 drops in 100 ml of water, to take 2 to 3 times per day, 3 minutes before the meal (like tonic); 20 to 60 drops 3 times per day in 50 ml of water (for the bile).

Precautions for use :

the plant has dangerous active substances.
the use of drug must be limited.
not to manage with the expectant mothers.

Indicated in the event of insufficiency of Gastric juice, activates blood circulation in the areas of the basin (Emménagogue), the biliary excretion , and acts like disinfecting.

Anecdotes

In the text of the Apocalypse according to Jean Saint in the New Testament, Absinthe is the name of the Météorite which is crushed on Ground and which poisons the sources and river.

the third angel sounded trumpet. And it fell from the sky a large burning star like a torch; and it fell on the third from the rivers and the sources from water.

the name of this star is Absinthe; and one the third of water was changed into wormwood, and much of men died by water, because they had become bitter. ''

Apocalypse 8 verse 10 and 11, version Louis Segond - 1910

the name of the town of Tchernobyl means Armoise (“Russian полынь”), which is the name of the kind of which the plant of wormwood forms part. The Ukrainians say that the name of the city refers to its black appearance (tchernoziom) in summer and white of snow in winter. “Tcherno” comes from the adjective “чёрное” = black, and “byl” of the adjective “белое” = white.

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