Herb Of The Week I

Artemisia Absinthium (Wormwood)

Description

Medicinal Parts: Aerial parts of the plant.
Flower and Fruit: Plant grows from 60 to 120cm in height; The flowers are short stemmed and hang in a many flowered panicle. The fruit is about 1.5 mm long.
Leaves, Stem, and Root: The plant is a semi-shrub. The stem is usually erect, branched, and leafy. The leaves are silky on both sides and simple as it grows upward.
Characteristics: The plant has an aromatic odor and a very bitter taste.
Habitat: Europe, Northern Africa, Parts of Asia, North and South America. 
Production: Wormwood consists of the fresh or dried upper shoots and leaves, the fresh or dried basal leaves, or a mixture of the aerial plant parts from Artemisia absinthium, harvested during flowering.
Not to be Confused with: Will at times contain additions of Artemisiae herba.
Other Names: Green Ginger, Absinthe.
Actions and Pharmacology
Compounds: Volatile oil with high levels of (+)-thujone.
Effects:
Typically used to treat patients with liver disorders, fever induced by yeast infection could be reduced, watery extract of the drug supposedly reverses the growth of Plasmodium falciparum. The essential oils may posses an antimicrobial effect. Increases the "bitter" taste buds.
Indications and Usage
-Loss off appetite
-Dyspeptic complaints
-Liver and gallbladder complaints