Effect:
diaphoretic, diuretic, menstruation-regulating, fever-reducing, germicidal, worm-repellent, stomach-strengthening, hemostatic, bile-effective, liver-stimulating
Areas of application:
Stomach, intestinal and bile diseases, has a stimulating effect on the metabolism, strengthens the digestive organs, the body's own defenses are mobilized, helps people who are constantly ailing, heartburn, stomach cramps, bad breath, feeling of fullness, increases the joy of life, delayed menstruation, epilepsy, nervous-related cramps, Roundworms, after severe blood loss, inflammation, rheumatic pain, impure skin, insomnia, parasites, Crohn's disease, irritable bowel syndrome, flatulence, acid reflux, malaria, intestinal worms, pinworms, roundworms, breast cancer
Plant parts used:
the whole herb
Collection time:
June to August
To find:
Wormwood comes from Siberia and is mostly found in gardens.
Ingredients:
Bitter substances, absinthine, artemisin, resin, tannic acid, essential oil, thujone, pinene, phellandrene, potassium salts, succinic acid, mineral manganese
Miscellaneous:
☕ Tea: 1 teaspoon of herb is poured with 1/4 liter of boiling water and left to steep for 10 minutes. 1 cup of tea is enough.
Wormwood is a shrub-like, multi-stemmed plant that grows 30 to 150 cm tall from a woody base. The stems are white or gray-green and covered with fine hairs. The hairy, alternate leaves are silvery or gray-green on both the upper and lower sides. The leaves produce resinous particles that act as a natural insecticide. The plant has three different types of leaves. At the lower end of the stem, the leaves are bi- or tri-pinnate and have long petioles. In the middle of the stem the leaves become smaller and less divided and have shorter petioles. At the top of the plant the leaves are simple and without petioles. This plant has clusters of small yellow flowers on the branch tips from mid-summer to fall.
🛑 Attention: Not everyone can tolerate wormwood, due to the essential oils with thujone and the bitter substances absinthine. Long-term treatment is not recommended; an overdose can lead to intoxication-like states and convulsions. Pregnant women should not take wormwood; immediately before giving birth, the tea stimulates contractions and promotes the separation of the afterbirth. Breastfeeding mothers should also avoid it as it makes the milk bitter and the baby refuses the breast. Please do not take it if you are allergic to wormwood or other composite plants. Wormwood should only be taken under the supervision of a doctor.
If you want to keep mice away, plant wormwood in the places where you want them to stay away. Only wormwood does not tolerate any other plants in its area; it needs a single location for itself in the garden. Except for the blackcurrant, it gets along well with it and at the same time protects it from pests.
Anyone who is constantly sick, gets every flu and cold, has poor digestion, is always pale in the face and sometimes struggles with circulatory problems should use wormwood sparingly, but a few times as a treatment.
Wormwood is no longer on the agenda of doctors today, in contrast to older doctors, Hildegard von Bingen, herbalist Kneipp and Künzle, who counted it as one of the powerful medicinal plants.
Hildegard von Bingen: If the wormwood is fresh, then the person squeezes out the juice and he cooks moderately wine with honey, and pour that juice into the wine so that the juice surpasses wine and honey in taste. And he drinks it cold and cold every third day from May to October. The kidney pain and melancholy will pass and it clears the eyes, strengthens the heart and does not allow the lungs to become diseased. It warms the stomach, cleanses the intestines and promotes good digestion. This is the “May drink”, which is meticulously prepared by the producers of Hildegard products and is very well received.
Of course, you can also make it yourself, using only the young May wormwood, which you press into plant juice in a herb mill or by juicing and mix with white wine and skimmed honey (boil the two ingredients first). The vermouth should not be heated above 68 degrees. If you work carefully, this drink, made in early May, will last until October. (Excerpt from The Herbs in My Garden)
In France, the brandy “absinthe” is made from wormwood. The constant consumption of absinthe is harmful to health; it was recently equated with normal alcohol throughout the EU.