Artemisia maritima

Artemisia maritima

Sea wormwood (Artemisia maritima L.) is a small shrub species belonging to the Asteraceae family.

Systematic –
From a systematic point of view, it belongs to the Eukaryota Domain, the Plantae Kingdom, the Spermatophyta Superdivision, the Magnoliophyta Division, the Magnoliopsida Class, the Asteridae Subclass, the Asterales Order, the Asteraceae Family, the Asteroideae Subfamily, the Anthemideae Tribe, the Artemisiinae Subcrib and therefore the Artemisiaitima Genus and the Specie A. .
The terms are synonymous:
– Artemisia pseudogallica (Rouy) A. W. Hill .;
– Artemisia salina Willd.

Etymology –
The term Artemisia comes from Ἄρτεμις Artemis Artemide, Greek name of the goddess Diana, a genus already mentioned in Pliny; according to some authors, Artemisia II of Caria (Αρτεμισία Artemisía? -350 BC), sister and wife of Mausolus, would have given this plant its name.
The specific maritime epithet comes from the sea, the sea: maritime, marine, which grows near the sea.

Geographical Distribution and Habitat –
Artemisia maritima is a species that grows spontaneously in the area of ​​north-western India and in the western Himalaya between 2500-3000 m, in the regions of Untranchal, Utter Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, in Jammu and Kashmir it is distributed to Zizi La, Zanskar, Drass, Kishenganga valley, Sonamarg, Guraz. It is also found in Pakistan.
Its distribution is however wider and includes a vast area of ​​the northern hemisphere, including the British Isles, on the Baltic, French and Mediterranean coasts, and on saline soils in Hungary; therefore it extends eastward, covering immense stretches in southern Russia, in the Caspian Sea region and in central Siberia, up to Chinese Mongolia.
Its habitat is that of salty soils and in Italy it is found on the northern Adriatic coast.

Description –
Artemisia maritima is a robust and branched shrub with stems that grow up to about 1 m; these are thin, very branched from the base and striped.
It has a horizontal rhizome from which the main stems depart.
The leaves measure 2.5-4 cm, with a color tending to whitish due to a layer of thin cottony fibers, 2 pinnate, with numerous segments; the upper leaves are simple and linear.
The flowers are gathered in flower heads which are homogeneous, numerous, ellipsoid, oblong, each containing three to six tubular ornaments, have a yellowish or brownish tint, about 2.5 mm long with 3-10 cluster-shaped flowers tip.
The antesis is between August and September.
The fruits are small achenes.

Cultivation –
Sea Wormwood is a plant that grows spontaneously developing from the horizontal rhizome that sprouts in March.
This plant remains in the vegetative state for 5-7 months and subsequently blooms between August and September, when the day’s temperature fluctuates between 25 ° C and 30 ° C.
Fertilization takes place basically through the pollination of the flowers and the dispersion of the seeds takes place by gravity.
This plant abounds on brackish soils where cattle have been observed to gain weight quickly, and therefore grass has acquired a reputation for being beneficial to them; in fact it is instead the effect due to the richness of maritime pasture which gives better qualities for the growth of cattle.

Uses and Traditions –
Sea Wormwood looks a little like Artemisia absinthium but is smaller.
This plant is recognized for some medicinal properties such as that of stimulating appetite and of helping digestion. In fact, a bitter and aromatic tonic can be prepared.
The leaves are somewhat bitter, so much so that in the preparation of some extracts, sugar is added to be able to use them.
Flowering buds and young shoots are used, collected and dried in the same way as other Artemisias although it has less accentuated properties than others.
Although this plant is not widely used in normal medical practice, it is still used by rural people for intermittent fever and for various other medicinal purposes instead of real absinthe.
Another popular use of the bitter tonic extract is that in the case of intestinal worms, so much so that the seventeenth-century botanist Nicholas Culpeper made the following uses: “The boiling water poured on it produces an excellent gastric infusion, but the way it is better to take it in a brandy tincture. The hysterical complaints have been completely cured by the constant use of this tincture. In scurvy and hyperchondriatic disorders of studious and sedentary men, few things have a greater effect: for these it is better in strong infusion. the blood and all the juices of the body are affected by the intake of this herb. It is often used in medicine in place of Roman absinthe … ”
The seeds are also bitter, with a sharp taste and are used in cases of: stomach pain, as an appetizer, aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, abdominal pain, diarrhea.
An infusion (and decoction) of the fresh plant has been successfully used in case of acute, intermittent fever.
Also in folk medicine, plant extracts are given to children for stomach pain. The powder obtained from the flower heads with a mixture of small stems and leaves of Artemisia maritima was effective in expelling the worms, together with the addition of castor oil.
The extract of the flower heads is applied to the part affected by snake bites and scorpion stings.
The plant has good quantities of sesquiterpene santonina, which confers many of the properties and characteristics described above.

Method of Preparation –
Sea Wormwood can be prepared in the same way as other absinthe plants.
However, it should be remembered that, even if of natural origin, similar preparations are potentially capable of causing undesirable effects and presenting contraindications; therefore, doctor’s advice is always appropriate.

Guido Bissanti

Sources
– Acta Plantarum – Flora of the Italian Regions.
– Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia.
– Treben M., 2000. Health from the Lord’s Pharmacy, Tips and experiences with medicinal herbs, Ennsthaler Editore
– Pignatti S., 1982. Flora of Italy, Edagricole, Bologna.
– Conti F., Abbate G., Alessandrini A., Blasi C. (edited by), 2005. An annotated checklist of the Italian vascular flora, Palombi Editore.

Warning: Pharmaceutical applications and alimurgical uses are indicated for information purposes only, they do not in any way represent a medical prescription; therefore, no responsibility is accepted for their use for healing, aesthetic or food purposes.