Use of shrubby wormwood
Use of shrubby wormwood
Scientific name: Artemisia arborescens L.
Family: Compositae
Dialect name: erva janca, erva vranca
Shrubby plant with silvery gray woody stems, woody roots and semicircular habit. The light green leaves are bipennatosette, tomentose and very jagged.
The inflorescence is an upright spike at the top, composed of small hemispherical flower heads, of a brown-yellow color. The fruits are tapered and gibbous achenes.
It is a typical plant of road embankments, uncultivated areas and marginal areas. Its distribution goes from sea level to over 1,000 meters above sea level, it prefers calcareous soils.
Active principles
The active ingredients are found in the leaves and in the inflorescence. Harvesting must take place during flowering.
Property
Digestive, flavoring, vermifuge and stimulants. Research in the pharmaceutical field has highlighted its anticancer, antiviral and antimicrobial properties.
Internal use
Vermifugo: boil 20 g. of leaves in 100 ml of water and, with ultimat boiling, add a teaspoon of honey. Consume in spoons, several times a day.
Digestive-stimulant: macerate 200 grams of leaves and flowers in a liter of water for 4 days, filter, correct with sugar or honey and consume a glass after meals. Wine can be used instead of water, thus obtaining an elisir. The decoction, according to popular traditions, is applied on insect bites and boils and, if drunk, is useful for reducing azotemia.
Warning! All species belonging to the Artemisia genus contain active ingredients that can be toxic if taken in excessive doses.
Curiosity
Artemisia is also used as an aromatic plant and is used in the preparation of vermouth and aperitifs. The scent of absinthe stimulates appetite and promotes digestion. The German word vermouth means absinthe.
Maria Canzoneri