Artemisia absinthium

The grey-green leaves are narrow and feathery, the camphor-like odor is powerful, happy in the sun, drought and disease tolerant…

• Harvest : July/August for the preparations of infusions and tinctures
• Recipes: can be found here

NOTA BENE : Wormwood contains thujone, a neurotoxic compound that can be harmful in high doses. It can cause seizures, hallucinations, or nervous system issues if consumed excessively.

• Absinthe:
  • Wormwood is a key ingredient in absinthe, a highly alcoholic spirit that was once believed to cause hallucinations. Therefore prohibited and punished, and now consequently the stuff of legend.
  • The hallucination culprit was thought to be Thujone, but modern research suggests its levels were too low to cause hallucinations. I have always wondered if it could it have been that their tolerance was lower? The green fairy myth persists to this day though Absinthe is sold in many countries, though the thujone levels are strictly monitored and regulated.
• Vermouth & Bitters:
  • Wormwood also appears as a key component in herbal liqueurs as it gives it its distinctive bitter flavor
  • The word ‘wormwood’ seems to come from the Old English word wermod, but we are not sure what the initial word meant. We do know that the German cognate Wermut is the source of the term vermouth, used in French and English to describe a kind of wine that is traditionally flavoured with wormwood

According to Nicholas Culpeper, a ‘stinking breath’ can be cured by “drinking a glass of Wormwood beer every morning”. So you can slide a glass over to that family member who is chronically stinking into the conversation.