Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.)

Wormwoods are a member of the genus Artemisia. They are herbaceous, perennial plants with fibrous roots and about 180 different species. A. absinthium is native to temperate regions of Eurasia and Northern Africa. It has become naturalized in Canada and the Northern United States. It will grow naturally on uncultivated, arid ground, on rocky slopes or at the edges of footpaths and fields. The plants like shady areas.

Common wormwood (A. absinthium) is famous as an ingredient in the hallucinogenic liqueur absinthe. The liqueur Vermouth is made from Roman Wormwood (A. pontica) which has a very aromatic flavor. The word “Vermouth” is derived from the German Word “wermut” which means wormwood.

The Ancient Egyptians and Greeks used a different recipe for making absinthe that was recommended by early physicians as a digestive and liver cleanse. Winners of sporting events in Rome drank a wine containing wormwood to remind them that victory was bitter as well as sweet. The genus name, “Artemisia” is derived from the Greek name for Diana, “Artemis.”

In Biblical days it was considered a symbol of pending calamity and sorrow.

“Bitter as wormwood” is an old saying that derives from the plant’s very bitter taste.

Roman wormwood (A. pontica) is the most delicate and least powerful of all the wormwoods.

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