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Artemisia
Absinthium (Absinthe, Wormwood)
Wormwood has had many
useful medical applications. In fact, the first known
mention of wormwood is in the Ebers papyrus, a medical
document dating to 1550 B.C. The Egyptians and many
later cultures used it as a vermifuge, and the name
"wormwood" may refer to this property of ridding
the body of worms. It was also thought to prevent the
plague.
The foliage was smoked by some American Indian
tribes, inducing visionary states during religious ceremonies.
Russian peasants thought that wormwood's bitter
taste was because of the herb's "absorption of
bitter human suffering."
Wormwood is best known as the primary ingredient
in absinthe. Absinthe enjoyed some popularity as well
as some controversy in the mid 19th century. It was
thought to inhance creativity. Celebrated absinthe drinkers
included the painters Lautrec, Gauguin, Manet, Van Gogh
and Picasso, along with the writers Rimbaud, Verlaine,
Oscar Wilde, Edgar Allen Poe and Jack London.
Absinthe is the main source of wormwood's notoriety.
There is simply no other beverage which has been surrounded
by so much mystique and ceremony. Its mystique is of
course helped by the fact that the liqueur has been
banned in most countries since the early part of this
century.
Absinthe remains controversial today. The psychoactive
principles are not well understood.
The seeds are easy to grow and bloom into an
attractive, silvery plant.
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