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Family: Asteraceae (Compositae)Botanical Name: Artemisia spp.Common Names: Species-specicLi e span: Mostly perennials or tender perennials; rarely annualsHardiness: Most hardy from Zone 4-10Light: Full sun to light shadeSoil: Well-drained; tolerates most; pH 4.9 to 7.5, average 6.9Water: Many are drought tolerantUses: Culinary, medicinal, beverage, aromatic, industrialPropagation: Cuttings or divisions; seed

Introduction

Artemisias belong to the Asteraceae, afamily of plants which also includes astersand daisies; however, Artemisia owers,though typical, are usually quite small.Tere are over 300 species in the genus,distinguished by the silkiness anddivisions of their leaves and thearrangements of their owers. With theexception of several species in tropicalenvirons, the genus originated in andmostly belongs to the drier climes of theNorthern Hemisphere (Watson, p. 4).

History and Lore

Te generic name, Artemisia, may havebeen inspired by Artemis, the Greekgoddess of hunting, the moon, andchastity, but it is also possible that it wasinspired more directly by Queen Artemisiaof Caria (Helicarnassus), a urkishbotanist who lived about 400 B.C.E.( ucker & DeBaggio, p. 159).Tere are various references to Artemisia

in the Bible as wormwood in both the Oldand New estaments. Tese may refer toeither A. judaica or A. herba-alba . “…andthe third part of the waters became worm-wood; and many men died of the waters,because they were made bitter”.(Revelation 8:11 King James Version) Artemisias are among the bitterest of herbs due to their thujone content.Because of their bitterness and assumedtoxicity, they became associated withsadness, suffering, and misfortune.“Behold I will feed them with wormwood,and make them drink the water of gall…”

(Jeremiah 23:15 KJV)Historically, Artemisias were used asstrewing herbs to repel insects. Teywere also ingested to destroy parasiticworms. Small oral doses of powderedleaves or roots were considered antidotesfor mushroom and hemlock poison-ing. Other treatments using wormwoodincluded digestive tract cure-alls, women’sconditions, fevers, gout, malaria, appetitestimulant, and, according to Dioscorides,intoxication. Native Americans used various species of Artemisia to treatworms, sprains, colds, u, tuberculosis,cancer, fever, asthma, gynecologicaldisorders, rashes, and many otherconditions. Some tribes also used them asceremonial medicines. In modern usage, Artemisia continues to be a vermifuge andrepellent.

Plant Characteristics

Li e span: Depending on the species, Artemisias are perennial, tender perennial,

or rarely annual.Plant orm: ShrubSize: Ranges from small 6 to 8 inchmounds to erect stems and branchesreaching up to 10 feet in height. Mostgarden varieties are between 1 and 4 feettall with a 3-foot spread.Flowers: Arranged in panicles or umbels;although some are attractive, most are very small, mainly pale yellow to brightyellow, and relatively insignicant.Foliage: Pinnate leaves range from almostligree to sturdily broad and raggedlyerose (irregularly toothed). Te leaves of a

number of species are silvery white or graygreen, although many are darker greenand some are brown-purple. Te leaveshave ne hairs which cool and defendthe plants from extreme heat and helpthem survive adverse conditions. As inother plants, white varieties are more heatand drought tolerant than their greenercousins.Aroma: Many Artemisias are highlyfragrant due to the presence of cineole.Te aroma of each species is distinctivesome camphor-like, clean and refreshing;some spicy and pleasant; some acrid anddisagreeable.Hardiness: Hardy as far north asMaine in the U.S. (Zone 5)Exposure: Sun, semi-shade; althoughmost prefer full sun.Soil: Artemisias do not like clay or richsoil and cannot stand sodden roots. Awell-drained, sunlit spot with a soil in theneutral pH range is ideal.Light: Artemisias will not survive deep

shade, but can tolerate semi-shade as longas they have several hours of sun a day.Drought and moisture tolerance: A gooddrink once a week during a drought andnone during prolonged rainy periods willkeep these plants happy.Propagation and pruning: Propagatefrom stem tip cuttings or layering. Pruneheavily in early spring to maintain acompact form.Deer resistance: Because the fragranceof Artemisias can be unpleasant and theirtaste so bitter, deer, rabbits and other“critters” inherently avoid them.

AR EMISIA / Artemisia spp.

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Herbal Uses

Not all Artemisias are herbal, but thosethat are have many uses.Beverage: A. absinthium (wormwood) is aavoring ingredient in absinthe liqueur.Crafs: Many Artemisias are useful indried ower arrangements and wreaths,potpourri, and moth and mosquitorepellents. o dry easily and rapidly, thebranches or stems should be fanned out,not bunched, and hung out of strong

sunlight in a dry spacewith good air circulation.Culinary: A. dracunculus (Frenchtarragon) is a keycomponent of SauceBéarnaise and French saladdressing. Te leaves of thisspecies are used to avorpoultry dishes and to maketarragon vinegar. It is

important to use a plantgrown from a division orcutting rather than fromseed.

Fragrance: Oils of Artemisia are used incosmetics and aromatherapy.Medicinal: Some species have proven tobe antimalarial ( A. annua ), and antifungal( A. absinthium).

Toxicity

Tere must be a caveat and caution added

to any document describing historicalmedicinal uses of any herb. Tese arepractices passed down from centuries ofuse, long ago evaluated and, in many cases,long ago dismissed for their potential todo more harm than good. Artemisias canproduce allergic reactions, causing rashesand congestion in some individuals merelyfrom handling them, and Artemisia pollenis a signicant allergen in the U.S. andEurope. However, Artemisias still haveongoing potential for medicinal usage inthe modern world.

Some Species of Note

A. abrotanum (southernwood) (alsocalled old man, Lad’s love, and maiden’sruin): Southernwood’s strongly-scented,graying sage-green leaves arranged in

clusters of uneven lengths were placed inclosets as a moth repellent. A. abrotanum‘Silver’ is a very hairy cultivar.

A. absinthium (wormwood): Wormwoodcan eliminate the common roundwormand has been used against fungalinfections of the skin. It is still used insome topical antifungal preparations. Itis toxic to mites ( ucker & DeBaggio, pp.162-63). At one point, absinthe liqueurwas banned because it was believed tobe hallucinogenic due to its thujonecontent. At present, low doses of thujone-free wormwood are considered GRAS(generally recognized as safe)( ucker & DeBaggio, pp. 161-162).

A. annua (sweet Annie, sweetwormwood): A large, bushy plant withnely divided strongly-scented leaves. Itcan cause allergic reactions and headache.

Te oil of sweet Annie is antimalarial,antifungal, antibacterial, and antioxidant. A. annua grows readily from seed andwill reseed itself. Its copious foliage andstrong fragrance make it popular for driedwreaths. Its pollen can be especiallyallergenic.

A. arborescens (tree wormwood): Oneparent of A. ‘Powis Castle’, a very populargrey-white cultivar, A. aborescens has beenused successfully to treat inamed skinconditions (Pappas & Sheppard-Hanger).

A. dracunculus (tarragon): Dracunculusmeans “little dragon.” Te Arabic nametranslates as dragonwort ( ucker &DeBaggio, p. 164). French tarragon(sometimes designated as the cultivar‘Sativa’ and preferred for culinary use) isseed sterile and must be grown from stemtip cuttings, root cuttings, or divisions.ip cuttings are less likely to spreaddiseases and insects. arragon looksfragile but can withstand drought andexcessive heat (but not high humidityor poor air circulation). It can also besusceptible to rust and nematodes.Mexican tarragon ( agetes lucida ), whichis not an Artemisia, is sometimessubstituted for French tarragon. It growsbetter than French tarragon in warm,

humid climates but does not have GRASstatus. Russian tarragon, which shares thesame botanical name as French tarragon,grows vigorously from seed but has abalsamic leather odor and should not beused for avoring food.

Not yet cultivated in North America

A. genipi (genépi): Growing wild in theAlps of Europe, genépi has a ne odor andis used in some liqueurs, as is A. glacialis(genépi des glaciers).

A. herba-alba (armoise): Meaning “whiteherb” in Latin, armoise is primarily usedfor perfume. It is fragrant, antibacterial,anti-spasmodic and historicallyinteresting.

A. maritima (Levant wormseed): Levantwormseed is sometimes used in Middle

Eastern cooking. A. pallens (davana): Te specic epithetpallens refers to its gray foliage. Usedto avor beverages, candies, tobacco,and baked goods, in India for garlandsand bouquets, and in folk medicine fordiabetes. It is easily propagated from seed( ucker & DeBaggio, p. 167).

References

Bown, D. 1995. Te Herb Society of America encyclopedia of herbs and their uses. New York:

Dorling-Kindersley.Pappas, R., & S. Sheppard-Hanger.

2000. Artemisia arborescens –essential oil of the PacicNorthwest: a high-chamazulene,low-thujone essential oil with

potential skin-care applications. Aromather. J. 10:30-33.ucker, A.O., & . DeBaggio. 2009.

Te encyclopedia of herbs .Portland, OR: imber Press.

Watson, B. (Ed.). “Te Herb Society of America’s Essential Guide

to Artemisia”. (working paper, TeHerb Society of America, Kirtland, OH,2014)

Medicinal Disclaimer – It is the policy of Te Herb Society of America not to advise or recommend herbs for medicinal or health use.Tis information is intended for educational purposes only and should not be considered as a recommendation or an endorsement of any

particular medical or health treatment.

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