Wormwood
Artemisia absinthium
Perennial herbaceous plant, found in the European part of Russia and Western Siberia. It has a strong odor and bitter taste. It is one of the 2,000 known and cultivated ether-oil plants.
Description: stem straight, up to 1 m high, branched, pubescent with short pressed hairs, causing the plant to have a greyish-silver color. The flowers are yellow, very small, tubular, marginal - female, medium - bisexual, collected in baskets with a diameter of 3 mm, sitting on short branches, with one-sided brushes forming a panicle. Fruits - very small( up to 1 mm in length), brownish, oblong achene. Blossoms in July-August, fruits ripen in August-September.
Composition: leafy tops of flowering plants and leaves contain up to 2% essential oil, which includes thujol, thujone, pinene, etc. In addition, bitter glycosides, absintine and anabsintine, flavonoid artemisetin, succinic and malic acids, tannicsubstances, carotene, ascorbic acid, vitamin K, resins.
Medicinal raw materials of are the leafy flower-bearing apexes of stems no longer than 25 cm, collected at the beginning of flowering without coarse, thick stems with lower cauline leaves. Dry in the air, in attics or in dryers. The whole plant has a very bitter taste, spicy strong flavor, which after drying is preserved. Shelf life of raw materials is up to 2 years.
Cultivation: sunny or semi-dark areas, undemanding for soils and care, annual pruning is necessary. Distance between plants when planting 40 cm. Reproduction by cuttings, division( in spring or autumn) or sowing in spring.
Collection: harvest wormwood in the phase of budding - at the beginning of flowering, in June-July. Leaves are cut without petioles by hand, and the tips of shoots up to 25 cm long( grass) are cut with a knife. Dry in the shade outdoors or in dryers at a temperature of 40-50 ° C.
Medicinal properties of : wormwood has long been considered one of the best tools for exciting the appetite. Wormwood preparations, like all bitterness, stimulate the function of the glands of the gastrointestinal tract, increase the separation of bile and activate digestion. In folk medicine, wormwood is used to date with anemia and as an anthelmintic. How to apply wormwood from worms look here.
Anti-ulcer properties of wormwood decoction are actively studied, as well as the biological activity of the essential oil of Artemisia essential oil, which will later be used as an antibiotic.
In the herb of bitter wormwood there are essential oils, bitter substances( glycoside - anabsintin), resinous, protein and starchy substances, vitamin C, leaves also contain phytoncides.
Essential oil of wormwood on pharmacological properties close to camphor, stimulates cardiac activity and excites the central nervous system. It should be remembered that prolonged use of sagebrush preparations in large quantities can lead to poisoning, therefore it is recommended to make significant( 1 to 2 months) breaks between treatment courses.
Application: in pharmaceuticals from leaves and flowering leafy tops of wormwood prepare a strong wormwood extract with a characteristic odor and a 20% tincture on 70 ° alcohol. Tincture, tea and wormwood sage extract are used as bitterness to stimulate appetite and improve the activity of the digestive system. Wormwood bitter is a part of the gastric drops, gastric pills, appetizing and choleretic( tea).
In the appointment of cholagogue tea to patients suffering from chronic diseases of the pancreas and bile ducts, pain decreases or disappears completely, appetite improves. When colitis is successfully used decoction of leaves of wormwood and sage for 1 tbsp.l.every 2 hours for 2-3 days. An infusion of wormwood in combination with the leaves of mint and sage is used to rinse the mouth to destroy the bad smell. In cooking, wormwood is added to thick soups and meat, with smoked bacon, meat, sausages and some kinds of poultry and fish. It is characteristic that wormwood is added to the dish during cooking. Used for making herbal tinctures and wines.
In the form of tea is used as a bitter-spicy gastric drug, which increases the peristalsis of the stomach in digestive disorders and loss of appetite. In general, the drug effect is similar to the effect caused by the use of wormwood bitter.
For excitement of appetite, wormwood is used in the form of water infusion, prepared at the rate of 1 tsp.for 2 cups of boiling water, and drink 1/4 cup before eating. Spirituous tincture of wormwood is used for 12-20 drops for half an hour before meals 3 times a day. In cooking, the chernobylnik is suitable as a condiment when preparing fatty foods. Aromatic bitterness improves appetite, activates the formation and secretion of gastric juice and makes lighter heavy food. It is a part of spicy mixtures for sandwiches with cheese or dishes from eggs. A roast goose or duck gives a magical flavor. In fresh or dried form is also used in cooking dishes from vegetables and mushrooms.