Wormwood

Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) is a plant with a very distinctive fragrance, a very poignant taste and a silvery grey look. The plant is quite famous for its intense bitterness being used both for medicinal and recreational purposes. Wormwood was an exotic and welcomed addition to some drinks like the famous bright green-colored Absinthe consumed by the literary and artistic French society of the last century because it contained a great deal of essential oils. One of them is called thujone and it has some interesting effects on the nervous system among them being the capacity to produce a special state of euphoria.

Today, the leaves and the early blossoming flowers of the wormwood plant are being handpicked by those in need and placed to dry in hot and airy places. Wormwood is especially being used in alleviating problems of the digestive system like indigestion, nausea, bloating, constipation and lack of appetite. Due to the fact that it contains a lot of bitter chemicals, wormwood is also very helpful in stimulating the gall blather and liver secretions.

The benefits of ingesting wormwood tea are numerous. It can reduce fever and help fight infections; it can diminish labor pains, joint pains and stiffness and alleviate the symptoms of depression. The parasitic infections of the bowel can also be fought with good results just by drinking wormwood tea. Wormwood can be also applied as warm poultice on wounds, ulcerations and bruises because it has antiseptic and relaxing effects.

Wormwood can be bought in many stores. You can buy essential oils, alcoholic tincture, powder and even pills containing dried wormwood. It is a very good appetite stimulator, an excellent tonic and it can also improve your moods.