Artemisia scoparia Redstem wormwood Steam Distilled from the the seed and flowering stems.
Aroma: Potent, highly aromatic fragrance that is deeply herbaceous, earthy, and camphorous. Herbaceous and green, sharply aromatic, strongly resembling crushed leafy greens, rosemary, and sage. Volatile terpenes give it a sharp, cooling, and woodsy bite. Redstem wormwood has a distinctly woody background note and is often compared to a pungent, bitter dill or strong kitchen herbs.
The plant, which can be annual, biennial or perennial, is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine, food and source of essential oil. It's native to C. Europe from the Baltic states, eastwards through northern, central and western Asia.to Pakistan, China, Japan and Korea, and grows in waste ground: slopes, forest margins, roadsides, steppe, terraces, desert margins, dry river beds. This wormwood Artemisia scoparia is commonly confused with Absinthe Artemisia absinthium.
Common Uses: This species of Wormwood is commonly known as "Redstem Wormwood". The herb is reputed to be a treatment for jaundice, hepatitis and inflammation of the gall bladder. The plant is considered to be an antipyretic, antiseptic, cholagogue, diuretic and vasodilator.
CAUTION: Although we have seen no specific reports for this species, many members of this genus contain potentially allergenic sesquiterpene lactones that can cause skin reactions.
Photo thanks to Mokkie, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons
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