wormwood

Names and Synonyms

Common Names

• absinthe
• common-wormwood
• wormwood
• absinthe sagewort
• absinthe wormwood
• absinthium

Scientific Names

Accepted name

Synonyms

• Absinthium vulgare
• Artemisia arborescens f. rehan
• Artemisia italica
• Artemisia kulbadica
• Artemisia baldaccii
• Artemisia rhaetica
• Artemisia arborescens var. cupaniana
• Artemisia absinthium var. insipida
• Artemisia absinthium var. argentea
• Artemisia absinthium f. argentea
• Artemisia rehan

Regional and Traditional Names

Sources: Wikidata, Catalogue of Life

Taxonomical Classification

This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae within the phylum Streptophyta and the class Equisetopsida. As a member of the subclass Magnoliidae and the order Asterales, it is classified under the family Asteraceae. It is specifically identified by the genus Artemisia, with the species name absinthium.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Distribution

This plant, known as Artemisia absinthium, exhibits a broad presence across several regions in Northern Europe. It can be found growing naturally within the landscapes of Denmark. The species is also distributed throughout the northern territories of Finland. Additionally, its range extends to the islands of Great Britain and Iceland. Finally, the plant is documented as part of the local flora in Ireland.

Sources: The World Checklist of Vascular Plants (WCVP)

Botanical Identification

Ecology

The ecology of Artemisia absinthium is characterized by its remarkable adaptability to diverse topographical and environmental conditions. It thrives across a broad elevational gradient, ranging from sea level (0 m AMSL) up to a maximum altitude of 2700 m AMSL, with a mean elevation of approximately 1300 m AMSL. This species occupies a variety of distinct habitats, demonstrating resilience in arid and semi-arid environments such as deserts, as well as in more rugged terrains including hills and mountains. Additionally, its presence near rivers indicates an ability to colonize riparian zones, allowing it to persist in both moisture-rich and water-stressed landscapes.

Elevational range max:

2700 m AMSL

Elevational range mean:

1300 m AMSL

Elevational range min:

0 m AMSL

Habitat :

desert, hills, mountains, rivers

Life history

The life history of Artemisia absinthium is characterized by its status as a perennial plant, allowing it to persist through multiple growing seasons. As a chamaephyte, its buds are located close to or just above the soil surface, a growth form that provides resilience against environmental stressors. The plant exhibits evergreen characteristics, maintaining its foliage and structural integrity throughout different stages of its biological cycle.

Deciduousness :

evergreen

Life form :

chamaephyte

Lifecycle :

perennial

Morphology

The morphology of Artemisia absinthium is characterized by its growth form as a non-woody herb or subshrub that functions as a self-supporting, independent organism rather than a climber, liana, or vine. This terrestrial plant, which does not exhibit epiphytic or parasitic behaviors, typically reaches a plant height ranging from a minimum of 0.4 m to a maximum of 1.7 m, with an average height of approximately 0.7125 m.

Aquatic :

terrestrial

Climber :

self-supporting

Epiphyte :

terrestrial

Growth form :

herb

Growth form :

subshrub

Parasite :

independent

Plant height max:

1.7 m

Plant height mean:

0.7125 m

Plant height min:

0.4 m

Woodiness :

non-woody

Physiology

The physiology of Artemisia absinthium is characterized by a C3 photosynthetic pathway and a non-carnivorous nutritional strategy. Its foliar morphology exhibits significant variability, with leaf lengths ranging from a minimum of 0.2 cm to a maximum of 30 cm, resulting in a mean leaf length of 10 cm. The leaf width displays a similar breadth of variation, spanning from 0.2 cm to a maximum of 9 cm, with a mean width recorded at 8 cm. In terms of surface area, the plant maintains a mean leaf size of 24.755 cm², while its Specific Leaf Area (SLA) averages 303.65 cm²/g, reflecting its structural leaf mass distribution and resource acquisition efficiency.

Carnivory :

non-carnivorous

Leaf length max:

30 cm

Leaf length mean:

10 cm

Leaf length min:

0.2 cm

Leaf size mean:

24.755 cm²

Leaf width max:

9 cm

Leaf width mean:

8 cm

Leaf width min:

0.2 cm

Photosynthetic pathway :

C3

Specific Leaf Area (SLA) mean:

303.65 cm²/g

Reproduction

The reproduction of Artemisia absinthium is characterized by a sexual reproductive strategy, as asexual reproduction is notably absent. This plant is monoecious, meaning it bears both male and female reproductive organs on the same plant, and it is capable of self-fertilization. The flowering period typically occurs during the summer months, specifically starting in July and concluding in August. The pollination process involves abiotic mechanisms as well as biotic interaction through an insect pollination syndrome. Once fertilization is successful, the plant produces fruit in the form of an achene. These fruits are indehiscent and have a mean length of 0.1 cm. The resulting seeds are quite small, with a mean seed length of 1.2 mm (ranging from a minimum to a maximum of 1.2 mm) and a mean seed mass of approximately 0.0001105 g (with a minimum of 8e-05 g and a maximum of 2e-04 g). Seed dispersal is classified as unspecialized, relying on general methods rather than highly specific biological or physical vectors.

Dehiscence :

indehiscent

Dispersal syndrome :

unspecialized

Flowering time :

Jul

Flowering time :

Aug

Fruit length mean:

0.1 cm

Fruit type :

achene

Pollination syndrome :

insect

Pollination syndrome :

abiotic

Reproduction asexual :

absent

Reproduction sexual :

monoecious

Seed length mean:

1.2 mm

Seed mass max:

2e-04 g

Seed mass mean:

0.0001105 g

Seed mass min:

8e-05 g

Self fertilization :

present

Sources: Global Inventory of Floras and Traits (GIFT)

Plant Parts

Artemisia absinthium has 5 reported plant parts identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases that are studied for medicinal purposes. The most consistently reported plant part include leaf, flower, root, seed, stem.

Leaf

1. Infection and drug resistance
2. Revista de biologia tropical
3. Turkish journal of pharmaceutical sciences
4. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
5. PloS one

Flower

1. PloS one

Root

1. Acta poloniae pharmaceutica

Seed

1. Turkish journal of pharmaceutical sciences

Stem

1. PloS one

Chemicals

Artemisia absinthium has 92 reported phytochemicals identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include Chamazulene, Flavonoids, artemisinin, camphor, polyphenols.

Chamazulene

1. Dr. Duke
2. Pharmacognosy research
3. Medicinal chemistry research : an international journal for rapid communications on design and mechanisms of action of biologically active agents
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Biofouling

Flavonoids

1. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
2. Critical reviews in biotechnology
3. Animals : an open access journal from MDPI
4. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry
5. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

artemisinin

1. Brazilian journal of biology = Revista brasleira de biologia
2. Critical reviews in biotechnology
3. Heliyon
4. Scientific reports

camphor

1. Chemistry & biodiversity
2. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
3. Phytomedicine : international journal of phytotherapy and phytopharmacology
4. Journal of evidence-based complementary & alternative medicine

polyphenols

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Revista de biologia tropical
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Absinthin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Gels (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

CHLOROGENIC ACID

1. Dr. Duke
2. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

RUTIN

1. Dr. Duke
2. Experimental parasitology
3. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)

Tannins

1. Journal of ethnopharmacology
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Anabsin

1. Dr. Duke
2. Journal of agricultural and food chemistry

Activities

Artemisia absinthium has 344 reported activities identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antibacterial, Antioxidant, Anthelmintic, Cytotoxic, Hepatoprotective.

Antibacterial

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Journal of dietary supplements
4. Medicinal chemistry research : an international journal for rapid communications on design and mechanisms of action of biologically active agents
5. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology

Antioxidant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Antioxidants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
5. Critical reviews in biotechnology

Anthelmintic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Veterinary parasitology
3. Heliyon
4. Experimental parasitology
5. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)

Cytotoxic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Memorias do Instituto Oswaldo Cruz
3. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
5. Research in pharmaceutical sciences

Hepatoprotective

1. Dr. Duke
2. Molecules (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Recent advances in anti-infective drug discovery
5. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Neuroprotective

1. Avicenna journal of phytomedicine
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Addiction & health
4. Current drug discovery technologies
5. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Analgesic

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Addiction & health
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Anticancer

1. Dr. Duke
2. Critical reviews in biotechnology
3. Current pharmaceutical biotechnology
4. Scientific reports

Antifungal

1. Journal of dietary supplements
2. Roumanian archives of microbiology and immunology
3. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
4. Plants (Basel, Switzerland)

Antidepressant

1. Dr. Duke
2. Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland)
3. Addiction & health

Medicinal Uses

Artemisia absinthium has 74 reported medicinal uses identified across 9 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include malaria, Plasmodium falciparum, antioxidant, diarrhea, dyspepsia.

Most Reported Uses

Preparations