Artemisia herba-alba
Artemisia herba-alba, commonly known as White Wormwood, is a resilient perennial shrub native to North Africa and the Mediterranean. Renowned for its aromatic silvery foliage, this medicinal plant is prized in traditional pharmacology for its potent antioxidant, antimicrobial, and anti-inflammatory properties, frequently used to treat digestive and inflammatory ailments.
- Scientific name: Artemisia herba-alba
- Family: Asteraceae
- Native range: Europe
Taxonomical Classification
This plant belongs to the kingdom Plantae and the phylum Streptophyta, falling under the class Equisetopsida and subclass Magnoliidae. Within the order Asterales, it is classified under the family Asteraceae. Finally, it is identified by the genus Artemisia, specifically as the species Artemisia herba-alba.
| Rank | Classification | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Kingdom | Plantae | WCVP |
| Phylum | Streptophyta | WCVP |
| Class | Equisetopsida | WCVP |
| Subclass | Magnoliidae | WCVP |
| Order | Asterales | WCVP |
| Family | Asteraceae | WCVP |
| Genus | Artemisia | WCVP |
Common Names
This plant, scientifically known as Artemisia herb-alba, is recognized by various regional names across different languages and cultures. In French, it is referred to as Armoise herbe blanche, while in Hebrew, it is known as לענת המדבר. It is called botja pudent in Catalan and referred to as برنجاسف هرباآلبا in Persian. Additionally, in Croatian, the plant is commonly called Bijeli pelin.| Language | Common Name | Source |
|---|---|---|
| fr | Armoise herbe blanche | Wikidata |
| he | לענת המדבר | Wikidata |
| ca | botja pudent | Wikidata |
| fa | برنجاسف هرباآلبا | Wikidata |
| hr | Bijeli pelin | Wikidata |
| sr | Бели пелин | Wikidata |
| ar | شيح أبيض | Wikidata |
| kab | Cciḥ | Wikidata |
| aeb-arab | شيح | Wikidata |
| zh | 白草蒿 | Wikidata |
Distribution
This plant exhibits a diverse geographical distribution spanning across several distinct regions. In Northern Europe, its presence can be observed within the borders of Great Britain. Moving toward Southwestern Europe, the species is also found growing in Spain. The plant has a significant reach in Northern Africa, where it inhabits Algeria. Finally, its range extends across the North African landscape to include Morocco and Tunisia.
| Region | Area | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Europe | Great Britain | WCVP |
| Southwestern Europe | Spain | WCVP |
| Northern Africa | Algeria | WCVP |
| Northern Africa | Morocco | WCVP |
| Northern Africa | Tunisia | WCVP |
| Macaronesia | Canary Is. | WCVP |
Plant Parts
This plant, commonly known as White Wormwood, is valued in traditional medicine for its various components, particularly its aerial parts. When harvesting the medicinal material, practitioners often collect the whole aerial parts to ensure a complete profile of its therapeutic properties. The shoots are of particular interest due to their concentration of bioactive compounds, and the primary medicinal potency is derived from the essential oils found within the plant tissues. Ultimately, whether using the entire shoot or processed extracts, the chemical complexity of the plant makes it a significant subject in herbal studies.- Total parts
- 10
- Scientific sources
- 13
| Plant Part | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| shoots | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| essential oils | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aerial parts | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| whole aerial parts | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| shoot | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flower | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| essential oil | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| aerial part | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Leaf | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Essential Oils | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Chemicals
Artemisia herba-alba has 76 reported phytochemicals identified across 88 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported chemicals include camphor, 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid, eucalyptol, flavonoids, hispidulin.
- Total chemicals
- 76
- Scientific sources
- 88
Most Reported Compounds
| Compound | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| camphor | 5 | ★★★☆☆ |
| 4,5-di-O-caffeoylquinic acid | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| eucalyptol | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| flavonoids | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| hispidulin | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| isoschaftoside | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| piperitone | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| rutin | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| schaftoside | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| 1,8-cineole | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Activities
Artemisia herba-alba has 13 reported activities identified across 27 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported activities include Antioxidant, Antimicrobial, Antibacterial, Antifungal, Cytotoxic.
- Total activities
- 13
- Scientific sources
- 27
Most Reported Activities
| Activity | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| Antioxidant | 7 | ★★★★☆ |
| Antimicrobial | 6 | ★★★☆☆ |
| Antibacterial | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antifungal | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Cytotoxic | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Analgesic | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Anthelmintic | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antidiabetic | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antiparasitic | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Antiplaque | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
Medicinal Uses
Artemisia herba-alba has 28 reported medicinal uses identified across 33 scientific publications and several other databases. The most consistently reported uses include cancer, COVID-19, diabetes mellitus, inflammation, Babesia.
- Total uses
- 28
- Scientific sources
- 33
Most Reported Uses
| Use | Sources | Confidence |
|---|---|---|
| cancer | 3 | ★★☆☆☆ |
| COVID-19 | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| diabetes mellitus | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| inflammation | 2 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Babesia | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Babesia bovis | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Enterobacter cloacae | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| Pain | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| anemia | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |
| breast cancer | 1 | ★☆☆☆☆ |