Wormwood – Artemisia annua
Annual mugwort has been used for over a thousand years to treat infections and digestive disorders. Since the 1970s, it has also been used as a remedy for malaria worldwide.
Aids digestion
Fields of application
The medicinal plant Artemisia is one of the better known medicinal plants and is used in numerous applications in phytotherapy and traditional Chinese medicine, where the plant has been an integral part of healing practice for 2000 years. The active ingredients of Artemisia include artemisinin, flavonoids, beta-sitosterol, thymol, menthol, coumarin and some essential oils. Artemisia annua is used to treat flatulence, indigestion, insomnia, loss of appetite, anaemia, abdominal pain and jaundice. Studies confirm that the active agent artemisinin attacks cells with a high iron content, triggering a reaction that destroys harmful cells in the body. The WHO recommends artemisinin combination preparations as the first-line active agents for the treatment of malaria.
Botanical characteristics
Artemisia is a genus of plants that includes around 250 to 500 species. These include well-known plants such as wormwood and southernwood. In addition to the already mentioned artemisinin, a further 245 active ingredients have already been detected in the plant – many of which have an anti-inflammatory effect It is usually harvested in August, shortly before the mugwort flowers. The harvested herb can be easily stripped from the stem and then gently dried in the shade.