Transcript Artemisia ludoviciana - Crown Valley Organics

Medicinal Species of the
Genus Artemisia
Created for Webster Groves Herb Society
By Brigitte Zettl
Medicinally Important Artemisia Species
▪ Wormwood – Artemisia absinthium – Europe
▪ Sweet Annie – Artemisia annua – Eurasia
▪ Mugwort – Artemisia vulgaris – Eurasia
▪ White Mugwort – Artemisia ludoviciana – Western & Southern U.S.
▪ Tarragon – Artemisia dracunculus – Eurasia and Western Prairie States
Artemis – Greek Goddess
▪ The Genus Artemisia is named from Artemis
whose Roman equivalent was Diana
▪ Artemis was the most widely venerated
goddess of the Ancient Greek deities
▪ Homer referred to her as “Artemis of the
wildland, Mistress of Animals”
▪ Twin of Apollo she was a virgin Goddess of the
moon, hunting, wilderness, childbirth, and a
protector of young girls
▪ Some scholars say she is Pre-Greek, Arcadians
knew her as Demeter’s daughter
The Genus Artemisia in General
▪ Members of Asteraceae
▪ Bitter and aromatic (mentioned in the Bible as
a metaphor for a harsh, bitter experience)
▪ Usually have silver-gray hairs, at least beneath
the leaves; Flowers in terminal clusters
▪ Tend to grow in wastelands, deserts, and
devastated areas. Mathew Wood says
energetically - they are “Nature’s promise that
out of devastation life will spring up anew”.
Chemistry of Artemisias
Artemesinin
A Sesquiterpene Lactone is
resp0nsible for the bitter flavor
Thujone
Thujone is a Monoterpene – a
component of the Volatile Oil
Wormwood – Artemisia absinthium
Distinguishing characteristics:
 1-4’ in height
 Silver-green leaves, strongly divided
 Segments are blunt with silky silver hairs
on both sides
 Flowers are tiny, drooping, terminal
clusters.
 Found on waste ground throughout U.S.
Range of Artemisia absinthium in the U.S.
Wormwood & Absinthe – The Green Fairy
The Green Muse - Maignon
The Absinthe Drinker - Olivia
Wormwood & Absinthe
▪ Thujone is the toxic principle of absinthe
which made it so potent
▪ Intoxication from absinthe liqueurs has
been likened to that induced by Cannabis
▪ It is theorized that the active principle of
each plant reacts with the same receptor
site in the CNS
▪ True absinthe is habit forming, causes
delirium, hallucinations, and permanent
mental deterioration
Wormwood & Magic
▪ Used in herb scrying
▪ Represents the Air Element –Yellow Color
▪ Folk Names: Old Woman, Crown for a King
▪ Basic Powers: Clairvoyance, Protection
▪ Thrown onto the fire at Samhain to
protect from evil spirits
Medicinal Uses of Wormwood
▪ Widely used in Old World medicine
▪ Dioscorides said the herb is used
principally for its stimulating influence on
the stomach, gallbladder, and digestion.
▪ It is referred to by many physicians over
the centuries as being warming for the
cold, hardened digestive system
▪ Relatively small doses may cause nervous
disorders, convulsions, insomnia,
nightmares, and depression
Medicinal Uses of Wormwood
Actions: Antibacterial,
antimalarial, antifungal,
immunomodulator, antiinflammatory, diaphoretic,
euphoriant, antiamoebic,
choleretic, smooth muscle
relaxant
Active Against: Malaria,
Staphylococcus aureus, Candida
albicans, Klebsiella pneumoniae,
intestinal worms, amebic
organisms
“Some herbalists feel that the presence of
thujone, and the possible nervous system
damage from it, is too dangerous to risk
using wormwood at all. Many other
herbalists have used the herb for many years
with no sign of adverse reactions. Use in folk
practice throughout the world is pervasive. It
should be recognized however that
wormwood is a strong herb and should be
used with respect and attentiveness of
mind”. – Stephen Buhner Herbal Antibiotics
Mugwort – Artemisia vulgaris
Distinguishing Characteristics:
 2-4’ in height
Leaves deeply cut
 Silvery-wooly beneath, green on top.
Flower heads erect.
 Found on waste ground throughout the
U.S. – naturalized on the East Coast
Range of Artemisia vulgaris in the U.S.
Moxabustion (TCM) – Ai Ye
▪ The Chinese dry and render Mugwort into a
cottony mass that is burned directly on the
skin or above the skin
▪ The volatile oils that are combusted promote
blood circulation, relax the underlying nerves,
and burn quickly at a low temperature.
▪ Moxa stimulates the immune system and
associated meridians of the nervous system
▪ It is specifically used for conditions associated
with coldness and deficiency
Mugwort & Magic
▪ Folk Names: Old Man, Witch Herb, Sailor’s
Tobacco, Felon Herb, Naughty Man
▪ Put into your shoe to prevent fatigue on
long journey’s
▪ Rub leaves on magic mirrors and crystal
balls to stengthen power
▪ Plant’s powers are strongest when picked
on the Full Moon
▪ The ‘Dream Herb’
Mugwort – Medicinal Uses
Michael Tierra says Mugwort has the following
properties:
 Cholagogue, vermifuge, emmenagogue,
hemostatic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, mild
narcotic, bitter tonic
 Used for: Liver, stomach & intestinal
problems, worms, nervousness, ritual
purification
 Ash can be applied topically to stop bleeding
Mugwort is the mildest of the Artemisias
Sweet Annie – Artemisia annua
 The only annual medicinal Artemisia
 1-9 feet in height
 Leaves are ternately divided with fernlike
segments
 Leaves are oblong to lance shaped,
sharp-toothed or cleft
 Tiny green-yellow flowers in terminal
clusters
Range of Artemisia annua in the U.S.
Sweet Annie & Malaria
▪ Artemesinin is the active constituent
▪ All species can be used to combat Malaria but
A. annua is one of the most researched herbs
in the world at the moment for an alternative
to treat drug resistant Malaria
S. Buhner says dose to treat Malaria is as
follows:
 25 – 4o milligrams of leafy herb per 3 pounds
Women in Uganda sorting Sweet Annie
of body weight. Take 3 x per day before meals
for 7 days. Symptoms have been shown to
subside in 30 hours.
Qinghao – Sweet Annie is also used in TCM
White Mugwort – Artemisia ludoviciana
Often mistakenly identified as
Sage
Defining Characteristics:
 To 3’ in height
 Leaves are white and felty
beneath
 Blade is lance shaped and
entire
 Flowers born in dense panicles
 Native to the west,
naturalized in the Eastern U.S.
Range of Artemisia ludoviciana in the U.S.
Smudging – Ritual Purification
▪ The Dakota-Lakota use A. ludoviciana for
cleansing the body in some purification rites.
▪ Short Bull, a Lakota chief amends that A.
ludoviciana is for the men and the dwarf A.
cana is used by the women.
▪ Eagle Shield a Sioux Shaman received a vision
from bear teaching him a song to use with
Artemisia:
“Herbs I shall give you, but they are good, so you
shall recover, all these are good, they say”
Other Traditional & Historical Uses
▪ The Cheyenne crushed the leaves as a snuff for
sinus problems and headaches
▪ The Crow made a salve to treat sores and for use as
a deodorant
▪ The Kiowa made a tonic to reduce phlegm and to
relieve stomach ailments
▪ The Mesquakie used a leaf poultice for sores and to
repel mosquitoes
▪ Pawnee women drank a bitter tea during menses
▪ Miners and fronteirsmen prized A. ludoviciana for
‘Mountain Fever’
The Sioux smoked A. Ludoviciana
Russian Tarragon – Artemisia dracunculus
‘Sativa’ is French Tarragon and must be
propagated vegetatively
Defining Characteristics:
 Leaves not silver or hairy but lance-
shaped and linear (sometimes divided)
without teeth. Whitish green flowers in
loose terminal clusters.
 Dracunculus means little dragon because
the leaves are said to look like little dragon
tongues
Range of Artemisia dracunculus in the U.S.
Tarragon Uses
▪ Flowering stem is recommended to be
used as an anti-inflammatory,
carminative, diuretic, emmenagogue,
sedative, and vermifuge
▪ Rutin a constituent found in the flowers is
a known cancer-preventative
▪ French tarragon is used in herbal vinegars
to stimulate appetite
Recommended Reading
▪ Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants; Charlotte Erichsen-Brown
▪ Sacred Plant Medicine; Stephen Harrod Buhner
▪ Peterson Field Guides; Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants & Herbs
▪ Magical Herbalism; Scott Cunningham
▪ Medicinal Plants of the Heartland; Connie Kaye & Neil Billington
▪ The Book of Herbal Wisdom; Matthew Wood
▪ The Way of Herbs; Michael Tierra
▪ Herbal Antibiotics; Stephen Buhner
▪ Herbal Vade Mecum; Gazmend Skenderi
▪ Phytochemistry and Pharmacy for Practioners of Botanical Medicine; Eric Yarnell