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Artemisia abrotanum | |
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Scientific classification | |
Kingdom: | Plantae |
Clade: | Tracheophytes |
Clade: | Angiosperms |
Clade: | Eudicots |
Clade: | Asterids |
Order: | Asterales |
Family: | Asteraceae |
Genus: | Artemisia |
Species: | A. abrotanum |
Binomial name | |
Artemisia abrotanum | |
Synonyms [1] | |
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Artemisia abrotanum, the southernwood, lad's love, or southern wormwood, is a species of flowering plant in the sunflower family. It is native to Eurasia [2] and Africa but naturalized in scattered locations in North America. [3] [4] Other common names include: old man, boy's love, oldman wormwood, lover's plant, appleringie, garderobe, Our Lord's wood, maid's ruin, garden sagebrush, European sage, sitherwood and lemon plant.
Southernwood has a strong camphor-like odour and was historically used as an air freshener or strewing herb. It forms a small bushy shrub, which is widely cultivated by gardeners. The grey-green leaves are small, narrow and feathery. The small flowers are yellow. It can easily be propagated by cuttings, or by division of the roots.
This plant has gained the Royal Horticultural Society's Award of Garden Merit. [5]
Shrub-like herbaceous perennial in the Asteraceae or daisy family. Possesses upright branches that have greenish gray leaves that form a bushy clumped form. the leaf length is normally 1 - 3 inches and the leaf width is normally less than an 1 inch. [6] They are know for there camphor-like scent. [6] Abrotanum are found mainly in the Baltic states, however have been seen in Eurasia, North America, and Africa. In NA it is becoming a naturalized weed in disturbed areas. They grow best in hot dry climates however they do not succeed in humid weather. [7] They can grow to be 3-4 feet tall and 2-3 feet wide. The flowers can be either white or yellow and they bloom in the summer and the fall. the flower shape is like a cup and is normally less than 1 inch. When the plant is touched it sometime gives of a aroma of lemon or tangerine and obviously camphor [8] . Artemisia Abrotnum contains a bacteria fighting alkaloid called abrotanin [8] .
The genus is named for Artemis who in Greek mythology is the Greek goddess of the moon, wild animals, and hunting. [9] The specific epithet from Greek means wormwood or southernwood which are the most common names for Artemisia abrotanum. Other names could be lad's love, maid's love and old man. In France, it is called garderobe which means guard the wardrobe, referring to the old practice of placing plant sprigs where you would put your clothes to deter moths and other insects. [9] It is called Abroddman or male southernwood and shares its Swedish name with the cotton lavender Santolina chamaecyparissus . [8]
It has been mentioned as early as the sixteenth century in Swedish Danish medicinal books that it was used as a treatment for people and animals. [8]
A yellow dye can be extracted from the branches of the plant for use with wool. Its dried leaves are used to keep moths away from wardrobes. The volatile oil in the leaves is responsible for the strong, sharp scent which repels moths and other insects. It was[ when? ] customary to lay sprays of the herb amongst clothes, or to hang them in closets, and this is the origin of one of the southernwood's French names, "garderobe" ("clothes-preserver"). Judges carried posies of southernwood and rue to protect themselves from prisoners' contagious diseases, and some church-goers relied on the herb's sharp scent to keep them awake during long sermons. [10]
In the traditional medicine of East and North Bosnia and Herzegovina, aerial parts of Artemisia abrotanum are used in jaundice therapy. [11]
Aqueous extracts of the southernwood have been proven to have benefits to all layers of the skin. Two studies were done to see if southernwood did have the positive benefits, one on dryness in lower legs and the other on multiple factors on in the facial regions. [12] In the first study, the extract was applied to one leg and placebo to the other leg twice a day for two weeks. Moisturization was measured by Skicon, and transepidermal water loss (TEWL) was measured as well. The results showed a significant decrease in TEWL in the panelists with the extract compared to the panelists with placebo. In the second study, patients with coarse wrinkling in the crows feet and upper cheek areas, and also moderate pigmentation, were used. Patients applied the extract to one side of the face and placebo to the other. The facial treatment of southernwood showed improvements of fine lines, mottled pigmentation and radiance when compared to the placebo treatment. The treatment showed significant improvements in overall photodamage to the facial region. [12]
A nasal spray treatment was created to assist patients with allergic rhinitis that contains phytoconstituents 1,8-cineole, linalool, and davonone. [13] Twelve patients that had allergic rhinitis were given the nasal spray, after administration symptoms such as nasal congestion, sneezing and rhinorrhea all declined within 10 minutes and lasted for several hours. However after the nasal spray was used all the patients experienced a stinging sensation in the nasal area, but it did not hinder any of the effects as it only lasted a few seconds. [13]
A poem by Edward Thomas (1878–1917) concerns the herb: "Old Man or Lad's Love". [14]
In the Chinese book of rites, it is mentioned in sacrifices. [15] It was[ when? ] used in bouquets for its fragrance for church women in Sweden. In Medieval books, it is said to have been used to treat sleep talking and female diseases. [8]
Artemisia abrotanum grows in acidic, well-drained soil and prefers loamy, sandy, clay soil to grow to full size. It needs full sun exposure in a sheltered location away from extreme winds. The plant is susceptible to root rot. [7]
In 2012, the European Food Safety Authority reported that all the aerial parts of Artemisia abrotanum contain substances that can be toxic to humans, due to the presence in the essential oil of bicyclic monoterpenes and phenylpropanoids. [16] The severity of poison is low but if eaten in large quantities can be very toxic to humans. the parts of the plant that are poisonous are the bark, flowers, fruits, leaves, roots, seeds, and the stems. [6]
Allergic rhinitis, of which the seasonal type is called hay fever, is a type of inflammation in the nose that occurs when the immune system overreacts to allergens in the air. It is classified as a type I hypersensitivity reaction. Signs and symptoms include a runny or stuffy nose, sneezing, red, itchy, and watery eyes, and swelling around the eyes. The fluid from the nose is usually clear. Symptom onset is often within minutes following allergen exposure, and can affect sleep and the ability to work or study. Some people may develop symptoms only during specific times of the year, often as a result of pollen exposure. Many people with allergic rhinitis also have asthma, allergic conjunctivitis, or atopic dermatitis.
Artemisia is a large, diverse genus of plants belonging to the daisy family, Asteraceae, with almost 500 species. Common names for various species in the genus include mugwort, wormwood, and sagebrush.
Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort,common mugwort, or wormwood, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is one of several species in the genus Artemisia commonly known as mugwort, although Artemisia vulgaris is the species most often called mugwort. Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.
Artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood, sweet annie, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort or annual wormwood, is a common type of wormwood native to temperate Asia, but naturalized in many countries including scattered parts of North America.
Artemisia absinthium, otherwise known as common wormwood, is a species of Artemisia native to North Africa and temperate regions of Eurasia, and widely naturalized in Canada and the northern United States. It is grown as an ornamental plant and is used as an ingredient in the spirit absinthe and some other alcoholic beverages.
Artemisia maritima is a European species of wormwood known as sea wormwood, and also formerly often by its synonym Seriphidium maritimum. It is native to the Atlantic coasts of northern Europe, from western and northern France, Ireland, the United Kingdom, Belgium, the Netherlands, Germany, Denmark, Sweden, Norway, the Baltic States, and northwestern Russia. In Great Britain, it is found as far north as Wigton on the west coast and Cruden Bay on the east coast, and in Ireland, on the east and west coasts between Dublin and Killough, and Tralee Bay to Galway; it also occurs on the Isle of Man.
Mugwort is a common name for several species of aromatic flowering plants in the genus Artemisia. In Europe, mugwort most often refers to the species Artemisia vulgaris, or common mugwort. In East Asia the species Artemisia argyi is often called "Chinese mugwort" in the context of traditional Chinese medicine, Ngai Chou in Cantonese or àicǎo (艾草) for the whole plant in Mandarin, and àiyè (艾叶) for the leaf, which is used specifically in the practice of moxibustion. Artemisia princeps is a mugwort known in Korea as ssuk (쑥) and in Japan as yomogi (ヨモギ). While other species are sometimes referred to by more specific common names, they may be called simply "mugwort" in many contexts.
Chronic atrophic rhinitis, or simply atrophic rhinitis, is a chronic inflammation of the nose characterised by atrophy of nasal mucosa, including the glands, turbinate bones and the nerve elements supplying the nose. Chronic atrophic rhinitis may be primary and secondary. Special forms of chronic atrophic rhinitis are rhinitis sicca anterior and ozaena. It can also be described as the empty nose syndrome.
Artemisia afra, the African wormwood, is a common species of the genus Artemisia in Africa, with a wide distribution from South Africa, to areas reaching to the North and East, as far north as Ethiopia.
Artemisia ludoviciana is a North American species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae, known by several common names, including silver wormwood, western mugwort, Louisiana wormwood, white sagebrush, lobed cud-weed, prairie sage, and gray sagewort.
Artemisia biennis is a species of sagebrush known by the common name biennial wormwood. It is a common and widely distributed weed, so well established in many places that its region of origin is difficult to ascertain. This species is most likely native to northwestern North America and naturalized in Western Europe, and eastern and southern North America.
Artemisia michauxiana is a North American species of wormwood in the sunflower family. It is known by the common names Michaux's wormwood and lemon sagewort. It is native to the western United States and Canada. It grows in mountain talus habitats in subalpine to alpine climates.
Fluticasone furoate, sold under the brand name Flonase Sensimist among others, is a corticosteroid for the treatment of non-allergic and allergic rhinitis administered by a nasal spray. It is also available as an inhaled corticosteroid to help prevent and control symptoms of asthma. It is derived from cortisol. Unlike fluticasone propionate, which is only approved for children four years and older, fluticasone furoate is approved in children as young as two years of age when used for allergies.
Four thieves vinegar is a concoction of vinegar infused with herbs, spices or garlic that was believed to protect users from the plague.
Artemisia herba-alba, the white wormwood, is a perennial shrub in the genus Artemisia that grows commonly on the dry steppes of the Mediterranean regions in Northern Africa, Western Asia and Southwestern Europe. It is used as an antiseptic and antispasmodic in herbal medicine.
Artemisia cana is a species of sagebrush native to western and central North America; it is a member of the sunflower family. It is known by many common names, including silver sagebrush, sticky sagebrush, silver wormwood, hoary sagebrush, and dwarf sagebrush.
Artemisia argyi, commonly known as silvery wormwood or Chinese mugwort, is a herbaceous perennial plant with a creeping rhizome. It is native to China, Korea, Mongolia, Japan, and the Russian Far East. It is known in Chinese as àicǎo or ài yè or ài hao, in Japanese as Chōsen yomogi and in Korean as Hwanghae ssuk. It is used in herbal medicine for conditions of the liver, spleen and kidney.
Artemisia tilesii is an Asian and North American species of flowering plant in the aster family. Its common names include Tilesius' wormwood, Aleutian mugwort, and stinkweed. It is native to Russia, Japan, and northern North America.
Artemisia arborescens, the tree wormwood, is a species of flowering plant in the family Asteraceae, native to the Mediterranean region. It is an erect evergreen perennial, with masses of finely-divided aromatic silvery-white leaves and single-sided sprays of yellow daisy-like flowers. This plant is cultivated for its foliage effects, but in colder temperate regions it requires the protection of a wall.
Artemisia pontica, the Roman wormwood or small absinthe, is an herb used in the production of absinthe and vermouth. Originating in southeastern Europe, it is naturalized over much of Eurasia from France to Xinjiang, and is also found in the wild in northeastern North America.