Wormwood: application, cultivation, medicinal properties. Wormwood - description

It is possible that it was from this wormwood that the Egyptian priests of Isis, the goddesses of fertility and motherhood, wore wreaths on their heads. Species Latin name wormwood - absinthium in Greek means without pleasure, tk. it has a very bitter taste.

Botanical reference

Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium), like all wormwoods, is a representative of one of the largest families - Asteraceae. This is a perennial herbaceous densely pubescent and, in connection with this, a grayish-silver plant with a characteristic odor and a bitter taste, in warm regions it is often a shrub with an erect, branched stem, up to 1 m high. The leaves are dissected, meticulous botanists described them as twice or thrice pinnate dissected. The flowers are very small, yellow, collected in an inflorescence basket, forming one-sided, slightly drooping panicles; bloom in July-September. Fruits - achenes; ripen in August-October.

Where is it found in nature?

It occurs along roads, buildings, in gardens, ditches, in weedy places, wastelands in the European part, in the Caucasus, in Western Siberia, in Central Asia.

How is wormwood used?

This is a wild-growing spicy, medicinal, very decorative, insecticidal plant. Leaves are used as food (bitter seasoning for meat dishes). FROM therapeutic purpose use the herb to stimulate appetite, improve the functioning of the digestive tract, as a choleretic, diuretic, sedative, disinfectant, anti-inflammatory, anthelmintic, analgesic, wound healing agent.

How to place wormwood in the country?

It is enough to have 1-2 plants on the site, which should stay away from neighbors, as they inhibit their growth. It can be used for planting on a spicy bed, in a rockery, where it will support a silver scale that harmoniously fits into a stone landscape. The distance between plants is 40-60 cm. Prefers dry soils, undemanding to fertility.

The herbaceous culture of wormwood is widespread in Russia. And people have different opinions about this plant. On the one hand, wormwood became famous for its healing properties which have been known to the people since ancient times. But, on the other hand, it is also one of the most harmful weeds. You can easily grow this plant yourself in open ground.

General description of bitter wormwood

Speaking about how the plant looks, it can be noted that a common variety is wormwood, which is a perennial herbaceous plant. It belongs to the aster family. The species can be distinguished by its unusual silver color.

The bitter type of culture has a lignified branched root system, erect stems that are covered with soft silvery hairs, and leaf plates are dissected. In total, more than 400 species of this plant are known to science, and each of them has valuable properties.

Spreading wormwood is used as food for various animals. The tarragon species is best known to the people as a spice, which is often called tarragon. Low-growing plant varieties are ornamental. These types include:

• Steller.
• Schmidt.
• Yudovik.
• Persian.
• Milk-flowered.

Basically, these plant varieties are used for landscaping purposes. country gardens and flowerbeds.

This variety of grass has a sharp unusual smell. At the same time, it is the most bitter plant among the rest that grow on the territory of Russia. This species has a multi-headed rhizome, from which branched roots and short shoots depart. The branches stand straight, they are slightly ribbed. The plant grows up to one and a half meters in height. From above, the stems are branched, have pubescence of a gray-silver shade.

The leaf blades below are located on elongated petioles, dissected several times. From above, the foliage is almost sessile, pinnate or trifoliate. Slices on all leaf plates are pointed, slightly elongated. The flowers are arranged in small ball-shaped baskets, yellow color, tubular. The flowering of the plant begins in July. Mostly bushes can be found near houses, in vegetable gardens, at the side of roads.

Main varieties

As mentioned earlier, more than 400 varieties of wormwood are known, which are common in Africa, North America, Europe and Asia. Some varieties even have drawings on the leaf plates. This culture is valued due to its attractive appearance. openwork leaves presented in different colors:

• Silver white.
• Steel.
• Grey.
• Silver blue.
• Greyish green.

Among all the varieties of this plant, annuals, biennials, perennial varieties. There are also plants in the form of bushes and herbs. Flowering is not particularly beautiful. The flowers are usually inconspicuous and small, collected in small inflorescences. main feature culture lies in the decorativeness of its foliage. The shape, color of the sheet plates are very original and different. In addition, the leaves emit a rather memorable and pleasant smell.

undersized species

All varieties are divided into short and tall varieties. Low-growing varieties are valued for their decorative qualities and unusual foliage coloration. They are commonly referred to as:

tall species

Tall varieties of wormwood are mainly planted at the edge of the garden or along the fence. The most common varieties of these bushes are:

Features of cultivation and care

This crop is propagated by cuttings, but can also be grown from seeds. Seeds in a container are sown in rows to a depth of no more than 5 cm. When the seeds germinate, they must be thinned out. Strong seedlings should grow at a distance of about 15 cm from each other. When young seedlings grow up, they can be transplanted into open ground outdoors or in a separate flower pot.

Reproduction can be done by segments of the rhizome, as well as by dividing the bush. Bushes are best separated in September. Delenki must be immediately landed in a new place. In late spring or early summer, wormwood can be propagated by cuttings. For this purpose it is best to use apical cuttings, the length of which is about 10 cm. The branch for the cutting is cut off under the node, while the lower foliage must be cut off. Prepared cuttings are planted in containers or in open ground, where loose sandy soil must be prepared in advance. After planting, do not overfill the plants.

However, in summer the plant needs abundant watering, it is also necessary to monitor the uniform soil moisture. During the period of active growth, the culture can be fed twice with special complex fertilizers diluted in water for irrigation. Best of all, the plant will feel in a place well lit and protected from drafts. Wormwood is a frost-resistant plant, but if the culture grows outdoors in a pot, its root system should be well protected in winter, as the soil in the container freezes.

As mentioned earlier, abundant watering is required only in the hot season. The bushes of the plant develop and grow very quickly, so the rhizomes will have to be cut regularly. A large number of flower stalks are recommended to be removed. But mostly it's about undersized varieties. decorative types are unpretentious and very resistant to drought, so these plants will feel good in the lung sandy ground in a well lit area. Clay and heavy soil is contraindicated for growing plants.

When a site for planting is selected, in the spring it must be dug up with compost and sand, after which seedlings should be planted immediately. To prevent the plants from spreading throughout the site, it is necessary to limit the root system of the wormwood with the help of a curb tape dug into the ground, or to grow the crop in separate containers, pots.

If the plant is flooded, then it may lose its silvery pubescence, that is, its main decorative feature. That is why it is plentifully watered only during a long drought. If the summer turned out to be rainy, then the culture can get sick powdery mildew. In such a situation, bitter wormwood must be treated with a fungicide.

And also it is worth paying attention to the fact that during the flowering period, the formed buds must be removed so that the ovaries do not form, and the seeds are not carried by the wind throughout the site.

Application in garden decor

Before you decorate your garden, you need to know what kind of this plant can be grown in a particular area. A plant such as decorative silver wormwood has a strong, literally incomparable smell, as well as an attractive appearance. This culture is used in cooking, cosmetology, medicine, as well as for landscaping gardens and parks. But not all varieties of this culture are decorative, although many of them have outwardly attractive leaves.

Usage decorative varieties plants in the landscape is very diverse. Artemisia silver is used to create flower arrangements, which, by the way, with their sharp aroma can scare away many unwanted pests in the garden. With the help of low-growing varieties are often made out alpine slides, borders and rockeries. Tall varieties are best suited for decorating a rose garden, flower bed or mixborder.

The juice of the plant is a disinfectant and pain reliever. It also helps heal wounds and stop bleeding. An infusion based on Gmelin's wormwood is often used in the treatment of scabies, as a lotion for inflammation of the eyes and periosteum. Wormwood tincture can disinfect the mouth and gums.

This plant was used by our ancestors. On its basis, the strongest amulets were made, aimed at fighting enemies and troubles, and with the help of various potions, sorcerers caused damage.

Agree, some names speak for themselves. In any case, there is no need to explain what sagebrush (Artemisia) underlies those famous alcoholic beverages. No less expressive are the popular names of the plant: God's tree, widow's grass, Chernobyl. And there are many of them. As well as species of wormwood.

Specialists number from 250 to 400, found almost throughout the Northern Hemisphere, on different continents, latitudes and in climatic zones: wormwood sandy (A. arenaria) and white earth (A. terrae-albae), arctic (A. arctica) and Yakut (A. jacutica), Tauride (A.taurica) and maritime (A. maritima). Many species have medicinal value, especially citvarnaya (A. cina), bitter (A. absinthium), ordinary (A. vulgaris) and medical (A. abrotanum). By the way, the Latin name itself Artemisia comes from the Greek artemes - healthy.

In general, nature endowed sagebrush such bright properties - a strong memorable aroma, sharp taste, original appearance- that people paid attention to it in ancient times and used it not only as a medicinal, cosmetic and spicy, but also as a cult. And about the symbolic role of wormwood in literature, starting from Old Testament and national epics to modern poetry, and about the influence of absinthe on the culture of France, the second half of XIX century, you can write more than one scientific study.

In recent years, many people have paid attention to decorative properties wormwood. The flowers collected in inflorescences of this plant are rather inconspicuous, but the leaves are heavily indented, openwork, as if covered with ashes or road dust - of all shades gray color, very beautiful. And what is especially important, they are decorative from spring to late autumn. It is also attractive in polynyas that many species are quite unpretentious, frost- and drought-resistant, easy to care for and repel harmful insects not only from themselves, but also from plants growing in the neighborhood. And the huge species diversity and bred varieties make it possible to use high wormwood in mixborders, and in rose gardens, and in ornamental gardens, and undersized and creeping - in rockeries and as border plants.

These plants prefer open sunny places, but, as a rule, they also tolerate light partial shade. To the soil, wormwood is undemanding, growing on poor, but well-drained. But on fertile and moist soil, they can lie down. And stagnant water is detrimental to them.

Propagating wormwood is fairly easy. annual varieties and species - by seeds, perennial - by dividing the bush or cuttings, which take root very well in loose soil. But most species will have to be contained rather than propagated. root system these plants are limited with a container or curb tape dug into the soil to a depth of at least 20 cm.

Grows well in poor but well-drained soils. On the fertile soils can lie down.

Stagnant water is destructive.

The root system of polynyas is limited with a container or curb tape dug into the soil to a depth of at least 20 cm.

Wormwood cultivation, tolling processing at a drying plant, supply of grass to wholesale buyers, pharmaceutical companies, absinthe producers.

plant description

Wormwood - common plant, found throughout Russia. It grows on fallows, along roads, near houses, in weedy meadows, gardens, along forest edges. Herbs and leaves are harvested for medicine. The grass is harvested in the flowering phase. Wormwood grass contains essential oil, glycosides absinthine and anabsinthine, organic acids, tannins, ascorbic acid, carotene, vitamins A, B.

wormwood bitter - Artemisia absinthium L. Perennial herbaceous plant up to 1 m high. Stem leaves - sessile, twice or thrice pinnatisected. Stems and leaves are silky, gray tomentose. The rhizome is thickened, branched, several stems depart from it. The inflorescence is a complex panicle. The flowers are yellow, tubular, they are collected in small spherical drooping baskets. The fruits are oblong achenes, without a tuft. Wormwood blooms in June-August, the seeds ripen in September.

Economic part of the idea

Per hectare. Wormwood seeds - $60/kg. Planting rate - 200 kg per hectare - $ 2400. Rental of agricultural machinery and personnel during the period of plowing, planting, harvesting, transportation to the drying plant, security - $ 860. Grass picking in mid-July. The yield of wormwood mass is 35-40 tons per hectare. Processing in a drying plant, at a cost of $160 per ton of output product. The yield of finished dried grass is 8-9 tons - $ 1460. Dried grass is bought at $3.2 per kg.

Expenses, $
Income, $
seeds
12000
Agro-rent and transport
1860
dryer
1460
Overhead and packaging
1500
taxes
1510
Total
18330
28800
Profit
10470
Rent
57%
Loan repayment
27%
Financial net profit for the calendar year, $
5520
Why grow and not collect?

Why do I suggest growing sagebrush in a designated area rather than harvesting it where it grows naturally?

The natural crop rotation of sagebrush occurs in places along roads like weed grass. According to environmental regulations, in order to obtain a certificate for the supply of herbs to a pharmaceutical company, it is required to pass laboratory tests. Road impurities in vehicle exhaust gases are detected. Such grass is not certified, and without a certificate, none medicinal herb will not be accepted for sale! In addition, free-growing wormwood can only be harvested by hand, which will greatly increase the cost of grass.

I also ask you to pay attention that there are 250 species of wormwood, of which we are only interested in wormwood Artemisia absinthium, and not the one with which everything is overgrown - wormwood ARTEMISIA VULGARUS.

Application

I can say with confidence that there is and will be demand for wormwood. It is used by both end users and drug manufacturers. A digest is made from wormwood, a concentrate is isolated. One way or another, wormwood is involved in many medicines as a link in a complex recipe chain. Annual consumption by large pharmaceutical companies in the amount of hundreds of tons of dried herbs, among them the well-known Solway Pharma, Serono, AtheroGenics, Glaxo, Titan and the German RSJ Erste, Veropharm.

Wormwood and its preparations are used as bitterness to stimulate appetite, improve digestion. They are used for gastritis with low acidity. Essential oil wormwood has an anti-inflammatory effect. Use tincture of wormwood, infusion and extract of wormwood thick. Included in fees. In Chinese medicine, Indian Chernobyl is used, in which choline, adenine, pyrethrin, ascorbic acid, carotene, vitamin B1 are additionally found. The leaves of this plant are used as a hemostatic, antipyretic, tonic and antitoxic agent.

But this is not the main consumption of wormwood.

The alcohol market consumes wormwood annually by the thousands of tons. For example, the Czech plant Hill's, a manufacturer of a well-known brand of absinthe, represented in Russia by the company Chateau, announced a tender last year for the purchase of 1.78 thousand tons of wormwood. The British concern Burnett's annually requires 0.5 thousand tons. The French manufacturer Distilleries et Domaines de Provence, represented in Russia by the alcohol company "UTA-N" - 1.3 thousand tons.

The implementation of the idea lies in the key interests of the rich alcohol companies that supply Russian market absinthe drink. Which, in turn, have long dreamed of transferring the production of the drink into their own hands.

Wormwood(Artemisia absinthium) is a plant with fragrant silvery
leaves that can be grown on the terrace and balcony.
Bitter wormwood - aromatic green plant, which contains
dark green bitter-tasting oil. Wormwood extract is used to make absinthe. It is this ingredient that gives absinthe a specific,
unique taste.

Bitter wormwood - cultivation and care

Character
growth

Bitter wormwood is a thermophilic plant. AT vivo it grows in dry, rocky or stony places, as well as in wastelands and along roadsides. Wormwood will grow well on a terrace or balcony. In a warm place, wormwood leaves will be especially spectacular.

Wormwood - perennial with silvery gray leaves
pinnate. Both the leaves and stems of the plant are covered with gray hairs.
In July - August, small yellow flower baskets appear on the sagebrush.

Wormwood prefers nutritious and permeable soils, so it is best grown on clay soil with the addition of coarse sand. Plant sagebrush in a deep flower pot to provide roots required amount places. Young plants can be grown on the kitchen windowsill.

Peculiarities
care

seed propagation
Wormwood is usually propagated by cuttings, but it can be grown without problems.
from seeds.

Sow the seeds in rows to a depth of 5-6 cm. When the seeds germinate, thin them out, leaving only the strongest at a distance of 15 cm from each other. When the plants grow up, transplant them to a permanent place in the ground or flower pot.

If you are a supporter propagation by cuttings, then cut the cuttings with a heel (8-10 cm) from the wormwood bush. Plant the cuttings along the flower pot, and put the pot in a cool place. In the spring, transplant rooted cuttings into separate flower pots, and in September transplant them to a permanent place.

Diseases:

Virulence
Like many others medicinal plants, bitter wormwood is poisonous.
That is why wormwood is recommended to be grown in places inaccessible to children.

withering leaves
Withering wormwood leaves are a sign of too low a temperature or
insufficient watering.

Yellow leaves
Wormwood leaves turn yellow if it grows in a cold and damp room.

Watering and feeding

AT summer period wormwood needs abundant watering, support
uniform soil moisture, but do not allow it to become excessively wet.
In winter, limit watering the plant, but do not allow it to dry out completely.
soil. Once or twice during active growth, feed the bitter
wormwood diluted in irrigation water with complex fertilizers.

Choice
places

Wormwood grows well in protected and sunny places. Wormwood is a frost-resistant plant, but if the wormwood is potted, then its roots need additional protection for the winter, since the earth freezes in the bitter.