Discussion On Wormwood

[Mystic Wolf]

Wormwood or Absinthe by itself isn't that poisonous. It grows locally here in Southern California. Well at least one variety does. Many call it Desert Sage though the smell is slightly different than sage and it doesn't have broadleaves. I have seen an ingredient list for the making of Absinthe and am pretty sure its potency comes not from the alcohol content but from the combination of Nutmeg, mugwort and wormwood oil. You can grow all three of these but not sure how to test it out safely. Also not sure if I want to test the laws of the land at this point since Absinthe is listed as a controlled substance similar to morphine and cocaine.

Discussions on some of the more exotic plants would be nice to have.

[kblackthorne]

Absinthe is listed as a controlled substance similar to morphine and cocaine.

Hence me not wanting to run around with a bottle of the stuff. :p (Though I might have said heroine & cocaine. Morphine is legal to produce under certain conditions for pharmacutical use. Herione isn't. Though maybe yours is more apt after all: I heard rumors that there's someplace in England -- like, a single place -- that has permission to manufacture a version of absinthe, although it is -- I believe completely -- outlawed in the US & France.)

Weird thing is, when she let us smell it, the scent reminded me strongly of my great-grandmother... a very straight-laced lady if ever I knew one. Very weird.

Yes, the alcohol is somewhat incidental to the herbal components, wormwood chief among them.



Wilddchild,
Things are really chaotic -- not sure if I'm back as a "regular" yet, just dropping in! :sunny:

[Mithrea]

I know Absinthe is legal in Prague, although it is regulated. I also have a friend who lives here but is from Norway and she always has some and it seems like I have a doable recipe for it somewhere . . .

[Lavender]

I thought we'll kick off the discussion on Wormwood continuing on from the old thread. :)

[golddust]

not sure about the specific properties of wormwood, but you can buy absinthe in London (very expensive)- i've used it as an aid to meditation before and it worked very well, so it does have some good properties, and like moist things if you use it properly and with care there's no damage done

[golddust]

Originally posted by golddust
and like moist things

or even most things

[Mystic Wolf]

Wormwood (Genus Artemisia).

There are several types of wormwood that are commonly used. These include herbs we know as Wormwood, Mugwort and Tarragon. The plants have divided slender needle-like leaves. The leaf color ranges from a dark green to a silvery green. Where I live we have a type of wormwood that is called Desert Sage. It grows to be about 9 feet tall if left unchecked, survives drought and heat very well and has gray green leaves similar to actual sage (Genus Salvia).

Wormwood has gained recent fame by being a key ingredient in a drink called Absinthe. The drink gets it name from Artemisia Absinthium which is the main ingrediant. However Artemisia Absinthium is not poisonus, or hallucinogenic on its own. Only when it is combined with other ingredients which include Anise, Water, Sugar and a mixture of other herbs. Wormwood provides a chemical called Thujone which is believed to be the cause of the hallucinations from Absinthe but has never been statistically proven.

The Artemisia family gets their name from Artemis, the Greek name for Diana. As such these plants are considered sacred to Diana and were often used in offerings and incense for her temples. Artemisia species have long been used in wort cunning (herb work).

More on each type of wormwood and its uses later.

[Mithrea]

Oh wow. I found this fantastic link: Wormwood (http://www.orst.edu/extension/sorec/mg/herbanrenewal/wormwood.htm)

Magically, I use Wormwood for protection and psychic work. But I think it can also be used for love or in dream pillows to increase the frequency of dreaming.

[Silver_Alhena]

According to one of my books, Wormwood was also used by herbalists to induce abortions and childbirth.

Something else I was told by the Russian teacher at school, was that in the Bible, Wormwood was one of the 'Angels' mentioned in the book of Revalation.."And lo, Wormwood blew his trumpet."
blah blah, something about the rain being poisoned, and killing the plants, the rivers being poisoned and killing the fish, animals drinking and eating poisoned stuff.
The Russian for Wormwood is Chernobyl....

[Theres]

well i hate to disagree here, but while wormwood (artemisia absinthium) and mugwort (artemisia vulgaris) are similar,
mugwort is NOT wormwood!
both contain thujone, the psychoactive ingredient in absinthe, although wormwood has this in much higher concentrations.
and it IS the wormwood that causes the psychedelic effects of absinthe. Absente, Chartreuse and Pernod all contain some or all of the other ingredients that are found in absinthe, but none of these produce the same effect.
and wormwood CAN be dangerous! it is known to cause liver damage, and prolonged ingestion of thujone in high doses can produce delusions and depression, and
it is thought to be addictive as well. just look at the famous people who loved the stuff... Earnest Hemmingway committed suicide, and Poe was not a terribly stable character either. Toulouse-Latrec, Bosch, Bram Stoker, along with many others "danced with the green faery", as have i myself.
and it is legal to purchase in the U.S, but only as a 'collectible' (yeah right, i PROMISE i won't drink it!). and while you are not allowed to distill it (or anything else without a license), a fairly potent version can be steeped. my favorite recipe is from Aliester Crowley, another 'perfectly normal' absinthe drinker!

here's one of my favorite links on the subject... http://www.sepulchritude.com/chapelperilous/absinthe/absinthe.html

[vikinggoddess]

here's a link to my page on wormwood:

http://chinesetherapeutics.org/qinghao.html

[mothwench]

someone wrote:
and wormwood CAN be dangerous! it is known to cause liver damage, and prolonged ingestion of thujone in high doses can produce delusions and depression, and
it is thought to be addictive as well. just look at the famous people who loved the stuff... Earnest Hemmingway committed suicide, and Poe was not a terribly stable character either. Toulouse-Latrec, Bosch, Bram Stoker, along with many others "danced with the green faery", as have i myself.

-but surely you mean absynthe. wormwood itself taken in sensible doses (as with everything, really) can have very beneficial effects on the digestive system. only in combination with alcohol does wormwood develop its high liver toxicity.

bb, the mothwench

p.s. how do you put the quotes in the minty-green boxes? :)

[Lamoondove]

someone wrote:
and wormwood CAN be dangerous! it is known to cause liver damage, and prolonged ingestion of thujone in high doses can produce delusions and depression, and
it is thought to be addictive as well. just look at the famous people who loved the stuff... Earnest Hemmingway committed suicide, and Poe was not a terribly stable character either. Toulouse-Latrec, Bosch, Bram Stoker, along with many others "danced with the green faery", as have i myself.

-but surely you mean absynthe. wormwood itself taken in sensible doses (as with everything, really) can have very beneficial effects on the digestive system. only in combination with alcohol does wormwood develop its high liver toxicity.

bb, the mothwench

p.s. how do you put the quotes in the minty-green boxes? :)


I cant figure it ,,,Every time i try,,, I end up capturen the wholeeeee quooooote , I see some people can capture just a word or two if they want ,,soooooo i was wondering the same thing to .....:) ~~~MP~~~~
pssss let me know if you figure it out ,k, :)

[mothwench]

I cant figure it ,,,Every time i try,,, I end up capturen the wholeeeee quooooote , I see some people can capture just a word or two if they want ,,soooooo i was wondering the same thing to .....:) ~~~MP~~~~
pssss let me know if you figure it out ,k, :)

well, i've sussed the boxes, as you have as well, and as far as the size of the message goes, when you click on reply with quote, just put your cursor in the quote and delete any bits you don't want in there. kay? or highlight the part you don't want and then hit delete. :graduate:

lots to learn on this site i know... but after a while, you'll get the hang of it. i did, and my computer hates me. :hehehehe:

[Lamoondove]

Well daaaa i am saying ,,lol,, i never thought of that ,,,lol,,:) oh boy i tell ya something so simple if it was a snake might of bit me ,,lol,,, Thanx so much ,,,, :)

my printer and scanner probley not to happy to ,,lol,, i ahve been cheating i like to type but mess up lots so easier to type and fix than to right and fix ,,,
then i print it out, as for the info here i cheat on that to ,,lol i take the page of herbs what ever it is i am looking at that i want to keep print it out ,,, lol,, save it ,, :) going to be sad when i run out of ink ,,,lol,, ~~~~~~~thanx for the help there :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~Blessed Be ,,,,,,Merry Part,,,,

[mothwench]

Well daaaa i am saying ,,lol,, i never thought of that ,,,lol,,:) oh boy i tell ya something so simple if it was a snake might of bit me ,,lol,,, Thanx so much ,,,, :)

my printer and scanner probley not to happy to ,,lol,, i ahve been cheating i like to type but mess up lots so easier to type and fix than to right and fix ,,,
then i print it out, as for the info here i cheat on that to ,,lol i take the page of herbs what ever it is i am looking at that i want to keep print it out ,,, lol,, save it ,, :) going to be sad when i run out of ink ,,,lol,, ~~~~~~~thanx for the help there :) ~~~~~~~~~~~~Blessed Be ,,,,,,Merry Part,,,,

:lol: you are too cute! what browser are you using? maybe i can help you bookmark the threads you are on, then you don't have to keep on printing stuff... that's gonna amout to one big heap of paper, isn't it?

oh, i just had a thought, are you printing this stuff bcause your paying by the minute and don't have a flat rate? (internet, i mean)