Description

Also known as Artemisia absinthus, Absinthe, Absinthe Wormwood, and Old Woman’s Weed. Introduction As bitter as wormwood, goes an ancient proverb, and wormwood is indeed one of the most bitter of all plants. Named after the Greek goddess Artemis, the plant is said to have been delivered to Chiron, the father of medicine, by the goddess herself. Wormwood is often used as a companion plant, as it has strong pest repellant properties, and deters the growth of weeds. Its best known use is in the making of absinthe, a liquor distilled from wormwood. Such famous men as Hemingway and Van Gogh attributed part of their creativity to absinth.

The absinthe recommended by the ancient physicians from the Egyptian through the Greeks was likely a very different recipe than that with which we are familiar today. It is most likely that it was simply wormwood soaked in wine or spirits, imparting the medicinal value of the plant to the alcohol. Among its traditional uses, Pliny noted that victorious champions at the races often drank a cup of wine in which wormwood had been soaked to remind them that victory was bitter as well as sweet.

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