The main ingredient within Hapsburg absinthe, and the etymology of the name ‘Absinthe’ derives from the latin nomenclature of the ‘wormwood’ plant, (Artemisia absinthium). For thousands of years wormwood has been used by herbalists as a medicinal aid to treat a variety of illnesses and diseases.

The use of Wormwood as as part of the medical options dates back to the ancient Egyptians (1550 BC) who used it as a way to treat intestinal worms (a vermicide). This is where the name “wormwood” originates from.
Historians believe that the pre-Columbian Aztecs in Central America also used wormwood as a way to treat digestive ailments and treat other intestinal and gynecological problems. They would also apply it to open wounds to help them heal quicker.

There are many other appearances of wormwood through the ages. In ancient Greece, a doctor named Soranus suggested it as a way for a woman to rid themselves of an unwanted pregnancy and Hippocrates, a famous Greek physician proscribed it for jaundice, anaemia, rheumatism and even menstrual pain.

The Chinese began using wormwood as a way to treat malaria many thousands of years ago. The World Health Organisation recognises this as a valid form of treatment and consequently it continues to be used for this purpose today. There is a component within wormwood that reacts with the iron found within the malarial parasite. This reaction produces free radicals that destroy the cell walls of the parasite and hence treat the illness. It has been suggested that it could also be an effective way to treat cancer too due to its unique components and ability to help produce free radicals in this way. As recently as the nineteenth century, the French Army & possibly the Foreign Legion too, would allocate a ration of Absinthe to the soldiers, allegedly to ward off Malaria, which doubless it did ; however one can only speculate as to how it affected their accuracy under fire !!

Wormwood seems to be able to treat a large spectrum of illnesses, from the minor to the very severe. Russian farmers say this is the reason for wormwood’s extremely bitter taste having soaked up all of human suffering.

Research is incomplete when it comes to wormwood, but it is still considered to be an effective tonic in many parts of the world, capable of curing a variety of illnesses from heartburn and indigestion to acting as a pain killer and treating malaria. Indeed within the last five years, a new highly resistant strain of malaria has appeared in parts of S.E. Asia & South America , which is passed via a parasitic plasmodium. Apparently there is no known preventative treatment other than using formulations made from Wormwood. This wonder plant still has many many secrets to give up!

This entry was posted on Friday, March 19th, 2010 at 6:26 pm and is filed under Absinthe. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.