Common Name: White Wormwood

General Information

Artemisia herba-alba is an aromatic, dwarf shrub growing 20 - 40cm tall
The plant is harvested from the wild for local use as a medicine and fuel. The plant is sold in local markets for medicinal use.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

Range

Mediterranean - Spain, southern France, Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Libya, Egypt, Israel, Lebanon, Syria, Turkey; Saudi Arabia

Habitat

Loess and grey steppe and desert soils[].

Properties

Medicinal Rating
Other Uses Rating
Habit	Shrub
Height	0.30 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Wild

Cultivation Details

Artemisia herba-alba is a plant of semi-arid regions in the Mediterranean and is not very harding in regions with cold winters.
Species in this genus are generally easily grown, succeeding in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[, ]. They tend to be longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[].

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal

Artemisia herba-alba is a popular herbal treatment in N. Africa, where it is considered to be a remedy for all kinds of ailments[]. The plant is considered to be carminative, cholagogue, depurative, diuretic, emmenagogue, sedative, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge[]. It is used in the treatment of conditions such as diabetes, coughs and colds, lung problems, diarrhoea, vomiting, flatulence, fever, measles, jaundice, poisoning, cardiac arrhythmia, and muscle weakness[, ]. It is also used for treating parasitic infections such as roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and flukes[].

The plant is burnt, and the fumes inhaled, as a treatment for coughs, chest, stomach and muscular pains[].
The plant is crushed and applied to the hair to strengthen it and prevent hair loss[]. The crushed plant is also applied to cuts and various skin disorders[]. The macerated leaves, combined with olive oil, is applied to the skin to treat lesions[].

The leaves and stem contain an esential oil with irregular monoterpene alcohols; the sesquiterpene lactone santolin; herbolides A, B and C; thymol;[, ].
The leaves contain non-glycosidic flavonoids[].
Preliminary evidence suggests that taking a water extract of the herb might reduce fasting and postprandial blood sugar in some patients with type 2 diabetes[].
Preliminary evidence suggests that taking a water extract of the herb might reduce symptoms and cure pinworm infections in adults and children after 3 days of treatment[].
An essential oil extract from aerial plant parts also appears to have antibacterial activity against some Gram positive and Gram negative bacteria in vitro. Santolina alcohol constituent in the essential oil appears to be responsible for this antibacterial activity[].
A water extract of Artemisia herba-alba aerial parts and root appears to have a variety of pharmacological effects. It appears to affect blood glucose levels, lowering it in cases of diabetes[].
Artemisia herba-alba water extract also appears to have an analgesic and anti-inflammatory effects; plus a weak antibacterial activity[]

Other Uses

Widely used as a fuel plant[], The dried plant is used as a tinder.

Propagation

Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse. The seed usually germinates within 2 - 26 weeks at 15°c[]. When they are large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots. They can be planted out in the summer, or kept in pots in a cold frame for the winter and then planted out in the spring.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, mid summer in a frame.