Absint-alsem (Dutch), Absinthe, Ambrosia (Ancient Greek), Assenzio Vero (Italian), Gengibre Verde (Spanish, ‘green ginger’), Green Muse, Grune Fee (German, ‘green fairy’), Hierba Santa (Spanish, ‘sacred herb’), Rihan (Arabic), Sage of the Glaciers, Wermod (Saxon), Wor-mod (Old English)
FAVORITE USE(S): For inducing incredibly vivid and vibrant dreams
FAVORITE TIME(S): 30 minutes to 1 hour before going to bed
I’ve been familiar with wormwood for a long time now. In fact, I think it may be one of my favorite plants! I actually started growing it in my parent’s garden when I was 15 as part of a budding interest in gardening, and have always been impressed at how beautiful and fragrant the wormwood plant is. Of course, most of you will be familiar with wormwood as the active ingredient in absinthe, the famous “green fairy” beverage that was fashionable in Europe in artist circles in the nineteenth century.
However, wormwood was revered long before absinthe was ever invented. The first part of its scientific name, Artemisia absinthum, refers to the fact that the ancient Greeks associated the plant with the goddess Artemis, and used it as a sacrament in her rituals.
As for absinthe, the beverage was created in 1797 in France. The original formula contains wormwood, anise, fennel, lemon balm, hyssop, angelica, star anise, dittany, juniper, nutmeg and veronica. Many of these plants have some psychoactive properties, but in particular, wormwood provides a notable psychoactive element to the drink because it is very rich in an alkaloid known as thujone. This alkaloid actually has pharmacological effects that are very similar to those of THC, the primary psychoactive component found in cannabis.
Drinking wormwood tea, or drinking absinthe made with wormwood creates an undeniably powerful psychoactive effect. I often find that wormwood makes me feel light, as if I am floating, and powerfully increases the color saturation and visual beauty of any place I happen to be in. One of my favorite authors, beat poet Dale Pendel, consumed a tea made from wormwood and had this to say about it: “Absinth can excite sexuality, stimulate ideas and conversation, or dissolve the brain. Difficult choices, indeed.” I have found this statement to be very true!
As a dream herb, wormwood has not been extensively researched, but numerous independent reports indicate that drinking Artemisia absinthum tea or even just putting some fresh or dried wormwood under one’s pillow can lead to incredibly vivid, beautiful dreams. After all, since wormwood makes things appear more beautiful and vibrant in the waking world, it would make sense that it would do the same for the dream world!
HOW TO PREPARE/RECIPE: Dried wormwood herbage can be smoked on its own or in a smoking blend. Fresh or dried wormwood herbage may also be consumed as a tea. Simply add one gram of dried leaves to a cup of boiling water and let steep for five minutes. Finally, the scent of wormwood herbage is powerful all on its own. I like to use it in smudge bundles as an incense – it creates a very clean and stimulating space for creative work. If you have access to fresh wormwood herbage, try placing a branch of it under your pillow before going to sleep – even just by doing this I often notice my dreams increase in vividness and clarity.
ABOUT ABSINTHE: One of the most popular uses of Wormwood throughout the world at one time was to make Absinthe out of it. Wildly popular in Europe and America in the 1800’s and early 1900’s, the United States banned all forms of Absinthe early last century. Now that Absinthe is legal in the USA again (our favorite ABSINTHE KITS are here), Wormwood is back in huge demand across the world.
Please be aware of side effects of the use of wormwood. I found this on the web: http://www.drugs.com/npp/wormwood.html
It says, in part, “Adverse Reactions – Thujone produces a state of excitement and is a powerful convulsant. Ingestion of wormwood may result in absinthism, a syndrome characterized by digestive disorders, thirst, restlessness, vertigo, trembling of the limbs, numbness of the extremities, loss of intellect, delirium, paralysis, and death.” It goes on to say, “Wormwood extract is the main ingredient in absinthe, a toxic liquor that induces absinthism, a syndrome characterized by addiction, GI problems, auditory and visual hallucinations, epilepsy, brain damage, and increased risk of psychiatric illness and suicide. The drink has been banned in several countries…” My 24-year-old son died of suicide four months ago. I found a bag of dried wormwood in the kitchen cupboard afterward, and then learned this about it, after a thorough web search. I am not saying it is the only reason he died, but I can’t help but wonder if it was a contributing factor. Please just take heed of this information. Blessings to you.
Kuewa,
I am very sorry to hear about your son’s suicide, and couldn’t imagine the grief that comes with such a tragedy. I know that in times of such tragedy, it’s in our nature to want justice, to place blame on something solid that we can point to, but I can assure you that Wormwood was not the reason for your son’s suicide, and for many reasons. First, it’s very doubtful that your son would have had the equipment to efficiently extract the thujone from the Wormwood. There is far too little thujone in a bag of Wormwood that you may have found, to have effects that would have contributed to your son’s suicide in any way. It takes a large amount of thujone over a long period of time for the adverse effects you read about to even be possible. I know that some people are highly sensitive to foreign substances in their bodies, but the only remotely efficient way to get thujone out of some wormwood is through distillation. Making tea out of a few tablespoons of Wormwood will only have traces of thujone, if at all.
The link you provided is a somewhat unfair and incomplete assessment of Wormwood. It does not give any data regarding how much needs to be taken to have the indicated effects, or over how long of a period of time. The number of recorded instances of issues with Wormwood negligible, whereas simply consuming processed foods, artificial sweeteners, caffeine, and alcohol can contribute to depression and anxiety, which are often factors that eventually can lead one to choose suicide, and in a very measurable and tangible way. (See 7 Foods that May Contribute to Depression). There are countless examples of real culprits, such as the link between suicide and anti-depressant pharmaceuticals. Also, it only takes a casual look on the internet to see staggering numbers that incontrovertibly coincide with an increase in prescription medication for depression getting prescribed. (See “Skyrocketing Suicides” for more.)
Virtually anything, in large enough doses over a long period of time can be dangerous to one’s health. Look at the diabetes epidemic in the USA. It’s so serious that it’s actually been called an epidemic. Once of the key contributing factors of adult onset diabetes is over-consumption of food, namely sugar. If we just looked at the stats for sugar without the context, we would see that it’s one of the leading causes of death and disease in the United States. But, put it on context, and it’s easy to see that sugar is perfectly safe when used properly.
And actually, authentic absinthe has been determined to be safe enough that most of the world has un-banned it, including the United States. Absinthe is completely legal to both purchase and consume in the USA once again. This isn’t to say it’s not with its dangers, but the effects you read about are from large amounts of Thujone over long periods of time, and are rarities rather than the norm. Plain old aspirin and other painkillers are responsible for many thousands of deaths each year. To quote; “Conservative calculations estimate that approximately 107,000 patients are hospitalized annually for non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug (NSAID)-related gastrointestinal (GI) complications and at least 16,500 NSAID-related deaths occur each year among arthritis patients alone.” – Singh Gurkirpal, MD, “Recent Considerations in Nonsteroidal Anti-Inflammatory Drug Gastropathy”, The American Journal of Medicine, July 27, 1998, p. 31S.
I don’t mean to sound insensitive to your tragedy, I just think it’s important in times of great pain that we don’t cast blame in the wrong places. I’ve safely used Wormwood as part of my dreaming regimen for 20 years. I get a comprehensive physical every year, including blood work, and have seen no adverse reactions from the number of herbal products and dietary supplements I ingest on a very regular basis, including absinthe and Wormwood.
Again, I’m not saying that there’s no danger, but since Wormwood has not been shown to be addicting in any way, being wise about our consumption, and closely monitoring the effects of the herbs we ingest, I feel, is no less healthy or dangerous than monitoring our intake of caffeine, artificial sweeteners, or alcohol.
Condolences,
Keith
Thank you so much! I ordered 100g of it some time ago, planning to make Absinthe. I didn’t know it could be consumed as a tea. And because I don’t realy like strong alcohols, I’m gonna try it that way!
Haulner,
I have to say that making a tea out of Wormwood isn’t nearly as effective as one Wormwood that’s been extracted into alcohol (and even further distilled). But, I can personally attest that the tea is an effective means of taking wormwood. What I often suggest to people, is to first place just 1 shot of a clear alcohol into your teacup, with 1 shot of water.. Personally, I like vodka for this. Then, if the Wormwood is powdered, place the amount you’re going to use into the bottom of the cup, and stir for about a minute or two. Then, add the rest of the hot water and enjoy, powder NOT strained out and all! I know it’s a lot of work and an extra step that involves alcohol, but I’ve found that the sedative properties of the small amount of alcohol, with consuming at least some of the powdered herb (I don’t mind it at all), can be as effective as the actual Absinthe drink.
Just a thought and thanks for sharing either way!
– Keith