Another tale from my book, about Wormwood. Wormwood is interesting because it is mentioned 7 times in the Old Testament, and also once in the Book of Revelations… which might explain why Revelations reads like one big psychedelic trip…
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The Green Muse
Botanical name: Artemisia afra
Common names: African wormwood, umhlonyane (Zulu), wildeals (Afrikaans)
![[Image: vincent-van-gogh.jpg]](https://static.independent.co.uk/s3fs-public/styles/article_small/public/thumbnails/image/2016/10/31/09/vincent-van-gogh.jpg)
When I think of wormwood, I think of Vincent van Gogh, for it was the artist’s penchant for wormwood that might well have edged him towards the madness that had him cutting off his ear and taking his own life. Van Gogh was rather partial to the ‘green muse’ – which is what absinthe, that notorious yellowy-green alcohol, is called. Flavoured with wormwood, it is extremely powerful and highly addictive, with narcotic, hallucinogenic and sometimes fatal effects. Very possibly a whole lot of French people were trying to cut off their ears or jump off buildings to fly with the angels at the same time as Van Gogh.
French poet Paul Verlaine was certainly one. Addicted to absinthe, he too led a volatile life, going down with a host of others seeking inspiration from the watery muse. By the turn of the twentieth century, absinthe was so popular in France that the French government banned it in 1915.
The wormwood used in absinthe is a species called Artemisia absinthium. It is the European version of African wormwood (Artemisia afra), a renowned African medicinal plant. Both these species of wormwood contain a volatile, narcotic substance called ‘thujone’ which is the main active ingredient in absinthe and one of the active ingredients in the medicines derived from these plants.
We know that all medicine can be poisonous; it’s just a matter of dose. Thujone taken too regularly has been directly associated with the neurotoxic syndrome called absinthism. Of course, absinthism could also have been caused by the high alcohol content in absinthe or by adulterants used in popular, cheap versions of the drink, such as copper sulphate. Astists like Van Gogh, as we know, had precious little cash and would most certainly have bought the cheapest brands.
While the European wormwood is chemically very similar to its African namesake, on this continent wormwood has been put to healthier uses. It is one of the oldest and best known of all the traditional medicines and has been used from the Cape to Cairo as a general medicine since ancient times.
African wormwood grows from the grassland regions of South Africa, all the way up to the east coast of Africa to Ethiopia. It has been widely used as a deworming treatment.
Particularly in days gone by, worms were a major human problem because most people lived in less than hygienic conditions. To combat this they would make a strong tea from the leaves, drink it and pretty immediately get rid of the worms.
African wormwood is also especially effective in the treatment of colds, fevers and flu – for which the leaves, young stems and roots are used. The Sotho people of South Africa make small plugs from the plant’s soft, feathery leaves and insert them in their nostrils to clear their nasal passages. It has a very pleasant, sweetish, lavender-like smell and a similar effect to inhaling vapour rubs such as Vicks VapoRub – a most popular brand in Africa.
The leaves are also used in a bitter tonic, which makes an excellent digestive. A couple of drops on the tongue trigger the stomach to release extra gastric juices which aid digestion. Diabetes is sometimes treated with African wormwood, but plants from certain areas are more effective than others in this regard. The geographical variability in chemical compounds is well known, which is why anyone thinking of cultivating African wormwood in the hope of bottling a South African brand of absinthe, would need to select plants with the desired degree of thujones and chemical compounds.
South Africa already has its own brand of tequila being produced in its outback region known as the Karoo, so why not an African brand of absinthe from the Drakensberg or some other grassland clime?
“It’s not impossible that it could be used in some kind of a herbal liqueur,” concedes Ben-Erik “But let’s not forget that absinthe was banned in France for a very good reason!”
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The Green Muse
Botanical name: Artemisia afra
Common names: African wormwood, umhlonyane (Zulu), wildeals (Afrikaans)
When I think of wormwood, I think of Vincent van Gogh, for it was the artist’s penchant for wormwood that might well have edged him towards the madness that had him cutting off his ear and taking his own life. Van Gogh was rather partial to the ‘green muse’ – which is what absinthe, that notorious yellowy-green alcohol, is called. Flavoured with wormwood, it is extremely powerful and highly addictive, with narcotic, hallucinogenic and sometimes fatal effects. Very possibly a whole lot of French people were trying to cut off their ears or jump off buildings to fly with the angels at the same time as Van Gogh.
French poet Paul Verlaine was certainly one. Addicted to absinthe, he too led a volatile life, going down with a host of others seeking inspiration from the watery muse. By the turn of the twentieth century, absinthe was so popular in France that the French government banned it in 1915.
The wormwood used in absinthe is a species called Artemisia absinthium. It is the European version of African wormwood (Artemisia afra), a renowned African medicinal plant. Both these species of wormwood contain a volatile, narcotic substance called ‘thujone’ which is the main active ingredient in absinthe and one of the active ingredients in the medicines derived from these plants.
We know that all medicine can be poisonous; it’s just a matter of dose. Thujone taken too regularly has been directly associated with the neurotoxic syndrome called absinthism. Of course, absinthism could also have been caused by the high alcohol content in absinthe or by adulterants used in popular, cheap versions of the drink, such as copper sulphate. Astists like Van Gogh, as we know, had precious little cash and would most certainly have bought the cheapest brands.
While the European wormwood is chemically very similar to its African namesake, on this continent wormwood has been put to healthier uses. It is one of the oldest and best known of all the traditional medicines and has been used from the Cape to Cairo as a general medicine since ancient times.
African wormwood grows from the grassland regions of South Africa, all the way up to the east coast of Africa to Ethiopia. It has been widely used as a deworming treatment.
Particularly in days gone by, worms were a major human problem because most people lived in less than hygienic conditions. To combat this they would make a strong tea from the leaves, drink it and pretty immediately get rid of the worms.
African wormwood is also especially effective in the treatment of colds, fevers and flu – for which the leaves, young stems and roots are used. The Sotho people of South Africa make small plugs from the plant’s soft, feathery leaves and insert them in their nostrils to clear their nasal passages. It has a very pleasant, sweetish, lavender-like smell and a similar effect to inhaling vapour rubs such as Vicks VapoRub – a most popular brand in Africa.
The leaves are also used in a bitter tonic, which makes an excellent digestive. A couple of drops on the tongue trigger the stomach to release extra gastric juices which aid digestion. Diabetes is sometimes treated with African wormwood, but plants from certain areas are more effective than others in this regard. The geographical variability in chemical compounds is well known, which is why anyone thinking of cultivating African wormwood in the hope of bottling a South African brand of absinthe, would need to select plants with the desired degree of thujones and chemical compounds.
South Africa already has its own brand of tequila being produced in its outback region known as the Karoo, so why not an African brand of absinthe from the Drakensberg or some other grassland clime?
“It’s not impossible that it could be used in some kind of a herbal liqueur,” concedes Ben-Erik “But let’s not forget that absinthe was banned in France for a very good reason!”
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