Artemisia herba-alba

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Artemisia herba-alba
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Artemisia
Species:
A. herba-alba
Binomial name
Artemisia herba-alba
Asso
Synonyms[1]
  • Artemisia aethiopica L.
  • Artemisia aragonensis Lam.
  • Artemisia lippii Jan ex Besser
  • Artemisia ontina Dufour
  • Seriphidium herba-alba (Asso) Soják

Artemisia herba-alba, the white wormwood, is a

Southwestern Europe.[2] It is used as an antiseptic and antispasmodic in herbal medicine
.

Names

Its specific epithet herba-alba means "white herb" in Latin, as its stems and leaves are white and woolly.[3] Similarly, it is armoise herbe-blanche or armoise blanche in French.

In Arabic, it is shīeḥ (الشيح).[4] And it is la'anah (לענה) in

Old Testament Hebrew.[5][6]
"Wormwood" (in the Bible, Rev. 8:10–11).

Botanical description

Artemisia herba-alba is a

chamaeophyte that grows to 20–40 cm (8–16 in). Leaves are strongly aromatic and covered with fine glandular hairs that reflect sunlight giving a grayish aspect to the shrub. The leaves of sterile shoots are grey, petiolate, ovate to orbicular in outline; whereas, the leaves of flowering stems, more abundant in winter, are much smaller.[7]

The flowering heads are

Artemisia herba-alba, the 'white wormwood', in a garden

Phytochemistry

monoterpenes including terpinen-4-ol, camphor and borneol.[9] Davanone, chrysanthenone and cis-chrysanthenol have been described as major constituents in some populations of A. herba-alba from Morocco[10] and Spain.[11] Less common non-head-to-tail monoterpene alcohols have been identified in some populations from Negev desert, such as santolina alcohol and yomogi alcohol.[12]

Several sesquiterpene lactones were found in the aerial parts of A. herba-alba. Mainly, eudesmanolides and germacranolides types were reported in most cases.[13] A variety of flavonoids were also described mainly with methylated (i.e. patuletin) and O-methylated (i.e. hispidulin, cirsilineol) aglycones.[14][15] The presence of C-glycosides (i.e. isovitexin, schaftoside, isoschaftoside) is also noticeable.[14][16]

Uses

Artemisia herba-alba is good fodder for grazing animals, mainly sheep, and in the Algerian steppes cattle.[9][17]

Herbal medicine

This species of sagebrush is widely used in

vermifuge and antispasmodic properties.[9] Artemisia herba-alba was reported as a traditional remedy of enteritis, and various intestinal disturbances, among the Bedouins in the Negev desert.[18] Based on laboratory assays, essential oil showed antibacterial activity,[19] as well as, antispasmodic activity on rabbits[9] and cytotoxic effect on cancer cells.[20]

Artemisia herba-alba based teas were used in

hypoglycemic effect in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits and mice.[22][23][24]

Culture

Artemisia herba-alba is thought to be the plant translated as "wormwood" in English-language versions of the Bible (apsinthos in the Greek text). Wormwood is mentioned seven times in the

Jewish Bible, always with the implication of bitterness. Wormwood is mentioned once in the New Testament, as the name of a star, also with implications of bitterness.[25]

References

  1. ^ The Plant List Artemisia herba-alba Asso
  2. ^ "Artemisia herba-alba". Germplasm Resources Information Network. Agricultural Research Service, United States Department of Agriculture. Retrieved 16 February 2010.
  3. ISSN 1110-6867
    .
  4. ^ Gallisai, F. Guiso (2002). "Artemisia herba-alba Asso". Archived from the original on 13 February 2010. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  5. ^ Brown; Driver; Briggs; Gesenius (1998). "Hebrew Lexicon entry for La'anah". The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon. Lockman Foundation. Retrieved 17 February 2010.
  6. ^ Herbermann, Charles, ed. (1913). "Plants in the Bible: Wormwood" . Catholic Encyclopedia. New York: Robert Appleton Company.
  7. ^ a b Pottier-Alapetite, G. (1979). "Flore de la Tunisie: part 2. Dicotyledones, Gamopetales". Tunis, Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research (in French). 2: 1012–3.
  8. ^ Feinbrun Dothan, N. (1978). "Flora Palaestina: part 3. Ericaceae to Compositae". Jerusalem, Israel Academy of Sciences and Humanities. 2: 351–3.
  9. ^ .
  10. ^ Benjilali, B.; Sarris, J.; Richard, H. (1982). "Nouveaux chémotypes d' Artemisia herba-alba" (PDF). Sci. Aliment. (in French). 2: 515–527.
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  24. PMID 8786657.{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link
    )
  25. ^ Musselman, Lytton John (12 April 2007). "Wormwood". Plant Site: Bible Plants. Old Dominion University. Retrieved 2 June 2013.

External links