GRASS SANTA (ajenjo artemisia absinthium)

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	GRASS SANTA
	*ajenjo artemisia absinthium*

Name
GRASS SANTA

Scientific Name
ajenjo artemisia absinthium

GRASS SANTA

Other Names:

Absintio, Ajorizo, Bitter Artemisa, Grass Santa, Incense of Andalusia

Plant dedicated by old the Greeks to Artemisa (Morning call, for the Romans), goddess of the fecundity. Without a doubt that stops it influenced its remarkable effect the uterus. However, which has contributed more to its diffusion lately, it has been without a doubt his aperitive and stomach virtue. Vermut is a licor with wormwood, because Wermuth is indeed the name in German of this plant.

In the last century, when still many remedies of empirical form were used, without a knowledge of their true effects, thought that the stimulating licor of wormwood, obtained by alcohol maceration, was a panacea. To such an extent ahuso of him, specially in France, that took place serious acute and chronic poisonings, and even deaths, like the one of French poet Verlaine.

Habitat: Own of mountainous places of the south of Europe. It abounds in roadside ditches and

dry lands. In other times he was cultivated. Description: Plant vivaz, of the family of the Compound ones, 40 to 80 cm of height, all covered she of a fine hair that gives a silver-plated aspect him. The flowers, yellows, are grouped in small heads. Used parts: the floral leaves and small heads.

Used part: the flowery leaves and sumidades.

Properties and indications: the use of the wormwood as it plants medicinal, is frees of the disastrous effects of the licores that take place with him; among other things, because its strong bitter flavor the recently apt thing for an abundant consumption. It contains bitter principles (absintina), to which it must his digestive properties; rich essential oil in tuyona, of vermifugal action and emenagoga, but toxic in high doses; mineral salts (potassium nitrate) and tannins. Applied correctly, the wormwood offers interesting medicinal properties to us, that we mentioned next:

Gastric tonic: as all the bitter plants develop to a tonic effect on the stomach, increasing the appetite and stimulating the secretion of gastric juice. It agrees then to the inapetentes and the dispépticos (that suffer of heavy digestions). Not thus to the ulcerosos and those of sanguineous temperament, because the increase of secretion of gastric juice is to them detrimental. As it indicates Font Quer well, "the wormwood does not have to take itself with no need".

Colerético: by the fact to increase the secretion biliary, it exerts on the liver a favorable, descongestiva action and of stimulus of his functions. It is appropriate in the cases of hepática insufficiency, and in the phase of convalecencia of the viral hepatitis.

Powerful vermifuge: the adults get it to take, although resigned; but the children reject it openly. For them he is better to use other vermifuges.

Powerful Emenagogo: it acts on the uterus (first) causing the menstruation; but in addition, it standardizes the cycles. It is recommended, then, for the pale and debilitated young people, who usually suffer of irregular and painful rules. Avicena, the famous doctor hispanoárabe of century XI, prescribed it "to calm the bitter and bilious women".

Use: in infusion with from 10 to 20 grs. of plant by liter of water. In order to smooth its bitterness, a spoonful of one of the following plants can be added to him: regaliz, mint or anise. To sweeten with honey. For the digestive upheavals, daily cups are taken 1-2, before the meals. For the upheavals of the menstruation, 2 daily cups are taken from this tisane, during the week previous to the date in which the rule is expected. In maceration: 100 are put about g of dry flowers in a liter of olive oil. To let rest during a month. A dessert teaspoon of this oil in uninformed, and another one before the lunch (eaten of the noon), for the affections of the biliary vesicle. Like insecticide: the wormwood infusion is an effective insecticide. The domestic animals and the plants can sprinkle themselves with her. Like lotion applied on the skin, it drives away the mosquitos. And placing dry wormwood in saquitos of fabric between the clothes, it avoids polilla effectively.

Precautions: To high doses it can cause tremors and convulsions.

The women embarrassed due to their possible abortion effect, as well as the suckling babies must abstain from the wormwood since she eliminates themselves by milk and she is injurious for the baby. She does not agree either to those who suffer gastroduodenal ulcer or gastritis.

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