Southernwood

Artemisia abrotanum

COMMON NAMES

• Southernwood

Strongly aromatic, shrubby perennial growing to 3 ft (1 m). Southernwood has woody stems, feathery silver-green leaves, and yellow flowers.

Much prized during the Middle Ages and the Renaissance, southernwood is now used infrequently in herbal medicine. The closely related wormwood is considered superior. Like wormwood, southernwood contains a strong volatile oil that repels insects, and the leaves are placed among clothes to repel moths. Mrs. Grieve (A Modern Herbal, 1931) reported that in England "even in the early part of the last century a bunch of southernwood and rue was placed next to the prisoner in the dock as a preventive from the contagion of jail fever."

PARTS USED

Aerial parts.

USES

A bitter tonic, southernwood strengthens and supports digestive function by increasing secretions in the stomach and intestines. An infusion of southernwood has been given to children as a treatment for worms, but this is not recommended without professional supervision. Like other Artemisias, southernwood stimulates menstruation and is commonly taken to encourage the onset of irregular or absent periods.

HABITAT AND CULTIVATION

Native to southern Europe, southernwood is rare in the wild but is cultivated for the perfume industry and, to a lesser extent, for herbal medicine. The aerial parts are harvested in late summer.
Perennial (Artemisia abrotanum). There are three types: camphor-, lemon-, and tangerine-scented. All can be propagated in fall or spring by root division or cuttings. Set plants 4 feet apart in full sun and well-drained, average soil; cut them back in spring.

CONSTITUENTS

Southernwood contains a volatile oil, abrotanin, and tannins.

USUAL DOSAGE

Infusion: pour a cup of boiling water onto 1 - 2 teaspoonfuls of the dried herb and leave to infuse for 10 - 15 minutes in a closed container. This should be drunk three times a day.
Tincture: take 1 - 4 ml of the tincture three times a day.

SOUTHERNWOOD AND ROSES MOTH REPELLENT

• 2 cups dried lavender buds
• 1 cup dried rose leaves
• 1 cup dried southernwood
• 2 drops of oil of roses

Crush all the ingredients together, cover, and cure in a small crock for 4 weeks. Shake up the contents every day or two. Divide among small muslin bags, tie the bags, and place them among the woolens.

SOUTHERNWOOD MOTH REPELLENT

Southernwood is a well-known insect repellent. If you grow it, keep it well away from flowering plants as it will even repel bees. Used here with cinnamon, it provides another effective way to prevent moths invading woolen clothes stored away for the summer. Its role as a moth deterrent is enshrined in its French name -garderobe, literally 'clothes guard'.

• 25g / 1oz dried southernwood
• 1 teaspoon crushed cinnamon stick

Combine the ingredients and use to fill a small muslin bag. Add a ribbon loop to the bag and hang it over a coat hanger, or just slip between stored garments.

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