Absinthe the herb not the drink, otherwise known as wormwood. It's not just something used to make spirits. It's also an ingredient used for medicinal purposes, as well as cooking.

Absinthe is not just a drink that we talked about. In my episode of Fabulously Delicious with Forrest Collins from 52 martinis. But absinthe is also a herb, which can often be called Wormwood, Grande Wormwood, Absinthium, Mugwort, Wemout, Wermud, Wormit or Wormod.

Absinthe or Wormwood grows in North Africa and regions of Eurasia as well as now Canada and North America.

Although it is used as an ingredient in the popular drink Absinthe and other spirits as well it is mostly used as an ornamental plant.

Absinthium comes from ancient greek and is related to Artemis who was the goddess of the hunt and protector of the forest and children.

The term wormwood is supposedly from Middle English, wormwode or wemode. Middle English is a form of the English language that was spoken after the Norman Conquest of 1066, until the late 15th century. Some thought though the origin of wormwood is from the ancient use of the plant to expell parasitic worms from the body by either stunning or killing them.

So what is absinthium? It is a herbaceous perennial plant that has fibrous roots and who’s stems are straight and grow to over a metre tall. It’s leaves are a greenish-grey colour with a white belly so to speak. It producers a silky silvery-white trichomes which producers oil from its glands.

Absinthium or wormwood also producers a pale yellow tubular flower that clusteres together and bends down towards the ground. Flowering of the Absinthe plant occurs from early summer to early autumn with the pollination occurring through the wind. It is grown in full sun in rich, light, sometimes limestone soil or dry soil.

Most commonly Absinthe is used as an ingredient in the spirit that has the same name Absinthe. But Wormwood as it is also known is also the ingredient in other spirits and wines including bitters and vermouth.

It’s also used for medicinal purposes as an ingredient in medicine used for treating dyspepsia and also Crohn’s disease.

**Moroccan Tea known as Sheeba Tea often uses Absinthe**

During the middles ages absinthe was used to spice mead and in Morocco is was an ingredient in a tea known as sheeba.

Wormwood was mostly used as a bittering spice in brewing throughout eastern and northern Europe and in the 18th century is was sometimes used instead of hops in the process of making beer.

It has also been used in the making of pesticides throughout the years and recently has been seen as a modern organic alternative for pest control from the clippings being used to repel lice, mights and fleas in chicken nesting boxes to being distilled to produce an oil that can be used in making an organic pesticide. As a companion plant Absinthe can be also benefical to an organic vegetable garden although it also has a growth inhibiting effect so needs to be planted safely at least one metre away from any growing vegetables.

The drink has been said to have halleucentative properties when drunk and this is associated to the ingredient wormwood. Whilst there is a componenet of absinthium in it called thujone which can cause convulsions and death when administered in large amounts to both animals and humans. There is only on documented case of toxicity from wormwood when a 31-year-old man who drank 10 mL of steam-distilled volatile oil of wormwood, wrongly believing it was the liqueur absinthe.

**Wormwood even was referred to by William Shakespeare in Romeo and Juliet**

Long before it gained popularity as the star ingredient in absinthe, wormwood was used medicinally. The first recorded use of wormwood in medicine dates back to 1552 B.C., and absinthe itself was initially used to treat illness.

The flavour of Absinthium is extremely bitter and can aid in being a good tonic and can promote digestion and also apprentely make menstruation less painful it is said. Absinthium also contains tannins and vitamin C. It’s also said to be good at deworming, not the most pleasant use I’d say.

But alarmingly it also can have an abortive effect for pregnancy so consumption must be carefully thought through if you are going to be cooking or eating wormwood as a natural product. In fact during the mid 20th century Absinthium was nickednamed “the grass of virgins” because of this abortive properties.

William Shakespeare referred to wormwood in his Romeo and Juliet play, act 1 scene 3 when he wrote that Juliet’s childhood nurse had said “For I had then laid wormwood to my dug” meaning that she had weaned juliet, then aged three, by using the bitter taste of wormwood on her nipple.

**Absinthe the drink created in 1789 by French doctor Dr Pierre Ordinarie**

Now in modern times the European Medicines Agency has recognised Absinthe medicinal properties and noted that it’s a herb rich in natural ingredients, powerful antioxidants that protect cells from free radicals. But shouldnt be consumed for more than two weeks as an infusion and is not recommended during pregnancy or breastfeeding.

The first version of the drink Absinthe created in 1789 by a French doctor Dr Pierre Ordinaire in Switzerland was actually developed for medicinal purpose. It seems Dr Ordinaire was not your ordinary doctor I’d say.

Absinthe the herb is used in recipes these days for herbal teas, the dried herbs used to season red meat, fish, oysters, escargot, omelets and cheese. Famed chef Hugues Droz who is the youngest French chef ever awarded a micheling star said that he uses absinthe leaves to ad perfume to stuffings and also putting the final touches on a plate of escargot that he tops with an absinthe drink infused sauce.

French cuisine has been using the herb for centuries and most notably in the dish Absinthe Sorbet that was created as a palate cleanser during the 1889 dinner to honor Gustave Eiffel’s new creation the Eiffel Tower.

The ingredients for this sorbet are 500mls of water, 300g sugar, juice of an orange and a lemon, 20g fresh absinthe leaves and 100mls of absinthe. Place half the water with the sugar in a saucepan over low heat stiring until combined and cooking for 10 minutes. Then add the absinthe leaves and let this sit to infuse until the mixture has cooled. Remove the leaves and add the juice of the orange and lemon and the remain water. Freeze this overnight, remove and place in a blender and blend then place in the freezer overnight again. Serve a icecream scoop serving of the sorbet with some absinthe poured over the top.

This was the topic on Fabulously Delicious: The French Food Podcast and you can listen to the full episode via Spotify or Apple Podcasts or wherever you listen to podcasts.

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