Wormwood is the popular name for Artemisia absinthium, the genus Artemisia, belonging to the Compositæ, being a very numerous one, found especially in the dry regions of the northern hemisphere.
There are forty species found in the United States. The Common Wormwood of Britain (A. absinthium) not only acts as an anthelmintic, as its name implies, but it likewise possesses tonic and stimulant properties. An infusion of wormwood, made by pouring a pint of boiling water over an ounce and a half of the dried plant, letting it stand for an hour, and straining, taken in doses of a couple of ounces once or twice a day, is a very good domestic tonic, and may be prescribed with advantage even in cases where worms are not suspected. The genus is a large one, the qualities of the wormwood being pretty uniformly present in all.
Some of the species, especially A. glacialis and A. mutellina, natives of Switzerland, are used in the manufacture of Absinthe (q.v.). Tarragon (A. dracunculus) imparts the fine aroma to the vinegar of that name.