Rowan Remedies

Latin:Artemisia abrotanum

Also Known As: Lad’s Love, Appleringie, Boy’s Love, Maid’s Ruin, Old Man, Garde Robe, Old Man’s Tree, Maiden’s Ruin

Family:Asteraceae

Habitat and Description: A fragrant, cut leaved plant often cultivated in gardens. It was one of the first herbs I grew when I set up my first herb garden, and has remained one of my favourites. The foliage has deeply indented leaves and is a silvery green on top and more of a greyish green underneath. The plant is native to southern Europe but grows quite happily over in the UK, in gardens and tubs – not often found growing wild though. The whole plant is strongly aromatic – I rather like the smell of it, I have to admit. It grows to around 3 feet tall in the right circumstances though I’ve never managed to get my plants to grow higher than about 50cms tall. The stems are generally woody. The plant does not set seed very often so it is generally propagated through cuttings.

Parts Used: Aerial parts

Constituents: Phenolic acids such as caffeic, ferulic, vanillic and salicylic acids, abrotanin, flavonols and volatile oils.

Planetary Influence: Mercury

Associated Deities and Heroes: Given its associations, gods such as Pan, Dionysus and related fertility deities are highly likely.

Festival: I’d say probably Beltaine given the association with lust and sexual desire.

Constitution: warm and dry

Spiritual and Energetic Uses: I can’t find any energetic uses for this plant so far – I’ll keep digging.

Actions and Indications: Southernwood is not often used in medicine these days, but as it has some aromatic content, it is used to boost the appetite and strengthen a weak stomach. It has long been used as an anthelmintic to remove worms from children though this is not recommended as a home use. It can be used for over swollen veins and capillaries, and possibly by extension to resolve vein related issues like varicose veins and haemorrhoids, as well as to ease the symptoms of Raynaud’s Syndrome and related vascular disease. It has also long had a reputation as an emmenagogue, bringing on the menses – especially useful to bring on irregular periods. It is particularly good for menstrual disruption related to anxiety.

It can be used for thin people wanting to increase their weight, perhaps through its ability to strengthen the appetite and the digestive. The plant is quite bitter, though not as much as its cousin Wormwood, and it strengthens digestive secretions. It is great for flatulence and cramps related to this.

It combines well with Rosemary as a hair rinse to encourage the growth of hair and improve hair condition.

Folklore: The plant was widely used in medicine in the Middle Ages. Generally the plant’s main reputation concerns its use as mothballs to ward off insects. It was heavily used to ward off disease, especially from those in prison.

The plant had a much bigger reputation with Pliny and Dioscorides up until Culpeper’s era, but has fallen into disuse today. It is apparently eaten raw or cooked as a vegetable in Italy, used in some parts of Europe to flavour beer and can be used to dye wool yellow.

Apparently the folk name of Lad’s Love refers in part to its ability to bring on the menses (freeing boys from the consequences of their rash behaviour, perhaps!) however an alternate explanation suggests that an ointment made from the ashes of Southernwood to encourage their beards to grow. Parkinson recommended that Southernwood ashes mixed with salad oil could encourage the growth of hair or beard.

It was apparently used as part of a Mayday ritual to encourage beauty, alongside sprigs of Lavender, to collect the dew from plants on Beltaine morning. This was then used as a skin wash to increase beauty.

Magical Uses: As with many of the artemisia family plants, Southernwood is used in love spells, and in particular to arouse lust – it can be added to pillows or put under the bed or mattress for this purpose. The plant has a long association with lust and sexual attractiveness, especially for men wanting to be more appealing to women. Interestingly enough, it is also sometimes used to signify a promise of faithfulness to a lover. It is also used for male rites of passage, in particular for those marking the passage from boy to man.

As part of an incense, it protects against trouble, and the smoke is reputed to drive away snakes. It has strong connections with the moon, as do most of the artemisias, and can be used for counter magic and to break spells and hexes.

Dose: Up to 4mls of the tincture three times a day.

Contraindications: Not to be taken during pregnancy due to its emmenagogue properties. Not suitable for children.

Brought to you by Alex English at http://www.eldrumherbs.co.uk