Vermouth

Seeds: 500  / Botanical name: Artemisia absinthium

Protective, healing, aromatic. A truly versatile plant

Popular for its bitter flavor. Known as a medicinal herb by Hildegard von Bingen. Notorious for its supposedly harmful components.
Wormwood is versatile. This perennial, prized since antiquity, with its silvery-white leaves, grows to a height of 30 to 150 cm and is an ornament to any garden. The pale yellow flowers are an important food source for butterflies and beetles. The bitter substances it contains are still used today to refine wine, fatty foods, and liqueurs. They are still valued in naturopathy and are said to promote digestion and circulation, stimulate the appetite, strengthen the immune system, and exude a strong, aromatic fragrance. Perhaps this fragrance contributed to wormwood's reputation in the Middle Ages as an effective defense against witchcraft and demonic forces. So-called "herb caps" were popular, in which small bags of herbs were worn on the head using caps. During the Twelve Days of Christmas, stables were also fumigated with wormwood for protection.

Absinthe: The infamous spirit, whose taste and color are primarily defined by wormwood, conquered half of Europe in the 19th century. A drug for the poor and a fashionable drink in Paris. Due to the suspected harmful effects of thujone, a component of wormwood, absinthe was temporarily banned. However, experts today believe that the health risks are primarily due to the alcohol content. 

Natural habitat: Wormwood is originally found in the dry regions of North Africa and Eurasia, as well as the Mediterranean region.