Sweet Wormwood

Artemisia annua

Sweet Wormwood

Sweet Annie, Sweet Wormwood, and Annual Wormwood are all common names for this summer annual herb native to Asia. Sweet Annie is now naturalized in many countries including the United States and is under cultivation for various commercial uses in many countries. She has a fern like leaf and is aromatically fragrant with sweet camphor notes especially strong on a warm summer day in the meadow. Cultivation and commercialization of this plant are largely due to the presence of an active chemical found in the plant called artemesinin. In Traditional Chinese Medicine the plant is referred to as Qing Hao and has been used for over 2,000 years to help with occasional digestive complaints. The whole herb in extracted or tea form is consumed in many countries as a gut health supplement to promote “digestive health”.