Wormwood is a plant more famous for its role in absinthe, the mind-altering "green fairy" liqueur popular with 19th-century artists, than for its ability to remove intestinal worms, which gives it its common name.

The legend of its mythical name is that, when water and absinthe mix, the green fairy (said to be lucidity of thought) is set free—dilution with water produces a whitish tinge. A symbol of sin in the Bible, wormwood was said to grow in the tracks of the serpent that crawled from the Garden of Eden. The ancient Egyptians considered it an aphrodisiac, and it's used in plant medicine today to uplift, as a restorative tonic for mental debility, and to calm nervous dispositions. The essential oil is widely used as a flavoring ingredient in liqueurs such as Pernod. Hallucinations experienced by absinthe drinkers, who notably included Van Gogh, were more probably due to the alcohol than the plant, which by itself is not now considered hallucinogenic. Effects vary from mildly sedative to inducing vivid, especially lucid, dreaming (it's in the same genus as mugwort).

Studies have focused on its controlled clinical efficacy on the gut (Crohn's) and in pain relief in arthritis.

How to use it: Leaves, fresh (4 to 6 g) or dried (2 to 3 g) per 240 mL water 3 times daily can be used to make a bitter-tasting tea. Also taken as a tincture or as absinthe liqueur (which traditionally also contains lemon balm and hyssop)—it's well worth making your own liqueur if you grow the plant.