Artemisia Annua / Sweet annie Artemisia Annua L.
Sweet annie is an annual growth. The stem is up to 1.5 m high, strongly branched, especially towards its upper part. The lower leaves are large and the upper ones become smaller.
The whole plant has a pyramidal shape. All aboveground parts of the plant have a pleasant odor. It blooms from July to October.
Propagated by seeds, which are sown in April. The plant is not demanding to the soil and location.
The above-ground part of the artemisia annua is used. It is harvested from July to September. The top stalks are cut at the beginning and during flowering. at 25-30cm from top to bottom. it is allowed to pluck the leaves from the uncut parts of the stems and add them to the stems. If wormwood is to be used as an essential oil, distillation is done from fresh raw material.
The herb sweet wormwood contains up to 4% essential oil with a strong pleasant smell, the composition of which includes camphor, artemisaketone, cineole, kadin, caryophyllene, some alcohols and pinene. The content of essential oil is highest during budding and flowering, after which its amount decreases. The leaves contain vitamin. S.
The main active ingredient of Sweet Wormwood is artemisinin, which has proven antiparasitic, antifungal and antibacterial action.
It is used to improve digestion, and the juice of the young leaf is applied externally for itching, scabies and purulent diseases in the form of compresses. Dry leaves are part of various ointments that are used for the same purpose.
The essential oil is widely used in the perfume, liqueur and soap industries.