Fragrant, perennial herb that is native to Eurasia and North Africa.

Deer and Rodent Resistant🦌🐇🐁
Attracts: Hummingbirds, ladybugs, butterflies, bees, and other beneficial pollinators.
Repels: Ants, cabbage loopers, cabbage maggots, carrot flies, codling moths, flea beetles, and whiteflies.

Note: Proper care keeps plants resilient and healthy, preventing diseases and pests. This list details the potential threats, specific diseases and pests vary depending on environmental climate.
Diseases:
◦ Fungal leaf and stem diseases 
◦ Honey Fungus: Also known as Armillaria root rot or oak root fungus, is a destructive fungal disease that attacks and kills the roots of many woody and perennial plants.
Powdery Mildew: Fungal disease that causes brown spots on the leaves of the plant, more common in wetter environments and high humidity.
◦ Rust: This fungal disease is caused by more than 7,000 species of fungi. It affects the aerial parts of plants, most commonly the leaves, plus the stems, flowers, and fruit. Each type or plant rust has its own distinctive symptoms, such as bright red, orange, yellow, or brown spots on the leaves. As spores form, the spots turn reddish-orange and eventually black.
◦ White Rust: Disease which forms white, powdery pustules on infected plant tissue
Pests:
◦ Aphids: Small, soft-bodied sucking insects which pierce plant tissues and draw out the juices

Wormwood is considered toxic and should not be consumed. Thujone is a chemical compound found in specific herbs and is toxic in high amounts. Pregnant, breastfeeding mothers, and young children should avoid consuming thujone. Consuming excessive thujone may cause nausea, vomiting, abdominal cramps, dizziness, seizures, damage to the liver and nervous system, coma, or death. Thujone toxicity is higher with concentrated forms like teas, extracts, and oils. Thujone consumed from common culinary use of these herbs now and then is considered safe for consumption.
High Thujone Content: Wormwood (do not eat) and Mugwort
Moderate Thujone Content: Holy Basil, Sage, and Yarrow
Low Thujone Content: Thai Basil, Sweet Basil, Thyme, and Oregano
Animal Toxicity: Toxic for dogs, cats, horses, and birds.
Medicine Interactions:
Individuals may have a sensitivity or allergies to wormwood, consult a healthcare professional first and proceed at own risk.
◦ Seizure medication (Anticonvulsants): Wormwood may increase the risk of seizures. Taking wormwood with medications used to prevent seizures may decrease the effects of these medications and increase the risk for seizures.
WebMD Website – Wormwood “Interactions”
FDA: The US Food and Drug Administration (FDA) considers Artemisia absinthium, also known as wormwood, to be an unsafe herb due to the neurotoxic potential of its thujone and derivatives. However, thujone-free wormwood is generally considered safe when used in food.

❗Never ingest essential oils, instead use organic fresh or dried herbs.
Use: Consuming large quantities of wormwood may be toxic due to its thujone content and is not recommended for internal consumption. Absinthe is highly regulated or banned in some countries due to the potential health risks associated with thujone.
◦ Leaves: May be hung up in bundles as insect repellent. Keep away from children and pets. Once bundles lose their aroma, compost their foliage.
◦ Essential Oil: Click Here for Precautions, Instructions, and Dilution Ratios
Benefits: Ornamental pollinator attractor and insect repellant
Click Here for How To Harvest, Dry, and Properly Store Herbs and Seeds
Harvest: Never harvest more than 20% of a plant’s leaves or roots!
◦ Leaves: Harvest is optimal from June to September; Leaves may be harvested any time they are available
◦ Seeds: Harvest once the seeds have dried in the flower heads. Tie harvested stalks upside-down to dry in a shaded, well-ventilated area, away from children and pets. Once stalks are dry, harvest the seeds and allow seeds to dry for 3 to 5 days, ensuring they are out of the way of children and pets. Follow harvesting techniques in the link above to extract and properly store the seeds.

Aroma: Powerful, herbaceous, and bitter

In medieval Europe, wormwood was called “the most important master against all exhaustions”. It was used as a pesticide, a repellent for fleas and moths, and a worming medicine for people and animals. It may also repel mice, insects, discourage slugs, and protect carrots from root fly. Wormwood is poisonous in large quantities and is contraindicated for people with a history of seizures and expectant mothers. Wormwood has a controversial history because it’s used in the drink absinthe, which has been banned in several countries. In 1847, France consumed 700,000 liters of absinthe, and by 1900, more than 36 million liters were consumed as a casual drink.

10+ years longevity for life expectancy.