Artemisia cina
| Artemisia cina | |
| Light: |  |
| Moisture: |   |
| Soil pH: | 6.6-8.4 |
| Height: | 3' |
| Blooms: | Late Summer-Mid Fall |
| Native to: | |
| Medicinal Rating: | |
| Tea: | Yes |
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Artemisia cina (common name: cina)
Propagation: Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse[1]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Division in spring or autumn.
Cultivation: We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. Although this plant has woody stems, these tend to die back each winter giving the plant a herbaceous habit. It is cultivated as a medicinal plant in Russia and N. America[2][3][4]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[5][1]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[1]. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[6].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus.[1]
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[7].
Range: E. Asia - Russia, Turkestan
Habitat: Deserts[8].
Medicinal: Cina is one of the safest and most reliable vermifuges, used especially on children[8]. Because of its bitter flavour, it is usually mixed with liquorice or some other pleasantly flavoured herb. The unexpanded floral heads and the seed contain the vermicide 'santonin'[8][2][3][9]. This is an effective and rapid treatment for round worms, it is also effective for thread worms, though it does not affect tapeworms[8]. The plant is also used as a febrifuge and as an aid to the digestion[10]. Caution is advised in the use of this plant since it is poisonous in large doses[8]. This plant should not be used by pregnant women[11].
The dried flowers are used to make a homeopathic remedy[10]. This is particularly useful for complaints of the nervous system and the digestive tract[10].
A homeopathic remedy made from the plant is used to rid children of worms[12].
Pollinators: Wind
Soil: Can grow in light and medium soils.
Drainage: Prefers well drained soil.
Seed Ripens: Late Summer-Mid Fall
Flower Type: Hermaphrodite
Known Hazards: Poisonous[8]. Skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people[13].
Links
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 1.2 1.3 Huxley, Anthony. The New Royal Horticultural Society Dictionary of Gardening. MacMillan Press, 1992.
- ↑ 2.0 2.1 Usher, George. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable, 1974.
- ↑ 3.0 3.1 Hill, Albert. Economic Botany. The Maple Press, 1952.
- ↑ Flora of China. 1994.
- ↑ Chittendon, Fred. RHS Dictionary of Plants. Oxford University Press, 1951.
- ↑ Genders, Roy. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale, 1994.
- ↑ Thomas, Graham. Perennial Garden Plants. J. M. Dent & Sons, 1990.
- ↑ 8.0 8.1 8.2 8.3 8.4 8.5 Grieve, Margaret. A Modern Herbal. Penguin, 1984.
- ↑ Duke, James and Edward Ayensu. Medicinal Plants of China. Reference Publications, 1985.
- ↑ 10.0 10.1 10.2 Castro, Miranda. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan, 1990.
- ↑ Chevallier, Andrew. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants. Dorling Kindersley, 1996.
- ↑ Bown, Deni. Royal Horticultural Society Encyclopaedia of Herbs and Their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, 1995.
- ↑ Foster, Steven and Billy Tatum. Medicinal Plants of Eastern and Central North America. Houghton Mifflin, 1990.