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Artemisia afra

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Growth:

Artemisia afra grows in clumps, with ridged, woody stems, reaching from 0.5 meters to 2 meters in height. The leaves are dark green, of soft texture, and similar in shape to fern leaves. The undersides of the leaves are a lighter green, and are covered with white bristles. Artemisia afra blossoms in late summer, producing abundant bracts of butter-colored flowers, each approximately 3 to 5 millimeters in diameter. Artemisia afra exudes a pungent, sweet smell when any part of the plant is bruised.

Artemisia afra grows across a wide geographic area, including Kenya, Tanzania, Uganda, Ethiopia, Zimbabwe and Namibia. It grows primarily in areas that are damp, such as by the side of streams, and also in transitional areas between ecosystems. (Source: Liu, N. Q., Van der Kooy, F., Verpoorte, R., 2009. Artemisia afra: A potential flagship for African medicinal plants? South African Journal of Botany 75, 185-195.)

Ethnobiology:

Artemisia afra (commonly known as African wormwood) is a well-known medicinal plant in Africa, and is still used by people of many cultures. A. afra has been used for treating a variety of aliments such as coughs, fevers, colds, chills, dyspepsia, loss of appetite, gastric de-rangements, colic, croup, whooping-cough, gout, asthma, malaria, diabetes, bladder and kidney disorders, influenza, and convulsions. The roots, stems and leaves are used as enemas, poultices, infusions, lotions, inhaled (e.g. smoked or snuffed), or as an essential oil and are each used to treat different aliments. In addition, Artemisia afra is frequently used as a moth repellent, and in organic insecticidal sprays. (Sources: Watt, J., Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G., 1932. The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa. Livingstone, Edinburgh. and Mangena, T., Muyima, N.Y.O., 1999. Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial activities of essential oils of Artemisia afra, Pteronia incana and Rosmarinus officinalis on selected bacteria and yeast strains. Letters in Applied Microbiology 28, 291–296.)

Other Names:

The species has a variety of names - this is due to the number of native tribes in Africa that each have their own dialect, coupled with foreign languages. These include Lanyana...

• Lanyana (Sotho) (Sources: Watt, J., Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G., 1932. The medicinal and poisonous plants of southern and eastern Africa. Livingstone, Edinburgh. and Thring, T.S.A., Weitz, F.M., 2006. Medicinal plant use in the Bredasdorp/Elim region of the Southern Overberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa. Journal of Ethnopharmacology 103, 261–275.)

Essential Oil:

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Research suggests that the extract of Artemisia afra could have properties that prevent liver damage; however, more research must be conducted before clinical trials can begin. (Source: Mukinda, J., & Syce, J. 2007. Acute and chronic toxicity of the aqueous extract of Artemisia afra in rodents. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 112, 138-144.)