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Artemisia indica - Willd.

Author	Willd.	Botanical references	58, 200
Family	Compositae	Genus	Artemisia
Synonyms	Artemisia asiatica - (Pampan.)Nakai. Artemisia dubia - non Wall. Artemisia dubia orientalis - Pampan. Artemisia vulgaris indica - (Willd.)Maxim.
Known Hazards	Although no reports of toxicity have been seen for this species, skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people[222].
Range	E. Asia - China, Japan, India.
Habitat	Waste ground in central and southern Japan[58]. The sides of paths and tracks, margins of cleared forests at elevations of 300 - 2500 metres in Nepal[272].
Edibility Rating	1 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual/Perennial growing to 1.2m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves.

Edible Uses: Colouring; Condiment.

Young leaves - cooked and eaten with barley[183]. The leaves are also pounded with steamed glutinous rice to give a flavour and colouring[177, 183].

Medicinal Uses

Anthelmintic; Antiseptic; Antispasmodic; Emmenagogue; Expectorant; Ophthalmic; Stomachic; Tonic.

The leaves and flowering stems are anthelmintic, antiseptic, antispasmodic, emmenagogue, expectorant and stomachic[240, 272]. An infusion is used in the treatment of nervous and spasmodic affections, in asthma and in diseases of the brain[240, 272]. This infusion is also considered to be helpful in improving the appetite[272]. The juice of the plant is used in Nepal to treat diarrhoea, dysentery and abdominal pains[272]. It is used as an eyewash where it is said to relieve the burning sensation in conjunctivitis[272]. A paste of the plant is applied externally to treat wounds[272]. The roots are antiseptic and are a tonic for the kidneys[240, 266, 272].

Other Uses

Essential; Incense; Insecticide.

The plant yields about 0.2% essential oil. This is a good larvicide and a feeble insecticide[240]. The dried leaves and flowers are used as an incense[272].

Scented Plants

Leaves: Crushed

The leaves are aromatic.

Cultivation details

Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[1, 200]. Plants are annuals or short-lived perennials[200]. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[245]. Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow spring in a greenhouse. Do not allow the compost to dry out. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in early summer. The seed can also be sown in situ in late spring.

Links

Permaculture.info Details of this plant in the Permaculture.info project, a community plant and permaculture database.

References

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[58] Ohwi. G. Flora of Japan. (English translation) Smithsonian Institution 1965
The standard work. Brilliant, but not for the casual reader.

[177] Kunkel. G. Plants for Human Consumption. Koeltz Scientific Books 1984 ISBN 3874292169
An excellent book for the dedicated. A comprehensive listing of latin names with a brief list of edible parts.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[222] Foster. S. & Duke. J. A. A Field Guide to Medicinal Plants. Eastern and Central N. America. Houghton Mifflin Co. 1990 ISBN 0395467225
A concise book dealing with almost 500 species. A line drawing of each plant is included plus colour photographs of about 100 species. Very good as a field guide, it only gives brief details about the plants medicinal properties.

[233] Thomas. G. S. Perennial Garden Plants J. M. Dent & Sons, London. 1990 ISBN 0 460 86048 8
A concise guide to a wide range of perennials. Lots of cultivation guides, very little on plant uses.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[245] Genders. R. Scented Flora of the World. Robert Hale. London. 1994 ISBN 0-7090-5440-8
An excellent, comprehensive book on scented plants giving a few other plant uses and brief cultivation details. There are no illustrations.

[266] Flora of China 1994
On-line version of the Flora - an excellent resource giving basic info on habitat and some uses.

[272] Manandhar. N. P. Plants and People of Nepal Timber Press. Oregon. 2002 ISBN 0-88192-527-6
Excellent book, covering over 1,500 species of useful plants from Nepal together with information on the geography and peoples of Nepal. Good descriptions of the plants with terse notes on their uses.

Readers Comments

Artemisia indica

Emma Nash Wed Jun 7 2006

Do you know any compnies who supply this oil? Thanks

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