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{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}}
{{speciesbox
{{More footnotes needed|date=July 2023}}{{Speciesbox
|image = Artemisia afra 07102003 Afrique du sud 3.jpg
| image = Artemisia afra 07102003 Afrique du sud 3.jpg
|image_caption = African wormwood
| image_caption = African wormwood
|genus = Artemisia
| genus = Artemisia
|species = afra
| species = afra
|authority = [[Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin|Jacq.]] ''ex'' [[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]
| authority = [[Nikolaus Joseph von Jacquin|Jacq.]] ''ex'' [[Carl Ludwig Willdenow|Willd.]]
|synonyms_ref = <ref>[http://www.theplantlist.org/tpl1.1/record/gcc-49898 The Plant List Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. ]</ref>
| synonyms_ref = <ref>[http://www.worldfloraonline.org/taxon/wfo-0000093680 The Plant List Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. ]</ref>
|synonyms =
| synonyms = {{Specieslist
*''Absinthium ponticum'' <small>(L.) Garsault</small>
*''Absinthium tenuifolium'' <small>Gaterau</small>
|Absinthium ponticum|(L.) Garsault
|Absinthium tenuifolium|Gaterau
*''Artemisia altaica'' <small>Desf.</small>
*''Artemisia balsamita'' <small>Willd.</small>
|Artemisia altaica|Desf.
|Artemisia balsamita|Willd.
*''Artemisia grandiflora'' <small>Fisch. ex Herder</small>
*''Artemisia pallida'' <small>Salisb.</small>
|Artemisia grandiflora|Fisch. ex Herder
*''Artemisia pontica'' <small>Burm.f.</small>
|Artemisia pallida|Salisb.
*''Artemisia pseudopontica'' <small>Schur</small>
|Artemisia pontica|Burm.f.
*''Artemisia tenuifolia'' <small>Moench</small>
|Artemisia pseudopontica|Schur
|Artemisia tenuifolia|Moench
}}
}}
}}


'''''Artemisia afra''''', the '''African wormwood''',<sup>[4]</sup> is a common species of the genus ''[[Artemisia (genus)|Artemisia]]'' in [[Africa]], with a wide distribution from [[South Africa]], to areas reaching to the North and East, as far north as [[Ethiopia]]. ''Artemisia afra'' is the only indigenous species in this genus.
'''''Artemisia afra''''', the '''African wormwood''',<sup>[4]</sup> is a common species of the genus ''[[Artemisia (genus)|Artemisia]]'' in [[Africa]], with a wide distribution from [[South Africa]], to areas reaching to the North and East, as far north as [[Ethiopia]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. {{!}} Plants of the World Online {{!}} Kew Science |url=http://powo.science.kew.org/taxon/urn:lsid:ipni.org:names:179162-1 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=Plants of the World Online |language=en}}</ref>


==Growth==
==Description ==
''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.<sup>[1][3][4][8][9]</sup>
''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. Smaller side branches shoot up from the main stem. ''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.<ref name=":0">{{Cite web |title=Artemisia afra {{!}} PlantZAfrica |url=https://pza.sanbi.org/artemisia-afra |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=pza.sanbi.org}}</ref>


==Distribution and habitat ==
''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. <sup>[4][8][9]</sup>


''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. It grows at the elevations of between 20 and 2440. It can be found on slopes, stream-sides, and forest margins.<ref name=":0" /> It is most commonly found in the months of March, April and May. 88.4% of the time it was found it was preserved. 48.0% of the time it was found, it was found in South Africa, 14.4% it was found in Tanzania, and 9.6% of the time it was found in Kenya.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd., 1803 |url=https://www.gbif.org/species/3121213/metrics |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=www.gbif.org |language=en}}</ref>
==Ethnobiology==

{{unreferenced section|date=September 2011}}
It is considered an invasive species, encroaching and spreading pretty fast in the nature park the study took place in. It was found in around 15% of the reserve. 71% of the plants were adults and 29% were juveniles.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Setshedi |first=Kgalalelo T. A. |last2=Newete |first2=Solomon W. |last3=Witkowski |first3=Ed T. F. |date=December 2022 |title=The threat of an indigenous medicinal plant encroacher: Artemisia afra in Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa |url=https://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/aje.13057 |journal=African Journal of Ecology |language=en |volume=60 |issue=4 |pages=1133–1142 |doi=10.1111/aje.13057 |issn=0141-6707}}</ref>
''Artemisia afra'' 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]]. In addition, ''Artemisia afra'' is frequently used as a moth repellent, and in organic insecticidal sprays. [4][5][8]

==Uses==

It has been used for many things. It has been used as a blood purifier, used to make bitter tea, and to treat every disease under the sun. People would put fresh leaves into nostrils to clear blocked nasal passages. Hot leaves were bound over sprains. It has been grounded into a powder to deter ants. Moths, insects, and fleas probably don't like it too, as it has been used as a repellent.<ref>{{Cite web |title=WORMWOOD - AFRICAN, WILDEALS |url=https://www.herbgarden.co.za/mountainherb/herbinfo.php?id=118 |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=www.herbgarden.co.za |language=en}}</ref> It has been used to treat malaria, which lacks scientific evidence and the study found no interesting compounds, including [[artemisinin]], which is used to treat malaria.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=du Toit |first=Anneke |last2=van der Kooy |first2=Frank |date=2019-11-15 |title=Artemisia afra, a controversial herbal remedy or a treasure trove of new drugs? |url=https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31376515/ |journal=Journal of Ethnopharmacology |volume=244 |pages=112127 |doi=10.1016/j.jep.2019.112127 |issn=1872-7573 |pmid=31376515}}</ref> The leaves have been in socks to help treat sweaty feet.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Artemisia afra - Useful Tropical Plants |url=https://tropical.theferns.info/viewtropical.php?id=Artemisia+afra |access-date=2023-08-11 |website=tropical.theferns.info}}</ref>

It has been used as an infusion, a quarter cup of fresh A. afra leaves are put in a cup of boiling water and the infusion is allowed to cool for 10 minutes. After that, it is strained and mixed with honey. A sesquiterpene lactone from afra had cytotoxicity. It has a lot of genetic variation, especially when it comes to chemical variation.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Liu |first=N. Q. |last2=Van der Kooy |first2=F. |last3=Verpoorte |first3=R. |date=2009-04-01 |title=Artemisia afra: A potential flagship for African medicinal plants? |url=https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0254629908003165 |journal=South African Journal of Botany |language=en |volume=75 |issue=2 |pages=185–195 |doi=10.1016/j.sajb.2008.11.001 |issn=0254-6299|doi-access=free }}</ref>


==Essential oil==
==Essential oil==
Essential oil extracts of ''Artemisia afra'' are prepared by steam distillation using twigs and blossoms. Extracts contain the following components (via [[gas chromatography]]) which are typical of extracts of the ''Artemisia'' genus:
Essential oil extracts of ''Artemisia afra'' are prepared by steam distillation using twigs and blossoms. Extracts contain the following components (via [[gas chromatography]]) which are typical of extracts of the genus ''Artemisia'':<ref>{{Cite web |last=Natural |first=Essentially |title=Oil Of The Week: African Wormwood |url=https://essentiallynatural.co.za/blogs/the-essentially-natural-blog/oil-of-the-week-african-wormwood |access-date=2023-07-08 |website=Essentially Natural |language=en}}</ref>


*[[thujone|α-thujone]] '''52.9%'''
*[[thujone|α-thujone]] 52.9%
*[[thujone|β-thujone]] '''15.07%'''
*[[thujone|β-thujone]] 15.07%
*[[cineole|1,8 cineole]] '''10.66%'''
*[[cineole|1,8 cineole]] 10.66%
*[[camphor]] '''5.72%'''
*[[camphor]] 5.72%
*[[germacrene]] '''1.60%'''
*[[germacrene]] 1.60%
*[[cadinene|δ-cadinene]] '''1.16%'''
*[[cadinene|δ-cadinene]] 1.16%
*[[terpineol|α-terpineol]] '''0.96%'''
*[[terpineol|α-terpineol]] 0.96%
*[[chrysanthenyl acetate|e-chrysanthenyl acetate]] '''0.78%'''
*[[chrysanthenyl acetate|e-chrysanthenyl acetate]] 0.78%
*[[camphene]] '''0.71%'''
*[[camphene]] 0.71%
*[[β-pinene]] '''0.51%'''
*[[β-pinene]] 0.51%
*[[α-pinene]] '''0.46%'''
*[[α-pinene]] 0.46%
*[[ocimene|trans-β-ocimene]] '''0.45%'''
*[[ocimene|trans-β-ocimene]] 0.45%
*[[myrcene]] '''0.22%'''
*[[myrcene]] 0.22%
Research suggests that the extract of ''Artemisia afra'' could have properties that can protect against liver damage; however, more research must be conducted. <sup>[5][6]</sup>


==Other names==
==Other names==
''Aretemisia afra'' is known by a variety of names, primarily due to the number of native dialects in regions where it grows. ''Lanyana'' represents a Sotho-derived name for Artemisia afra. Other variants include: <sup>[7][8]</sup>
''Aretemisia afra'' is known by a variety of names, primarily due to the number of native dialects in regions where it grows. ''Langana'' represents a Sotho-derived name for Artemisia afra. Other variants include:


* wild wormwood ([[English language|English]])
* wild wormwood ([[English language|English]])
* African wormwood ([[English language|English]])
* African wormwood ([[English language|English]])
* wilde-als ([[Afrikaans]])
* {{transliteration|af|italic=no|wilde-als}} ([[Afrikaans]])
* umhlonyane ([[Xhosa language|Xhosa]])
* {{transliteration|xh|italic=no|umhlonyane}} ([[Xhosa language|Xhosa]])
* mhlonyane ([[Zulu language|Zulu]])
* {{transliteration|zu|italic=no|mhlonyane}} ([[Zulu language|Zulu]])
* lengana ([[Tswana language|Tswana]])
* {{transliteration|tn|italic=no|lengana}} ([[Tswana language|Tswana]])
* zengana (Southern [[Sotho language|Sotho]])
* {{transliteration|st|italic=no|lengana}} (Southern [[Sotho language|Sotho]])
* nyumba ([[Luo language|Luo]])
* {{transliteration|luo|italic=no|nyumba}} ([[Luo dialect|Luo]])
* {{transliteration|am|italic=no|ariti}} ([[Amharic]])
* ariti (amharic)
* chii ([[Tchad]])


==References==
==References==
Line 70: Line 78:
#Thring, T.S.A., Weitz, F.M. ''Medicinal plant use in the Bredasdorp/Elim region of the Southern Overberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa'', 2006.
#Thring, T.S.A., Weitz, F.M. ''Medicinal plant use in the Bredasdorp/Elim region of the Southern Overberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa'', 2006.
#Watt, J.M., & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. ''Medicinal and poisonous plants of Southern and Eastern Africa'', E. & S. Lvingstone Ltd., Edinburgh and London 1962
#Watt, J.M., & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. ''Medicinal and poisonous plants of Southern and Eastern Africa'', E. & S. Lvingstone Ltd., Edinburgh and London 1962
#van Wyk, B-E., van Oudtshoorn, B. & Gericke, N. ''Medicinal plants of South Africa'', Briza, Pretoria, 1997.
#[[van Wyk, B-E.]], van Oudtshoorn, B. & Gericke, N. ''Medicinal plants of South Africa'', Briza, Pretoria, 1997.


==External links==
==External links==
⚫
{{Wikispecies|Artemisia}}
{{Commons category|Artemisia afra}}
{{Commons category|Artemisia afra}}
⚫
{{Wikispecies|Artemisia}}
* [http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Artemisia+afra ''Artemisia afra'' Growth Distribution] from Discover Life website
* [http://www.discoverlife.org/mp/20q?search=Artemisia+afra ''Artemisia afra'' Growth Distribution] from Discover Life website

{{AfricanPlants|Artemisia afra}}
{{AfricanPlants|Artemisia afra}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2716370}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q2716370}}
{{Authority control}}


[[Category:Artemisia (genus)|afra]]
[[Category:Artemisia (genus)|afra]]

Latest revision as of 08:42, 1 April 2024

Artemisia afra
African wormwood
Scientific classification Edit this classification
Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Tracheophytes
Clade: Angiosperms
Clade: Eudicots
Clade: Asterids
Order: Asterales
Family: Asteraceae
Genus: Artemisia
Species:
A. afra
Binomial name
Artemisia afra
Synonyms[1]
  • Absinthium ponticum (L.) Garsault
  • Absinthium tenuifolium Gaterau
  • Artemisia altaica Desf.
  • Artemisia balsamita Willd.
  • Artemisia grandiflora Fisch. ex Herder
  • Artemisia pallida Salisb.
  • Artemisia pontica Burm.f.
  • Artemisia pseudopontica Schur
  • Artemisia tenuifolia Moench

Artemisia afra, the African wormwood,[4] is a common species of the genus Artemisia in Africa, with a wide distribution from South Africa, to areas reaching to the North and East, as far north as Ethiopia.[2]

Description[edit]

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. Smaller side branches shoot up from the main stem. 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.[3]

Distribution and habitat[edit]

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. It grows at the elevations of between 20 and 2440. It can be found on slopes, stream-sides, and forest margins.[3] It is most commonly found in the months of March, April and May. 88.4% of the time it was found it was preserved. 48.0% of the time it was found, it was found in South Africa, 14.4% it was found in Tanzania, and 9.6% of the time it was found in Kenya.[4]

It is considered an invasive species, encroaching and spreading pretty fast in the nature park the study took place in. It was found in around 15% of the reserve. 71% of the plants were adults and 29% were juveniles.[5]

Uses[edit]

It has been used for many things. It has been used as a blood purifier, used to make bitter tea, and to treat every disease under the sun. People would put fresh leaves into nostrils to clear blocked nasal passages. Hot leaves were bound over sprains. It has been grounded into a powder to deter ants. Moths, insects, and fleas probably don't like it too, as it has been used as a repellent.[6] It has been used to treat malaria, which lacks scientific evidence and the study found no interesting compounds, including artemisinin, which is used to treat malaria.[7] The leaves have been in socks to help treat sweaty feet.[8]

It has been used as an infusion, a quarter cup of fresh A. afra leaves are put in a cup of boiling water and the infusion is allowed to cool for 10 minutes. After that, it is strained and mixed with honey. A sesquiterpene lactone from afra had cytotoxicity. It has a lot of genetic variation, especially when it comes to chemical variation.[9]

Essential oil[edit]

Essential oil extracts of Artemisia afra are prepared by steam distillation using twigs and blossoms. Extracts contain the following components (via gas chromatography) which are typical of extracts of the genus Artemisia:[10]

Other names[edit]

Aretemisia afra is known by a variety of names, primarily due to the number of native dialects in regions where it grows. Langana represents a Sotho-derived name for Artemisia afra. Other variants include:

References[edit]

  1. ^ The Plant List Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd.
  2. ^ "Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd. | Plants of the World Online | Kew Science". Plants of the World Online. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  3. ^ a b "Artemisia afra | PlantZAfrica". pza.sanbi.org. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  4. ^ "Artemisia afra Jacq. ex Willd., 1803". www.gbif.org. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  5. ^ Setshedi, Kgalalelo T. A.; Newete, Solomon W.; Witkowski, Ed T. F. (December 2022). "The threat of an indigenous medicinal plant encroacher: Artemisia afra in Klipriviersberg Nature Reserve, Johannesburg, South Africa". African Journal of Ecology. 60 (4): 1133–1142. doi:10.1111/aje.13057. ISSN 0141-6707.
  6. ^ "WORMWOOD - AFRICAN, WILDEALS". www.herbgarden.co.za. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  7. ^ du Toit, Anneke; van der Kooy, Frank (2019-11-15). "Artemisia afra, a controversial herbal remedy or a treasure trove of new drugs?". Journal of Ethnopharmacology. 244: 112127. doi:10.1016/j.jep.2019.112127. ISSN 1872-7573. PMID 31376515.
  8. ^ "Artemisia afra - Useful Tropical Plants". tropical.theferns.info. Retrieved 2023-08-11.
  9. ^ Liu, N. Q.; Van der Kooy, F.; Verpoorte, R. (2009-04-01). "Artemisia afra: A potential flagship for African medicinal plants?". South African Journal of Botany. 75 (2): 185–195. doi:10.1016/j.sajb.2008.11.001. ISSN 0254-6299.
  10. ^ Natural, Essentially. "Oil Of The Week: African Wormwood". Essentially Natural. Retrieved 2023-07-08.
  1. Bremness, L. The complete book of herbs, Dorling Kindersley, London, 1988.
  2. Jackson, W. Origins and meanings of names of South African plant genera, Univ. Cape Town, 1990.
  3. The new Royal Horticultural Society dictionary of gardening, Huxley, A., et al., eds. Macmillan Press, London, 1992.
  4. Liu, N. Q., Van der Kooy, F., Verpoorte, R. Artemisia afra: A potential flagship for African medicinal plants?, 2009.
  5. Mangena, T., Muyima, N.Y.O. Comparative evaluation of the antimicrobial activities of essential oils of Artemisia afra, Pteronia incana and Rosmarinus officinalis on selected bacteria and yeast strains. 1999.
  6. Mukinda, J., & Syce, J. Acute and chronic toxicity of the aqueous extract of Artemisia afra in rodents. 2007.
  7. Thring, T.S.A., Weitz, F.M. Medicinal plant use in the Bredasdorp/Elim region of the Southern Overberg in the Western Cape Province of South Africa, 2006.
  8. Watt, J.M., & Breyer-Brandwijk, M.G. Medicinal and poisonous plants of Southern and Eastern Africa, E. & S. Lvingstone Ltd., Edinburgh and London 1962
  9. van Wyk, B-E., van Oudtshoorn, B. & Gericke, N. Medicinal plants of South Africa, Briza, Pretoria, 1997.

External links[edit]

Wikimedia Commons has media related to Artemisia afra.
Wikispecies has information related to Artemisia.
Retrieved from "https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Artemisia_afra&oldid=1216660088"