PLANTS, THEIR PROPERTIES, YOUR BALANCE.
Botanical photograph: Artemisia herba-alba (Artemisia herba-alba Asso)

BOTANICAL PHOTOGRAPH · ASTERACEAE

THE HERBARIUM · ASTERACEAE

Artemisia herba-alba

Artemisia herba-alba Asso

Source topics

These topics describe what the sources discuss, including unproven claims and risks. They are not therapeutic recommendations.

Documentary entry
  • Historical record: colicReported historical use
  • Historical record: colicReported historical use
Plant partleaf juice · sap · unspecified aerial parts
FormsNo recommended preparation

Documentary entryReported uses only. No preparation or therapeutic use is recommended.

Toxicity is reported in SEPASAL. No home preparation or ingestion.

Identity & origin

BOTANICAL IDENTITY

The right name is the first step.

Artemisia herba-alba is documented in Kew’s SEPASAL inventory. This notice identifies the taxon and a selection of attributed historical uses. It does not recommend medicinal use.

Part used
leaf juice · sap · unspecified aerial parts
Origin & distribution
See the linked taxonomic record for distribution; the origin of the documented practice is not inferred from the plant’s range.

Also known as: Artemisia herba-alba Asso, Artemisia aethiopica L., Artemisia ontina Dufour, Artemisia lippii Besser, Artemisia inculta Delile, Artemisia sieberi Besser, Artemisia aragonensis Lam., Artemisia billardieriana Besser, Artemisia oliveriana Gay ex Besser

The accepted name is reconciled with GBIF; historical source names remain visible as synonyms. Other species and plant parts are not interchangeable. A photograph cannot confirm an identification for consumption.

An illustration is not enough to identify a plant for consumption. Do not forage for a species based solely on this profile.

Uses & evidence

UNDERSTANDING THE USES

Properties & uses.

Reported historical use

Historical record: colic

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving leaf juice under “colic” (use group 10781). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source
Reported historical use

Historical record: colic

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving sap under “colic” (use group 28912). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source
Reported historical use

Historical record: diabetes mellitus

SEPASAL records an earlier use involving unspecified aerial parts under “diabetes mellitus” (use group 28919). This is a documentary report, not a demonstrated action in humans. The entry does not establish an effective dose, safety or a suitable home preparation. The original publications are cited by Kew; they have not all been consulted directly.

Use reported in a survey or inventory. This establishes neither benefit nor safety.

Read the source

The traditional uses described are not clinical proof of effectiveness. Evidence for one preparation cannot automatically be applied to another.

Precautions before use

BEFORE ANY USE

Precautions & contraindications.

This guidance does not cover every individual situation. Missing information is not a guarantee of safety.

The following warnings do not constitute a complete review of interactions or contraindications. An unstudied combination cannot be considered compatible.

Contraindications & precautions

  • Toxicity is reported in SEPASAL. No home preparation or ingestion.
  • A complete clinical contraindication assessment is not available in the references used here. Missing information is not evidence of safety.

Medicine interactions

  • Interactions have not been systematically assessed in this historical inventory. Compatibility with medicines cannot be established.

“Reported” does not prove causality; “possible” may reflect indirect evidence. “None reported” means none in the cited source, not that all combinations have been studied. Do not stop a prescribed treatment based on this profile.

Adverse effects

  • The historical inventory is not a systematic adverse-event review. Toxicity is specifically flagged in the source.

Pregnancy & breastfeeding

Safety during pregnancy and breastfeeding is not established here. No medicinal use is recommended.

Children & adolescents

No paediatric preparation or dose is validated by this notice. Do not extrapolate historical adult uses to children.

If symptoms persist, worsen or are unusual, consult a healthcare professional. In an emergency, contact the emergency services.

Sources & last review

CHECKING REFERENCES

Sources for this profile.

  1. SEPASAL, use group 28919 — Twaij, H.A.A. and Al-Badr, A.A. — 1988 — Hypoglycemic activity of Artemisia herba albaAccessed on 09/10/2026
  2. GBIF — Artemisia herba-alba AssoAccessed on 09/10/2026

Image: Pennyinsole · CC0 1.0. View the original image and its licence. Image resized and converted to WebP.

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