This perennial herb flowers with small, light yellow flowers on long grey-green stalks with lightly hairy, grey-green feathery leaves. This herb has appetizing qualities and is often used to help and prevent stomache and gal problems. It can be used as a very bitter tea to help the digestion. Pregnant women shouldn't use it because of it's abortion causing effect. This herb is lightly toxic and very adictive. It's also used in cooking to braise fatty meats, poultry and game. The leaves are bound and dried upside down for about 3-10 days and then kept dry. A tincture of Absinte Alsem is used to kill fleas, lice and other pests. Hardy perennial. Height: 60-120 cm.
Indoor sowing: march -april
Outdoor sowing: april - august
Germination: 7 - 30 days
Germination temp.: 15 - 21°C
Sowing depth: shallow - ¼ cm
Plant distance: 50 - 60 cm
Plant position: sunny with some shade
Sow indoors from march on in a seeding tray with some soil and a lid. Sow thinly and shallow and don't cover the seeds but press them gently. Keep moist but not waterlogged. Cover the tray with a lid or some cling film. Germination can be quite erratic, it can take a long while so please be patience. It can aid the germination proces to store the seeds in a fridge before sowing.
Remove the lid when the seedlings appear. Plant them outdoors in may, when all danger of frosts is gone, on a dry, sunny spot with some shade. Keep them about 50 cm apart.
Sow outdoors from april on on a sunny spot with some shade. Rake the seeds gently in and keep moist and weedfree. Ansinthe alsem slows the growth of the neighbouring plants. The leaves can be harvested and dried to make thee, the drink Absinthe or in the kitchen in many dishes. The light yellow flowers are used to colour wool yellow.
