About Artemisia herba-alba Asso
Artemisia herba-alba Asso is a chamaeophyte that grows 20–40 cm (8–16 in) tall. Its leaves are strongly aromatic, covered in fine glandular hairs that reflect sunlight, giving the entire shrub a grayish appearance. Leaves on sterile shoots are gray, petiolate, and ovate to orbicular in outline, while the smaller leaves found on flowering stems are much more abundant in winter. The flowering heads are sessile, oblong, and taper at their base. This species flowers from September to December. Each flowering head has a naked receptacle and holds 2–5 yellowish hermaphrodite flowers. Artemisia herba-alba serves as good fodder for grazing animals, primarily sheep, and also for cattle in Algerian steppes. As a species of sagebrush, it is widely used in herbal medicine for its antiseptic, vermifuge, and antispasmodic properties. Among Bedouins in the Negev desert, it is a traditional remedy for enteritis and various intestinal disturbances. Laboratory assays have found that the plant's essential oil has antibacterial activity, produces an antispasmodic effect in rabbits, and shows a cytotoxic effect on cancer cells. In Iraqi folk medicine, teas made from Artemisia herba-alba are used to treat diabetes mellitus. An aqueous extract prepared from the plant's aerial parts has demonstrated a hypoglycemic effect in alloxan-induced diabetic rabbits and mice.
