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Artemisia cina

Common name:	Cina	Family:	Compositae
Author:	O.Berg.	Botanical references:	266
Synonyms:	Seriphidium cinum ((O.Berg.)Poljakov.)
Known Hazards:	Poisonous[4]. Skin contact with some members of this genus can cause dermatitis or other allergic reactions in some people[222].
Range:	E. Asia - Russia, Turkestan
Habitat:	Deserts[4].
Edibility Rating (1-5):	0	Medicinal Rating (1-5):	3

Other Possible Synonyms:	From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below.
	A. chamaemelifolia[H] A. lercheana[H] A. maritima[H] A. maritima pauciflora[H] A. maritima stechmann.[H] A. maritima var. pauciflora[H] A. maritima var. stechmann.[H]
Other Common Names:	From various places around the Web, may not be correct. See below.
	Centonique [E], Chamomile-leaved Artemisi [H], Horasani [E], Levant Wormseed [H], Santonica [P,H], Sea Wormwood [H],
Systematics:	From a USDA Plants Database
	Order: Asterales. Renamed to Asteraceae -- Aster family
Other Range Info:	From the Ethnobotany Database
	Turkey

Physical Characteristics

A decidious shrub growing to 1m. . It is in flower from August to October, and the seeds ripen from August to October. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Wind. We rate it 0/5 for edibility and 3/5 for medicinal use.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland). It requires dry or moist soil and can tolerate drought.

Habitats and Possible Locations

Cultivated Beds.

Edible Uses

None known

Medicinal Uses

Disclaimer

Digestive; Febrifuge; Homeopathy; Vermifuge.

Cina is one of the safest and most reliable vermifuges, used especially on children[4]. Because of its bitter flavour, it is usually mixed with liquorice or some other pleasantly flavoured herb. The unexpanded floral heads and the seed contain the vermicide 'santonin'[4, 61, 171, 218]. This is an effective and rapid treatment for round worms, it is also effective for thread worms, though it does not affect tapeworms[4]. The plant is also used as a febrifuge and as an aid to the digestion[232]. Caution is advised in the use of this plant since it is poisonous in large doses[4]. This plant should not be used by pregnant women[254].
The dried flowers are used to make a homeopathic remedy[232]. This is particularly useful for complaints of the nervous system and the digestive tract[232].
A homeopathic remedy made from the plant is used to rid children of worms[238].

We have a more details factsheet on the history and medicinal use of this plant. Email webmaster@pfaf.org for details.

Other Uses

None known

Cultivation details

We have very little information on this species and do not know if it will be hardy in Britain. Although this plant has woody stems, these tend to die back each winter giving the plant a herbaceous habit. It is cultivated as a medicinal plant in Russia and N. America[61, 171, 266]. The following notes are based on the general needs of the genus.
Easily grown in a well-drained circumneutral or slightly alkaline loamy soil, preferring a sunny position[1, 200]. Established plants are very drought tolerant[200]. Plants are longer lived, more hardy and more aromatic when they are grown in a poor dry soil[245].
Plants in this genus are notably resistant to honey fungus[200].
Members of this genus are rarely if ever troubled by browsing deer[233].

Propagation

Seed - surface sow from late winter to early summer in a greenhouse[200]. When large enough to handle, prick the seedlings out into individual pots and plant them out in the summer.
Cuttings of half-ripe wood, July/August in a frame.
Division in spring or autumn.

Suppliers

For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.

Web References

Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
[H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
[E] Ethnobotany Data (common names, uses, countries) from the Ethnobotany Database.
[PHARM] Phytochemical Data (common names, uses, countries) from Dr Duke's Phytochemical Database.
[G] Data (Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
[P] Data. (uses, distribution, wetland) from the USDA'a Plants database.
[HP] Links, Photos, Suppliers from Hortiplex Plant Database

See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.

Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.

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]).

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[171] Hill. A. F. Economic Botany. The Maple Press 1952
Not very comprehensive, but it is quite readable and goes into some a bit of detail about the plants it does cover.

[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.

[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.

[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.

[232] Castro. M. The Complete Homeopathy Handbook. Macmillan. London. 1990 ISBN 0-333-55581-3
A concise beginner's guide to the subject. Very readable.

[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.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[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.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

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

Readers Comments

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Plant information taken from the Plants For A Future - Species Database. Copyright (c) 1997-2003.
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We make no claims of magical effects or supernatural powers for any item in this catalog. In spite of legendary attributes or occult and craft tradition, such items are offered as curios only and beliefs concerning their magical effectiveness are related only for historical interest.