Wormseed

WORMSEED (Artemisia Cina Berg.), a perennial subshrub 30-50 cm in height, of the family Compositae. The flowers are epigynous, bisexual, small, 1-1.4 mm in length, gathered in groups of 3-6 on common receptacles into small erect heads (see figure). The heads are oblong-ovoid in shape, 3-4 mm in length, and about 1.5 mm in width. These unopened flower heads constitute the commercial product known by the (incorrect) name of "wormseed" or "worm flowers" (Flores Cinae, Flosculi Cinae). The odor of wormseed flowers is reminiscent of camphor. The taste is bitter and spicy. This plant grows wild in Kazakhstan and the Uzbek SSR and is particularly abundant, forming large thickets, in the vicinity of Shymkent and Tashkent. The flower heads are harvested in July-August before they bloom and are subjected to conventional drying, after which they are cleaned of dust and petals. The main constituents of wormseed flowers are: santonin (see), artemisin-oxysantonin, C₁₅H₁₈O₄ (m.p. 202°), essential oil 2-3%, betaine 0.5%, choline 0.1%, a resinous-bitter substance, sugar, wax, fat, a hydrocarbon of the formula C₃₂H₆₆ (m.p. 55-58°), ash 6.5-10%, moisture 10%. The quality of the flowers is determined by their santonin content (not less than 2%). Wormseed was known in antiquity. It was mentioned by Dioscorides and Pliny. It was introduced into medicine by the Arabs. The flowers are used against worms (Ascaris lumbricoides, Taenia). Dose 2-8 g with honey or syrup. For children aged 2 to 3 years - 1.5 g; from 4 to 5 years - 3.0 g.

It is given in the mornings, followed after a few hours by a laxative (castor oil). On the second day these doses are repeated. In large doses, wormseed flowers cause symptoms of santonin poisoning. The essential oil of wormseed, or darmine oil, contains cineol, 1-alpha-pinene, terpinene, 1-alpha-terpineol; it is a colorless liquid, optically inactive, crystallizing in the cold, with an odor similar to camphor, specific gravity 0.928-0.930 (15°). It dissolves in 12 parts of 50% alcohol. Darmine oil is used as an external analgesic for muscular and joint rheumatism, arthralgias, and myositis. It is used per se and mixed with vaseline or fatty oils. Santonin and wormseed flowers serve as an export commodity. Until recently, the USSR was the sole country supplying wormseed flowers and santonin to the world markets. In recent years, Artemisia Cina has begun to be cultivated in small quantities in Germany; santonin is also manufactured in England, the USA, and since 1934 in Japan (on an experimental basis).

E. Shass. Lit.—see lit. to the article Santonin.