Caik
Artemisia tilesii Ledeb.
Plant
Common wormwood is a tall, aromatic herb that grows in open habitats throughout the Kodiak region. Its deeply divided, toothed leaves are silvery and hairy underneath and green and smooth above. The small, yellowish-brown flowers form ball-like clusters that bloom late in the summer.
CAUTION: Large amounts of wormwood, especially when taken in a single dose, may cause a toxic reaction.
Medicine: Common wormwood may be used fresh or dried in modest amounts. Alutiiq people employ the leafy stems of common wormwood as a steam bath switch for aches and pains. People drink wormwood tea for heart and stomach problems, sore throats, and aches and pains including headaches. Chewing the leaves is said to relieve colds and flu. People report that wormwood flushes the kidneys, shrinks hernias, and removes the lumps and pains from varicose veins. Soaking the flowers in hot water and sitting on them reportedly relieves hemorrhoids, and wrapping the feet in the leaves draws a fever to the feet. Some people use common wormwood to treat sores and cuts that won’t heal.
