Alaskan sagebrush facts for kids

Artemisia alaskana, the Alaskan sagebrush or Alaskan wormwood or Siberian wormwood, is a North American species of plants in the sunflower family. It is found in British Columbia, the Yukon, the Northwest Territories, and Alaska. Some authors have considered it as a subspecies as the Russian species A. kruhsiana.

Uses

Alaskan wormwood is used by the larvaes of butterflies which are pollinating it. The plant is an important ingredient in some French cuisines, which chefs use as a flavorer. The plant has a medical purpose as well. It can be used as a cough medicine, lowers fever, cures colic and headache, and is great against intestinal parasites and malaria. The shrub emits a strong odor and has a bitter taste related to the terpenoids and sesquiterpene lactones within its cells.

The plant is used in various cosmetics such as enemas, infusions, lotions, and poultices. It is also used in breweries, and can be used as oil to repel fleas and moths from clothes. Moreover, it can be used as an anthelmintic, febrifuge, and stomachic. The plant requires full sun and partial shade, and a dry soil.