{{Short description|Species of flowering plant}} {{Speciesbox |image=Artemisia_cina_-_Köhler–s_Medizinal-Pflanzen-165.jpg |image_caption=1897 illustration<ref>1897 illustration from Franz Eugen Köhler, Köhler's Medizinal-Pflanzen</ref> |genus=Artemisia |species=cina |authority=Berg & C.F. Schmidt ex Poljakov }}
'''''Artemisia cina''''', commonly known as '''santonica''' (zahr el shieh el -khorasani), '''Levant wormseed''', and '''wormseed''', is an Asian species of herbaceous perennial in the daisy family.<ref>Berg, Otto Karl 1959. Darstellung und Beschreibung samtlicher in der Pharmacopoea borussica aufgefuhrten offizinellen Gewachse 4(29): chapter 29c</ref><ref>[http://www.ipni.org/ipni/idPlantNameSearch.do?id=179351-1&back_page=%2Fipni%2FeditAdvPlantNameSearch.do%3Ffind_infragenus%3D%26find_geoUnit%3D%26find_includePublicationAuthors%3Dtrue%26find_addedSince%3D%26find_family%3D%26find_genus%3DArtemisia%26find_infrafamily%3D%26find_rankToReturn%3Dspec%26find_publicationTitle%3D%26find_authorAbbrev%3D%26find_infraspecies%3D%26find_includeBasionymAuthors%3Dtrue%26find_modifiedSince%3D%26find_species%3Dcina%26output_format%3Dnormal The International Plant Names Index]</ref> Its dried flowerheads are the source of the vermifugic drug santonin since ancient times.<ref name="a_modern_herbal_a02">{{Cite book|last1=Grieve|first1=Maud|title=A Modern Herbal (Volume 2, I-Z and Indexes)|date=June 1971 |publisher=Dover Publications|isbn=978-0-486-22799-3}}</ref> Its common names arise from its known ability to expel worms. The powder is grayish-green in colour with an aromatic odour and a bitter taste. ''Dysphania ambrosioides'' is another plant with the common name wormseed, called epazote in Mexican cuisine.<ref>[https://web.archive.org/web/20130609070857/http://articles.chicagotribune.com/1998-02-04/entertainment/9802040360_1_mexican-herb-black-beans-yucatecan-dishes Tina Danze, The Dallas Morning News. 1998. Mexican Magic: Epazote's Special Flavor]</ref>
The plant is characterised by its spherical pollen grains, which are typical in the Asteraceae; a fibrous layer on anthers; lignified, elongated, hypodermal sclerids; and clusters of calcium oxalate crystals.
It is native to China, Pakistan, Russia, Turkestan, Kazakhstan, and Kyrgyzstan.<ref>{{GRIN|accessdate=21 January 2018}}</ref>
It is referenced in the short story "Funes the Memorious" by Jorge Luis Borges.
==Biochemistry== In addition to santonin, the above-ground parts of the plant contain betaine, choline, tannins, pigments, and an essential oil. The essential oil is largely composed of 1,8-cineole, but contains a wide variety of other compounds as well.<ref>{{citation|title=Biological Activity of 1,8-Cineole from Levant Wormwood|journal=Pharmaceutical Chemistry Journal|issn=1573-9031|volume=37|issue=1|date=January 2003|doi=10.1023/A:1023699012354|pages=28–30|author=Zh. K. Asanova|author2=E. M. Suleimenov|author3=G. A. Atazhanova|author4=A. D. Dembitskii|author5=R. N. Pak|author6=A. Dar|author7=S. M. Adekenov|s2cid=27081377 |name-list-style=amp }}</ref> Cineole takes its name in part from the specific name, cina.
==References== {{Reflist}}
{{Taxonbar|from=Q657997}}
cina Category:Flora of Asia Category:Plants described in 1863