Wormwood is a general name for a group of woody plants with a strong aromatic smell. These plants have a strong, bitter taste. The young shoots and branch tips of wormwood plants are used to make the "wormwood" product sold in markets. Because of its bitter taste, wormwood is often mentioned alongside gall as a symbol of bitter calamity and sorrow (Proverbs 5:4; Jeremiah 9:15; 23:15; Lamentations 3:15, 19; Revelation 8:11).
Artemisia herba-alba is the most common type of wormwood found in the Holy Land today. It has a strong aromatic smell similar to camphor and tastes bitter. Another type, Artemisia judaica, grows only in the Sinai region.
People make a drink called absinthe from wormwood plants. At first, absinthe causes increased activity and pleasant feelings, and fills the mind with grand ideas (Lamentations 3:15). However, regular use of absinthe leads to stupor and a gradual decrease in thinking ability. It eventually causes delirium and sometimes death. Wormwood is also mentioned in Amos 6:12.