Wormwood is the main ingredient in Absinthe and Vermouth it is also used as an herbal medicine to treat heartburn, bloating, nausea, or fullness after eating. Other uses for Wormwood include improving the appetite, decreasing gas, and treating liver and gallbladder problems. Wormwood, Artemisia Absinthium has been used for centuries as a moth repellant, general pesticide and as a tea/spray to repel slugs and snails. Before its' toxicity was known it was used as the name implies: a worming medicine for people and animals. . Historic references to wormwood go back as far as 1600 B.C. in Egypt. Wormwood leaves contain absinthin a substance which can be toxic to other plants.