Around 1500, European herbalists documented wormwood's (Artemisia absinthium) traditional medicinal uses, building on ancient knowledge from texts like those of Dioscorides and Pliny for treating digestive issues, worms, and as a bitter tonic. Long valued in folk medicine across Europe predating its fame in absinthe, it was integrated into remedies and brewing. This recording helped preserve and spread herbal lore that bridged ancient and Renaissance pharmacology, highlighting plant-based healing's role in pre-modern healthcare and culture.

The traditional medicinal use of wormwood documented in Europe around 1500 provided archaic botanical imagery for later Romantic and symbolic poetry. This connection to nature and healing became a recurring theme in the works of poets who sought to explore the relationship between humanity and the natural world.