Effects of Storage Time on the Quality Attributes of White Wormwood Herb

White wormwood (Artemisia herba-alba Asso.) is a medicinal plant of great importance, widely used for its health benefits. An experiment was conducted on dry herb to investigate the effect of storage duration on its qualitative characteristics. The study was carried out under room temperature conditions using a randomized complete block design with five storage periods: 0, 3, 6, 9, and 12 months. The results showed no significant decrease in dry weight up to 6 months of storage, followed by a significant decline thereafter. There was a significant reduction in the percentage of essential oil, with the smallest loss occurring at 3 months and the greatest loss at 12 months. α-Thujone was the predominant component of the essential oil, followed by β-thujone. Both compounds declined progressively with prolonged storage, reaching their lowest levels at 12 months. Based on these findings, it is recommended that white wormwood not be stored for more than 3 months at room temperature in order to preserve its quality attributes.