Wormwood
Wormwood is traditionally used a remedy for liver and gallbladder problems, and to treat parasites. It should be taken in small doses as directed and for no longer than four weeks at a time.
Usage
Against Parasites
Some research confirmed traditional usage of helping to fight parasites .
Antioxidant
It has antioxidant properties, and may fight inflammation.
Pain and Osteoarthritis
May help fight pain and relieve joint inflammation.
Ancient Herbal Therapy
Wormwood is used in traditional Chinese medicine to treat various diseases by stimulating acupuncture points with inflamed wormwood sticks to achieve local warming.
According to the medical encyclopedia "Ben Cao Gang Mu", wormwood leaves are used as medicines to treat diseases of the spleen, liver, and kidneys. This plant has healing properties and regulates the ratio of yin and yang energy.
The whole wormwood plant acts to regulate irregular menstruation, to eliminate cold and moisture. It is also used in the treatment of rheumatoid arthritis and various types of headaches. It is one of those plants that are most widely used in traditional Chinese medicine.
It works in the treatment of asthma and cough, helps dissolve mucus, fights allergies, and protects the function of the liver and gallbladder. Wormwood can be used to make tea, soup, and porridge, all of which have a beneficial effect on the whole organism.
How to wormwood to your diet?
Make a tea
Wormwood tea has very bitter taste, and it’s the most common way to consume wormwood.
As a Supplement
Available in capsules it has been used for various digestion problems.
It has been used for thousands of years, and it’s native to parts of Europe and Asia.
It’s believed to regulate the ratio of yin and yang energy.
This plant is used for the production of absinthe.
It belongs to the family of daisies.
About
Artemisia absinthium is a hardy perennial shrub, native to temperate Eurasia and North Africa and cultivated in gardens. It is branded for its extreme bitterness, used as carminative to support a healthy appetite, balances healthy flora, cleans the digestive tract of parasites and toxins.
Various studies have shown that Artemisia absinthium has tremendous anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antimicrobial effects, and also it has been shown to have an effect on the GI tract and urinary system. It is also known that most of the therapeutic properties of this plant are due to the It contains many other phytochemicals namely, lactones, terpenoids (bornyl acetate, cadinene camphene, trans-sabinyl acetate, guaiazulene, chamazulene, camphor, and linalool), organic acids, resins, tannins, and phenols.
Research
According to the latest research, some phytochemicals from wormwood can kill iron-rich breast cancer cells similar to the way it kills malaria-causing parasites, making it a potential natural cure for cancer in women with breast cancer. Cancer cells can also be rich in iron because they usually absorb it to facilitate cell division. In one recent study, researchers tested samples of cells infected with breast cancer and normal breast cells that were first treated to maximize their iron content. The cells were then treated with water with a dissolved form of artemisinin, wormwood extract.
The researchers found that there was a significant improvement in the symptoms of Crohn's disease in 18 patients (90 percent) who received wormwood despite a reduction in medication. After eight weeks of wormwood treatment, in this group, 13 patients (65 percent) developed almost complete remission of symptoms compared to none in the placebo group. This remission lasted until the end of the observation period, which was 20 weeks (12 weeks later), and no medication was required.
Safety
Wormwood is not a plant for long-term use. It is not allowed to exceed the recommended doses because excessive intake of wormwood can be very toxic. It is recommended to be taken in dry form, which contains little, almost none, volatile thujone oil.
The US Food and Drug Administration states that wormwood is not safe to use due to the toxicity of thujone oil. However, it is considered safe when taken orally in the amounts most commonly found in foods and beverages, including bitter drinks and vermouth, as long as these products are thujone-free. Using wormwood for more than four weeks or in higher than recommended doses can lead to nausea, vomiting, restlessness, insomnia, dizziness, shivering, and seizures.
Herb is prohibited in any form of pregnant or breastfeeding women. There is documented evidence that this herb causes miscarriage and causes more extensive menstrual bleeding. In those allergic to ragweed and other plants from the Asteraceae / Compositae family, wormwood can cause an allergic reaction.
Fun Facts
As the name suggests, it has a long history of being used against parasitic worms (intestinal anthelmintic).
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Szopa, A., Pajor, J., Klin, P., Rzepiela, A., Elansary, H. O., Al-Mana, F. A., ... & Ekiert, H. (2020). Artemisia absinthium L.—Importance in the history of medicine, the latest advances in phytochemistry and therapeutical, cosmetological and culinary uses. Plants, 9(9), 1063.
Alinia-Ahandani, E. (2018). Medicinal plants and their usages in cancer. J. Pharm. Sci. Res, 10, 2-2.
Recipes
