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    Home»Herbs and Spices»9 health benefits of Wormwood
    Herbs and Spices

    9 health benefits of Wormwood

    By SylviaAugust 2, 2017Updated:September 14, 2017No Comments10 Mins Read
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    Health benefits of Wormwood

    Artemisia absinthium commonly known as Wormwood, Mugwort, absinthium, Absinthe, grand and common wormwood, absinthe wormwood, green ginger, madderwort, old woman grande wormwood and ajenjo is the odorous perennial herb of Compositae family more commonly known as the daisy family and belong to the genus Artemisia. The genus Artemisia has more than 180 related species including the Mugwort, Sea Wormwood and the Field Wormwood. The plant is native to temperate regions of Eurasia and Northern Africa and extensively naturalized in Canada and the northern United States. The whole family is notable for the extreme bitterness of all parts of the plant: ‘as bitter as Wormwood’ is a very Ancient proverb. It has a narcotic property and due to wormwood herb aroma and bitterness it is commonly used in number of alcoholic beverages preparation for adding intoxication and flavor. It is used in beers, absinth, martini, vermouth, campari, and pastis. Bitter taste of wormwood comes from absinthin and artabsin present in herb.

    Plant Description

    Wormwood is a nonnative, long-lived, fragrant, herbaceous perennial plant growing about one and a half meters (four feet) in height. The plant grows naturally on uncultivated, arid ground, on rocky slopes, and at the edge of footpaths and fields. It prefers moderately fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils. The plant has taproot occasionally reaching 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter with shallow lateral branches spreading 6 feet in all directions. Stem is straight, growing to 0.8–1.2 meters (2 ft. 7 in–3 ft. 11 in) tall, grooved, branched, and silvery-green colored.

    Leaves

    Leaves are spirally arranged, greenish-grey above and white below, covered with silky silvery-white trichomes, and bearing minute oil-producing glands; the basal leaves are up to 25 cm long, bipinnate to tripinnate with long petioles, with the cauline leaves (those on the stem) smaller, 5–10 cm long, less divided, and with short petioles; the uppermost leaves can be both simple and sessile.

     Flower & Fruit

    Flower is pale yellow, tubular, and clustered in spherical bent-down heads (capitula), which are in turn clustered in leafy and branched panicles. Flowering normally takes place from July to October. Fruit is a cypsela without a pappus. It is grown as an ornamental plant and is used as an ingredient in the spirit absinthe as well as some other alcoholic beverages. Whole plant releases an aromatic odor and has a spicy, bitter taste. Many species of the Artemisia family tend to have medicinal properties.

    History

    The wormwood plant was cultivated in the French-Swiss border regions near Pontparlier and Val de Travers, two villages known as the historical “home” of absinthe, but it can now be found across much of North America. Initially recommended as a tonic for a variety of ailments, from headache to dysentery, the use of wormwood extract as a pharmaceutical cure for several different illnesses can be traced as far back as the Egyptian dynasty of 1600 B.C. Today it is fond throughout the world due to its outstanding health benefits.

    Dried Wormwood Sketch-of-Wormwood--plant Small-Wormwood-plant Wormwood-Buds Wormwood-Bushes Wormwood-essential-oil Wormwood-Flower Wormwood-Leaf Wormwood-plant-Illustration Wormwood-plant-near-the-house Wormwood-Seed Wormwood-Tea
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    Health benefits of Wormwood

    Apart from being used as an ingredient in absinthe, wormwood has traditionally been used to treat various illnesses including digestive conditions, fevers, and dyspepsia and liver conditions. These days it is becoming more and more popular to treat conditions which include the following:

    1. Beats Malaria

    Malaria is a severe disease caused by a parasite that is spread by the bite of infected mosquitoes and attacks human red blood cells. Artemisinin is an extract isolated from the plant wormwood. Artemisinin is an herbal drug that is considered most powerful antimalarial on the market. It’s known for quickly reducing the number of parasites in the blood of patients with malaria. The World Health Organization recommends artemisinin-based combination therapies as first-line treatment for uncomplicated P. falciparum malaria.(1)

    2. Stimulating the digestive system

    Wormwood has been used to treat many problems relating to the digestive system. It is used to relieve indigestion and also to encourage better digestion because of its ability to promote the production of bile and support gallbladder and liver health. It is particularly effective when it is combined with another digestive herb like ginger or peppermint.

    3. Fever

    Wormwood is used to bring down high temperature due to fever. The herb works by inducing sweating in patients suffering from high fever. It also helps in reducing fever that is caused by the actions of intestinal parasites.

    4. To Kill Worms and Parasites

    Wormwood is quite beneficial to destroy harmful parasites found in the body. It is considered one of the affordable herbal medicines for the people of developing countries who cannot afford high cost of pharmaceuticals. It is capable of destroying numerous parasites including pinworms and roundworms.

    According to research wormwood helps to produce an intestinal environment that is deadly to parasites and other dangerous organisms.(2), (3)

    5. For Anxiety

    Wormwood has mild anti-anxiety effects and many people use it to help overcome the symptoms of stress and anxiety. There is however little scientific research to confirm its use for anxiety so use it cautiously.

    6. To Stimulate the Appetite

    Wormwood has traditionally been used as a tonic to encourage the appetite which is especially important following about of illness. The recommended amount to help improve your appetite is between 10 and 20 drops of liquid extract mixed into a glass of water and drunk around 15 minutes prior to every meal.

    7. For Irritable Bowel Syndrome

    Irritable bowel syndrome is a very common condition which affects the colon and can cause several horrible symptoms including cramping, bloating, abdominal pains, diarrhea and constipation.

    Some people succeed in treating many of these symptoms with wormwood either alone or in combination with other herbal remedies. Research also shows that wormwood combined with other herbs was effective against the symptoms of abdominal complaints like nausea, heartburn and intestinal spasms. (4)

    8. To Stimulate Menstruation

    Wormwood has natural emenagogue properties which basically mean that it can help stimulate menstruation and help regulate the cycle of menstruation. This may be desirable because herbal emenagogue preparations like wormwood can be used as an emergency contraceptive or as a natural treatment for infrequent menstruation.

    9. Crohn’s disease

    Research has suggested that wormwood can improve the symptoms in Crohn’s disease. Its regular consumption for 2 – 3 months can help lowering symptoms of the disease and reducing steroid dosage.

    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1osOQO66jBs

    Ayurvedic Health benefits of Wormwood

    • Ascaris: Make a powder of wormwood. Take one tbsp two times a day.
    • Bursitis: Apply wormwood over the affected area twice a day.
    • Debility: Take 2-3 tbsp of wormwood two times a day.
    • Aphrodisiac: Put some wormwood dried leaves in the fire and inhale its smoke.
    • Tapeworm infection: For cleaning of tapeworm infection you need to drink half a cup of wormwood tea in the morning on an empty stomach and at night before sleeping, during 5-6 days.
    • Appetite: To strengthen the appetite take one teaspoon of chopped young wormwood leaves mixed with honey every day for three weeks.
    • Asthma: You should drink a glass of wine (0.5 ounces) with boiled wormwood on an empty stomach.
    • Freckles and scabs on face: You need to crush fresh wormwood leaves, put in water, cover and strain after 24 hours. You can wash 3-4 times a day with that water and freckles and scabs will disappear on your face.
    • Gall bladder, spleen, and kidney stones Problems: Grind one teaspoon of wormwood, one teaspoon of dandelion, one tablespoon of mint and one tablespoon of yarrow. Put all the ingredients in a glass jar, and pour one liter of white wine. Seal, let it stand for 8 days with occasionally shaking and then strain the wine. Take one tablespoon of wine 3 to 4 times a day about 30 minutes before eating.

    Other Traditional uses and benefits of Wormwood

    • It is an extremely useful medicine for those with weak and under-active digestion.
    • It increases stomach acid and bile production, improving digestion and the absorption of nutrients.
    • It also eases wind and bloating and, if taken regularly, helps the body return to full vitality after a prolonged illness.
    • Leaves and flowering shoots are anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic, antispasmodic, antitumor, carminative, cholagogue, emenagogue, febrifuge, hypnotic, stimulant, stomachic, tonic and vermifuge.
    • Extremely bitter leaves are chewed to stimulate the appetite.
    • Leaves have been used with some success in the treatment of anorexia nervosa.
    • Plant is applied externally to bruises and bites.
    • Warm compress has been used to ease sprains and strained muscles.
    • Homeopathic remedy is made from the leaves.
    • It is used to stimulate bile and gastric juice production and to treat disorders of the liver and gall bladder.
    • Mix fresh wormwood juice with a little honey and put over the eyes to improve vision.
    • Mix wormwood with equal amount of lemon balm, it helps to stimulates the nerves and brain.
    • If you wash your eyes with the wormwood tea 2-3 times a day it strengthens vision.
    • Steam from wormwood let will help celiac and painful ear and can also calm a toothache.

    How to take it

    Wormwood is available in a number of forms including capsules, tinctures, tablet and liquid extract forms. Its oil is also extracted and sold as essential oil. There is inadequate proof regarding an exact dose but traditionally for indigestion and other digestive problems, it has been taken at around 3 to 5 grams each day as an herbal infusion.

    Wormwood Tea

    As well as the commercially available forms of wormwood, it is often drunk as a tea. You can make your own home made wormwood brew by following these steps.

    • Take around half a teaspoon of crushed, dried wormwood.
    • Add your herbs to a cup of boiled water.
    • Allow the herbs to seep for around 15 minutes then strain out the herbs.
    • You can conceal the bitter taste of the herb by adding a masking agent like peppermint. This will make your decoction more palatable and is also excellent for indigestion and heartburn.
    • You can drink up to three cups a day but should not continue to use it for more than 4 weeks at a time.

    Culinary Uses

    • Leaves are occasionally used as a flavoring.
    • Absinthe – a distilled, highly alcoholic drink is produced in France, Switzerland, Australia, Spain, and the Czech Republic.
    • In the middle Ages, it was used to spice mead, and in Morocco it is used with tea, called sheeba.
    • In 18th century England, wormwood was sometimes used instead of hops in beer.

    Other Facts

    • Fresh or dried shoots are said to repel insects and mice.
    • They have been laid amongst clothing to repel moths and have also been used as a strewing herb.
    • An infusion of the plant is said to discourage slugs and insects.
    • The plant contains substances called sesquiterpene lactones, these are strongly insecticidal.

    Precautions

    • The plant is poisonous if used in large quantities.
    • Even small quantities have been known to cause nervous disorders, convulsions, insomnia etc.
    • Just the scent of the plant has been known to cause headaches and nervousness in some people.
    • Avoid if prone to seizures.
    • Avoid during pregnancy & breast feeding.
    • Absinthism adverse effects include hallucinations, insomnia, loss of intellect, psychosis, tremor & seizures.
    • Plant should be taken internally in small doses for short-term treatment only, preferably under the supervision of a qualified practitioner.
    • It should not be prescribed for children.
    • The use of wormwood as a medicinal herb should not exceed four weeks.

    References:

    https://www.itis.gov/servlet/SingleRpt/SingleRpt?search_topic=TSN&search_value=35445#null

    https://npgsweb.ars-grin.gov/gringlobal/taxonomydetail.aspx?id=4274

    http://www.pfaf.org/User/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Artemisia+absinthium

    http://www.missouribotanicalgarden.org/PlantFinder/PlantFinderDetails.aspx?kempercode=a938

    http://www.floracatalana.net/artemisia-absinthium-l-

    http://www.botanical.com/botanical/mgmh/w/wormwo37.html

    https://plants.usda.gov/core/profile?symbol=arab3

    https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_absinthium

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    Wormwood Facts

    Wormwood Quick Facts
    Name: Wormwood
    Scientific Name: Artemisia absinthium
    Origin Eurasia, northern Africa
    Shapes A cypsela without a pappus.
    Taste Very bitter
    Health benefits Stimulate the digestive system and Kill Worms and Parasites
    Name Wormwood
    Scientific Name Artemisia absinthium
    Native Eurasia, northern Africa
    Common Names Mugwort, absinthium, Absinthe, grand and common wormwood, green ginger, madderwort, old woman, ajenjo
    Name in Other Languages Albanian: Pelin
    Arabic: Shih, shyh (شيح)
    Azerbaijani: Yovşan, Ĵovšan, Јовшан
    Basque: Asentsio, Axinse, Xixari belarr
    Bulgarian: Pelin, Пелин
    Catalan: Donzell
    Chinese:  Zhōng yà kǔ hāo( 中亚苦蒿),  Píjiǔ hāo (啤酒蒿), Ou zhou ai (歐洲艾 ), Kǔ ài (苦艾), Kǔ hāo (苦蒿),  Yang ai (洋艾).
    Croatian:  Bijeli pelin, Gorski pelin.
    Czech: Pelyňek, Pelyňek pravý
    Danish:  Havemalurt, Malurt
    Dutch:  Absint, Alsem, Absintalsem
    English:  Absinthe,  Absinthe wormwood,  Absinthium, Wormwood, absinth sagewort, absinthium, common sagewort, wormwood, common wormwood,  absinthe sagewort, insipid absinth, old woman, oldman wormwood
    Esperanto: Absinto
    Estonian: Koirohi
    Finnish:  Koiruoho, Mali
    French:  Absinthe, Armoise absinthe, Armoise amère, Grande absinthe, absinthe commune, Aluine, Armoise commune, Herbe de feu, Genépi
    Galician: Axenxo
    German:  Absinth, Echter Wermut,  Wermut, Wurmkraut
    Greek:  Αψέντι, Αψιθιά
    Hebrew: Absint, La’ana, Lana, האבסינט, לענה
    Hungarian: Fehér üröm, Üröm
    Italian:  Assenzio, Assenzio romano, Assenzio vero
    Japanese:  Niga yomogi (ニガヨモギ)   , Wamuddo (ワームウッド), Ku yomogi(苦蓬)
    Korean: Weom-u-deu, Weomudu, Womudu, wom-udeu (웜우드)
    Latvian: Vērmeles
    Lithuanian: Kartusis kietis, Pelynas
    Norwegian:  Malurt,  Ekte malurt
    Occitan: Absinta, Aissent, Aussent, Candèla de Sant Joan
    Persian:    افسنطین   
    Polish:  Piolun, Bylica piołun
    Portuguese:  Absinto, Losna
    Romanian: Pelin, pelin alb
    Russian:  Polyn’ gor’kaia (Полынь  горькая), Polyn gorkaya (Полынь горькая), Polyn’ gor’kaâ, polyn gor’kaya (полын горькая)
    Scottish Gaelic: Buramaide
    Slovak: Palina pravá
    Slovenian: Pravi pelin                       
    Spanish:  Absintio, Ajenjo, Ajenjo mayor,
    Swedish:  Akta malört, Malört, koiruoho, mali
    Turkish: Acı pelin, Pelinotu
    Ukrainian: Polin gìrkij (Полин гіркий), Polyn hirkyj
    Vietnamese:  Cây ngải đắng, Ngải đắng, Ngải áp xanh
    Plant Growth Habit Nonnative, long-lived, fragrant, herbaceous perennial plant
    Growing Climate Grows naturally on uncultivated, arid ground, on rocky slopes, and at the edge of footpaths and fields
    Soil Moderately fertile, dry to medium moisture, well-drained soils
    Plant Size One and a half meters in height (three feet)
    Root Taproot occasionally reaching 2 inches (5 cm) in diameter with shallow lateral branches extending 6 feet in all directions
    Stem Straight, growing to 0.8–1.2 meters (2 ft 7 in–3 ft 11 in) (rarely 1.5 m, but, sometimes even larger) tall, grooved, branched, and silvery-green
    Leaf Spirally arranged, greenish-grey above and white below, covered with silky silvery-white trichomes, and bearing minute oil-producing glands; the basal leaves are up to 25 cm long, bipinnate to tripinnate with long petioles, with the cauline leaves (those on the stem) smaller, 5–10 cm long, less divided, and with short petioles; the uppermost leaves can be both simple and sessile
    Flowering Season July to October
    Flower Pale yellow, tubular, and clustered in spherical bent-down heads (capitula), which are in turn clustered in leafy and branched panicles
    Fruit Shape & Size A cypsela without a pappus.
    Flavor/Aroma Characteristic odor, resembling that of thujone
    Taste Leaves: Very bitter
    Root: warm and aromatic taste
    Plant Parts Used Whole Herb (leaf, stem and flowering parts)
    Available Forms Essential oil, capsule, tablet, tincture and liquid extract forms
    Health Benefits
    • Crohn’s disease
    • To Stimulate Menstruation
    • For Irritable Bowel Syndrome
    • To Stimulate the Appetite
    • For Anxiety
    • To Kill Worms and Parasites
    • Fever
    • Stimulating the digestive system
    • Beats Malaria

    Wormwood Scientific Classification

    Scientific Name: Artemisia absinthium

    Rank Scientific Name & (Common Name)
    Kingdom Plantae (Plants)
    Subkingdom Tracheobionta (Vascular plants)
    Infrakingdom Streptophyta  (land plants)
    Superdivision Spermatophyta (Seed plants)
    Division Magnoliophyta (Flowering plants)
    Class Magnoliopsida (Dicotyledons)
    Subclass Asteridae
    Order Asterales
    Family Asteraceae ⁄ Compositae (Aster family)
    Genus Artemisia L. (sagebrush)
    Species Artemisia absinthium L. (absinthium)
    Synonyms
    • Absinthium bipedale Gilib.
    • Absinthium majus Garsault
    • Absinthium officinale Brot.
    • Artemisia absinthia St.-Lag.
    • Artemisia absinthium var. absinthium
    • Artemisia absinthium var. insipida DC.
    • Artemisia absinthium var. insipida Stechm.
    • Artemisia absinthium var. inspida Stechmann
    • Artemisia arborescens f. rehan (Chiov.) Chiov.
    • Artemisia arborescens var. cupaniana Chiov.
    • Artemisia baldaccii Degen
    • Artemisia doonense Royle
    • Artemisia inodora Mill.
    • Artemisia kulbadica Boiss. & Buhse
    • Artemisia pendula Salisb.
    • Artemisia rehan Chiov.
    • Artemisia rhaetica Brügger
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