What Is Wormwood
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a local herb that’s prized for its difference in aroma, herbaceous flavor, and purported health profits .
Not common to Europe, it grows randomily across various continents, which include parts of Asia, Africa, South America, and the United States.
It have velvety white or greenish-silver stems, yellow-green leaves, and bulbous flowers that are bright or pale yellow. Every parts of the plant have been used in traditional medical practices for years now.
It gained its fame from its use in absinthe, a French herbal drink that was a favorite of many 19th-century artists,
It was Long checked a hallucinogen and potential poison, wormwood was banned in the United States for getting to a century, from 1912 until 2007. It’s now available legally in the United States .
This content makes a indexed look at wormwood.
Compounds and chemical properties
Wormwood is extracted or it is like tea. Its has an oil which is made from the stems and the leaves of the plant, whereas while extracting or tincture the entire plant may be used .
These getting it formulated it lacks calories, some vitamins, or some minerals but contain some number of plant compound, the common known is thujone .
This compound starts in two forms alpha- and beta-thujone, which are not same at the molecular level. Although these differences are some times small, they are meaningful because alpha-thujone is said to be more toxic. It’s one of the the primary active ingredient in wormwood .
Thujone is thought to excite your brain by blocking gamma aminobutyric acid(GABA), a neurotransmitter that has calming effects on the central nervous system.
Although this compound may have plenty of profits, too much consumption of thujone is toxic and has been connected to seizures and even death .
Benefits and use of wormwood
To add to this its used in absinthe and other spirits, wormwood has many applications in non-Western medicinal practices, including Traditional Chinese medicine.
Although absinthe’s reput for causing hallucinations, sleeplessness, and convulsions, wormwood is not concerned to be a hallucinogen.
Although the drink’s is highly alcoholic and thujone contents may play a few roles in these effects, this has not been confirmed by formal research. Thus, its historical associations with these mental and physical conditions are not well understood .
May trigger pain
Wormwood long time ago has been sought for its pain-reliefs and anti-inflammatory properties .
For example, this herb may help relieve osteoarthritis, a painful condition resulting from joint inflammation.
In a 4-weeks reseaecher experience in 90s adults with knee osteoarthritis, usually apply a 3% wormwood skin ointment 3 times daily helped improve both pain levels and physical function. All the same, it didn’t reduce stiffness .
It should be noted that the plant itself should never be directly applied to the skin, as its compounds are too concentrated and can result in painful burns .
May fight parasitic infections
Wormwood can be used treat intestinal worms back in the Ancient Egypt. This parasite-fighting property is attributed to thujone .
Yet, the evidence for this specific application is largely anecdotal.
Notably, animal and test-tube studies indicate that the herb may fight tapewormsand other parasites though this research may not apply to humans .
Thus, more comprehensive studies are necessary.
Boasts antioxidant properties
After thujone, wormwood have another notable compound is chamazulene. It acts as a prevention of oxidation and is mostly focused in the essential oils of the plant’s pre-flowering stage .
Low oxidations like chamazulene may combat oxidative stress in your body system , which is related to cancer, heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and other ailments .
Nonetheless, more research on this compound’s properties is needed.
Dosage and safety information
no guideline for dosage of wormwood exist.
At the same time, some governmental institutions have restricted on the wormwood products, as its compounds can produce toxic effects.
For instance, the European Union (EU) limits foods prepared with wormwood to 0.23 mg of thujone per pound (0.5 mg/kg), while the threshold for alcoholic beverages like absinthe is 16 mg per pound (35 mg/kg) (3, 21).
In the United States, the Food and Drug Administration (FDA) restricts any commercial product containing thujone to 10 parts per million (ppm) or less. This amount is considered negligible and thus safe for most populations .
You should bear in mind that wormwood tea and extracts aren’t confucted by the FDA. Thus, they don’t fall under these regulations and harbor significantly more thujone.
Precautions and possible side effects
Vulnerable people with some conditions may want to avoid wormwood. These conditions may include:
- Pregnancy, You shouldn’t take wormwood if you’re pregnant, as it may cause miscarriage a pregnant woman should avoid it .
- Breastfeeding and early childhood. Women who is breastfeeding her child should avoid this herb due to a lack of information associated with safety.
- Epilepsy. Thujone stimulates the brain and has been known to cause seizures. Wormwood may also decrease the effectiveness of common anti-seizure medications, such as gabapentin and primidone .
- Heart disease. Taking this herb with the heart disease medication warfarin may cause intestinal bleeding .
- Kidney problems. Wormwood is toxic to the kidneys and may increase your risk of kidney failure (26Trusted Source, 27).
- Certain allergies. If you’re allergic to members of the Asteraceae family, such as ragweed and marigolds, you may also react to wormwood, which is in the same botanical family .
High doses of wormwood may result in digestive upset, kidney failure, nausea, vomiting, and seizures. However, you’re unlikely to experience these side effects if you’re taking it in small doses, such as those found in tea .
Very large amounts of this herb and other thujone-containing products can be fatal, though its lethal dose in humans has not been established (28).
Furthermore, it can cause burns if applied directly to your skin. If using it topically, be sure to only use it as an ointment or lotion .
Finally, you shouldn’t take any form of wormwood regularly for over 4 weeks. This duration is considered long term, and the herb’s long-term safety and side effects are unknown.
Wormwood formulations
For Wormwood stems, leaves, and flowers are they usually sunned foe it to get dry for brewing into a tea. the herb can be found in some supplement form and herbal blends.
To apply it on the skin, it’s extracted into an essential oil and diluted into lotions or ointments form.
You can purchase dried wormwood and still extract capsules, and other ointment.
Keep in mind that these products aren’t regulated by the FDA, so you should look for third-party verification on the label.
This means that the supplement has been tested and is free of contaminants and hidden ingredients.testing laboratories include NSF International, ConsumerLab.com, and USP.
You may also purchase the plant or its seeds to grow it and produce it yourself.
Summary
Wormwood is bitter herb with so many known ingredient in absinthe.remember it isn’t hallucinogenic,
its plant compound thujone can be toxic and even fatal in large amounts.
All the same, wormwood may offer numerous benefits when taken in moderation. These include fighting parasitic infections, as well as relieving pain.
Some persons who have epilepsy or are pregnant, breastfeeding, or taking some medications should try as much to avoid wormwood.
As regards to medication always try to speak to a medical expert .