- characteristics
- What is it for?
- Effects on the digestive system
- Effects on the nervous system
- Other effects
- Possible side effects
- References
The master herb or wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) is a medicinal aromatic plant belonging to the genus Artemisia. Its distribution is very wide: it is found in temperate regions of Europe, Asia and North Africa, in Canada and in the United States.
Along with anise and fennel, it is one of the main ingredients of absinthe, a spirit drink with a high alcohol content; It is also used to make vermouth. The entire shrub has extensive therapeutic uses, documented from ancient Egyptian times.
The upper parts of the harvested plant are used when in flower, which includes the stems, leaves and flowers. The tea made with this has a strong bitter taste and is often mixed with other herbs such as mint to mask it. It is a powerful anthelmintic.
Its essential oil is extracted, which represents about 0.5 to 1% of the weight of fresh leaves. Its main volatile constituents include thujone, felandrene, cadinene, and azulene.
It restores loss of appetite, is used in the treatment of gastritis, helps against gallbladder discomfort and also in liver inflammation. In traditional Chinese medicine it is also used to treat diseases of the nervous system.
characteristics
Wormwood is a perennial shrub in the Asteraceae family. It grows naturally in arid and uncultivated terrain, on rocky slopes, and on the edge of trails and field plots. It has a strong sage smell, especially in the aerial parts of the plant. The root has a warm and aromatic flavor.
The roots or rhizomes are fibrous. The stem is firm, straight and branched, platinum-green in color covered with fine hairs. The plant normally grows between 80 cm and 1.2 m, and sometimes reaches up to 1.5 meters.
The leaves are arranged in a spiral, they are greenish-gray on the upper part and white on the lower part.
The flowers are light yellow in color and bloom from early summer to early autumn; that is, from July to September or even October.
The ripe fruit of the wormwood is a small achene that is dispersed by gravity. The seeds are cylindrical, flat, and up to 1 mm long. Its color is grayish brown.
A plant can produce up to one hundred thousand seeds. The plant can be easily cultivated from seeds.
What is it for?
- In addition to its use as a medicinal herb, it is used as an insecticide and insect repellent.
- It has slight anti-infectious properties. It has been reported to be used topically to treat minor cuts and wounds, prevent infection, and speed up the healing process.
- It has been used traditionally as a natural treatment for colds and fever. Wormwood tea has desirable effects in restoring health in post-flu or post-infectious periods.
Effects on the digestive system
It is an excellent digestive due to the substances responsible for the bitterness in the plant. These explain the herb's use as a remedy for gallbladder ailments, irritable bowel syndrome, liver, and heartburn.
Wormwood improves digestion, stimulates the digestive system and fights flatulence. It has a reputation for stimulating the appetite; hence its use to treat anorexia.
Throughout the history of traditional medicine, wormwood extract has been used to expel intestinal parasites.
Effects on the nervous system
The absinthe plant is a psychic stimulant. Its effect is narcotic, slightly anesthetic and generates a feeling of peace and relaxation.
Its calming effect is believed to be helpful for those suffering from epilepsy and muscle spasms, as well as for treating mild forms of depression. However, when mixed with alcohol or in high doses, wormwood can cause hallucinations.
Wormwood contains thujone, a substance that has analeptic properties. That is to say, it has the ability to stimulate the nervous system and return a patient in a coma or fainted to consciousness. Thujone causes a decrease in sleep time in animals when they have been induced by barbiturates.
The stimulating action of thujone is similar to that of amphetamine in rodents, causing in them an increase in spontaneous activity. It is used as a nerve tonic and as a remedy for weakness.
Other effects
It has been used to relieve pain associated with arthritis and rheumatism due to its mild anesthetic effect. Also for the relief of menstrual cramps and pain during labor.
The wormwood plant is also used as a cardiac stimulant and to improve blood circulation. Its stimulating action on the immune system promotes its use as an agent against tumors and cancers.
Possible side effects
- The wormwood plant is poisonous. It should not be taken for more than 4 weeks or in high doses. Its intense and prolonged use can cause nausea, vomiting, stomach cramps, headaches, dizziness and damage to the nervous system.
- Wormwood has been reported to cause seizures if taken in large amounts over long periods of time. Thujone overdose has toxic effects on the liver and brain.
- People taking anticonvulsant medications should not use it, due to interaction with them. Acute kidney failure and congestive heart failure have also been reported. These cases appear to have occurred after ingesting the essential oil, but not the tea or tincture.
- Allergic reactions to wormwood may occur in people sensitive to plants of the Asteraceae family.
- It should not be taken during pregnancy or lactation. Thujone's ability to cause muscle spasms induces uterine contractions in pregnant women.
- Regular use of the wormwood plant can become addictive. The plant contains poisonous glycosides and its volatile oil depresses the central nervous system.
- The chronic use of absinthe causes epileptic seizures, hallucinations and delirium. This resulted in the prohibition of the drink at the beginning of the 20th century. Today its consumption seems to be resumed.
References
- Absinthe - Encyclopedia (nd). Retrieved on May 24, 2018 from azarius.pt.
- Absinthe (2018). Retrieved on May 24, 2018 at en.wikipedia.org
- Jiří Patočka J., Plucar B., Pharmacology and toxicology of absinthe. Journal of Applied Biomedicine. 2003; 1: 199–205.
- Judžentienė, A. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium L.) Oils. Essential Oils in Food Preservation, Flavor and Safety. 2016; 849-856.
- Thujone (2018). Retrieved on May 24, 2018 at en.wikipedia.org.