“God’s tree” – wormwood – can both cure and poison (some
species of wormwood are deadly for herbivores). But people are so long ago
became interested in the capabilities of this plant, that they learned to take
from wormwood the best and treat the respiratory tract, gastrointestinal tract, skin diseases with it
etc. And in recent years, the scientific interest in active substances in
the composition of this herb only intensifies, which leads to the discovery of new,
sometimes unexpected, plant properties.
Useful properties of wormwood
Composition and nutrients
Basic substances:
г
Minerals:
mg
Vitamins:
mg Water 7,74 Potassium 3020 Vitamin
C 50 Proteins 22,77 Calcium 1139 Vitamin
PP 8,950 Fat 7,24 Magnesium 347 Vitamin
B6 2,410 Carbohydrates 50,22 Phosphorus 313 Vitamin
B2 1,339 Dietary fiber 7,4 Sodium 62 Vitamin
B9 0,274 Saturated fatty acids 1,881 Iron 32,3 Vitamin
B1 0,251 Calories 295 kcal Zinc 3,9 Vitamin
A 0,21
What exactly is used and in what form
Wormwood root used as a raw material for a decoction,
insist on his fault. An extract is made from the root. Of wormwood
herbs and leaves are prepared with decoctions, naparas. Fresh
chopped grass used as part of lotions, compresses,
wormwood juice involved in raising funds
appetite. On the basis of wormwood, a tincture is created. Alcoholic
extract и wormwood essential oil also
are widely used in medicine. Wormwood is part of various
teas and medicinal fees. In homeopathy, the herb and roots of wormwood
ordinary is used for
epilepsy and gynecological diseases. Smoking cigars from
dry herb wormwood is prescribed for bronchial asthma..
Medicinal properties
Wormwood root contains volatile
oils, cineole, fenhon, borneol, camphene, thujone, inulin, resinous
substances, organic acids, some tannins
substances. Preparations from the roots of this type of wormwood have a diuretic,
antispasmodic, anthelmintic effect on the human body.
Stimulates stomach function and enhances digestive secretion
juices.
In the grass of wormwood, prochamazulene bitterness (absintin,
anabsintin, artabsin), absintol volatile oil with thujol content,
thujone and other terpenes, resinous substances and a small amount
tannins, malic and succinic acids. Wormwood
also improves digestion, has a mild laxative effect
and enhances the motility of the biliary tract.
In wormwood grass, except for the listed and characteristic
for the root part of substances and bitterness, also find cymene, camphene,
poisonous thujone and ether dehydromarticaria. This type of wormwood has
restorative effect on the human body. Applicable
in the practice of pain relief and acceleration of the labor process.
In the grass of Crimean wormwood there are volatile oils containing
absintola and pinene, artimin and tauremizine (stimulates respiration,
increases blood pressure, improves heart function in acute
heart failure), the flavonoid axilyaroside. Medicinal
the value of Crimean wormwood is associated with strengthening the heart muscle,
stimulating effect on the nervous system..
In official medicine
The spectrum of pharmaceutical preparations based on wormwood is varied:
- Wormwood herb;
- Wormwood tincture. Apply 5-20 drops three times a
a day half an hour before a meal; - Extract of thick wormwood;
- Tauremizine (tablets). Prescribe one tablet 2-3 times
per day (each tablet is 0,005 g); - 0,25% tauremizine solution in 1 ml ampoules. Injected subcutaneously
and intramuscularly 0,5-1 ml, intravenously – 1 ml with 10 ml of 20%
glucose solution for drug poisoning, sleeping pills,
acute heart failure, collapse, infectious and other
diseases that suppress respiratory and vasomotor
centers; - Wormwood flowers in packages. The pharmacy chain receives
flower baskets of citrine wormwood, packaged in boxes,
called “citric seed”. This name is given because
wormwood flower baskets resemble seeds in appearance..
In folk medicine
In ancient times, participants in the Olympic
games relieved muscle and nervous tension. Modern folk
healers successfully use wormwood in the composition of medicinal drugs.
- As a diuretic
choleretic, anticonvulsant and anthelmintic drugs are used
decoction from the root of wormwood. Half a tablespoon
roots are poured with water in an amount of 200 ml. After boiling about
10 minutes over low heat, allow to cool. - With a reduced secretion of gastric juice, bile, constipation they drink
a decoction of wormwood herb. One teaspoon of herbal raw materials
brew in a glass of boiling water, let it brew. Apply throughout
days on a tablespoon half an hour before meals. Such a drug is useful
in case of stress and sleep disorders, it stabilizes the nervous state
and improves sleep patterns. - Wormwood herb in the form of alcohol tincture or decoction
useful as a medicine for mycotic pneumonia
(caused by antibiotic overload). Half dining room
spoons of herbal raw materials are poured with a glass of water and boiled for 5 minutes
over low heat, insist 30 minutes. Drink from one dining room
spoons up to 50 ml of the resulting liquid twice a day before taking
food. Such a decoction mobilizes the body’s defenses. - Napar from Crimean wormwood herb (a handful of chopped grass
and 200 ml of boiling water) drink a tablespoon 3 or 4 times a day
with
pneumonia, bronchiectasis, bronchial
asthma, circulatory failure, acute heart attack
myocardium. - In obstetrics and gynecology, a decoction of wormwood is prescribed
with
amenorrhea and hypomenstrual syndrome, with nausea and malaise
pregnant women, as well as a remedy that relieves labor
process. In the absence of physiological bleeding 3 tablespoons
tablespoons of wormwood herb, insist for a day in a glass of cold
water. Drink a tablespoon of infusion every 3 hours. - An infusion of wormwood herb is used to stimulate activity
digestive tract and improve appetite (single dose – 3-8
d). - Powders from inflorescences of wormwood in combination with honey
(10 g of raw materials are mixed with 100 g of honey) is prescribed for worm
invasion. - Infusion of tarragon wormwood herb (6 g of raw materials per glass of boiling water,
a third of a glass before meals 3 times a day) appoint
with catarrh of the stomach, with chronic gastritis with low
acidity of gastric juice, with dropsy, flatulence
and as an antiscorbutic agent. - Bitter wormwood helps with
alcohol addiction treatment. Pour 4 into a glass of water
tablespoons of oregano and a spoonful of chopped wormwood herb. Such
boiled and strained broth drink a tablespoon three times
per day for two or three months. At about the 14th
the day of using this drug, addicted people feel indifference
to alcoholic beverages, up to complete rejection.
External means:
- Fresh juice of wormwood is used to treat wounds and abscesses;
steamed herb compresses are recommended for chest inflammation
glands and to accelerate the maturation of abscesses; rinse the cavity with infusion
mouth for toothache, make baths for sweating feet. - Fresh crushed leaves of wormwood are successfully used for
hemorrhages on the body due to injuries, dislocations, tendon sprains. - Fresh sage wormwood heals the scab.
- Poultices from inflorescences of wormwood are applied to areas
cancerous skin to calluses and warts. - An infusion of wormwood inflorescences is used for rubbing
with muscle and articular rheumatism,
neuralgia
and lumbago[6,7,8].
In oriental medicine
Avicenna often practiced healing various ailments with the help
wormwood… Wormwood broth the doctor used
for the treatment of sore eyes; as a remedy for diuretic and choleretic
effect; to expel worms from the body; recommended to women
to normalize the cycle. Avicenna treated with fresh wormwood juice
jaundice and dropsy.
And he offered wormwood wine as a means of stimulating
digestive activity.
Wormwood Avicenna considered in
within the system of treatment of kidney stones and erosive formations
in the cervix. To the wormwood herb baths, he attributed
the value of the abortifacient. A decoction of wormwood
in the form of lotions recommended for the treatment of headaches and rhinitis.
In Central Asian countries, an infusion from the flower part of wormwood
treat hemorrhoids
inflammation, ulcerative colitis, irritation of the caecum, halitosis
and even epilepsy.
Chinese medicine in the treatment of diseases of various etiologies is widely
practices the method of non-burn moxibustion – heat puncture – with
which uses wormwood herb in the form of special
cigars.
Wormwood herb is common in Indian medicine as a remedy
in the fight against helminthic invasions and for the general strengthening of the body..
In scientific research
English botanist, pharmacist and physician Nicholas Culpeper, creator
a popular herbalist in Britain, described 3 types of wormwood – bitter,
sea and Roman (Pontic) – and characterized their properties.
Culpeper’s Compatriot, botanist, mycologist, and pharmacist John Hill
wrote about the medicinal value of wormwood. He claimed that the tincture
from the floral part of the plant “normalizes digestion, enhances
peristalsis, regulates acidity and improves the outflow of bile. “
The scientist mentioned wormwood wine as an effective remedy for improving
digestive functions.
Culpeper also emphasized the healing effects of wormwood juice.
Roman on the liver and spleen, wrote about the use of wormwood tincture
with
gout..
Modern medicine often refers to the study of medicinal
properties of wormwood. On the effect of wormwood on the secretion of bile
and the secret of the pancreas is based on the scientific work of German
scientists (IK Baumann, H. Glatzel and others). Comparative aspect
properties of wormwood and wormwood tincture illuminated
in the study of M. Locatelli Correa-Ferreira, G. Rodriguez Noleto[10,11].
Domestic researchers also consider wormwood as a plant.
with great medical potential. Within the framework of the international scientific and practical
conference “Traditional medicine of the 21st century. Treatment before reaching
goals ”E. Ivanova presented an extensive report, which analyzed
the chemical composition of the plant and its medicinal properties. Wormwood meaning
essential oil in the treatment of infectious diseases and chronic
inflammatory processes were considered in their work by Ramazanov
B., Akyshbaeva K., Mamatova A. The object of research in the dissertation
Zarubina L. is the antimicrobial activity of the components of wormwood
gray. Characteristics of a biologically active substance – arglabin
– the scientific work of Itzhanova H. is devoted. In particular, they emphasize
antitumor properties of arglabin. The role of another representative
wormwood in the fight against cancer – wormwood
– disclosed in the study of Zhigzhitzhapova S. Artemisinin, allocated
wormwood, is actively introduced by specialists into the practice of anticancer
therapy. Medical value and medicinal potential of wormwood
cytvarnoy analyze Omarova R., Sakipova Z., Bekezhanova T.[-12 17].
In dietetics
Wormwood is used in detoxification programs to cleanse
organism, get rid of toxins and parasites. Wormwood cleaning period
combined with a strict diet. The use of wormwood for similar purposes
should be done under the strict supervision of a physician, should be avoided
overdose.
In cooking
Tarragon wormwood (other names: tarragon, tarragon, draconova
wormwood) is a wonderful herb used by culinary experts for centuries:
it is added to sauces, marinades, pickles, drinks, meat dishes
and birds.
It is on herbal raw materials from this plant that the famous
drink “Tarragon”.
Making tarragon at home is quite simple. For
homemade tarragon you will need: a bunch of fresh tarragon, half
lemon, 2 teaspoons of sugar, chilled boiled water, crushed
ice. Separate the stems from the leaves. Cut the tarragon stalks
and blanch in a little water and let cool. Leaves
grind with granulated sugar, pour in hot boiled water
(water temperature about 40 ° C) and let it brew. Later connect
both infusions, pour into a glass container and cool in the refrigerator.
Strain the drink, pour into glasses, add ice cubes and
a small amount of lemon juice.
Wormwood is productively used in distillery production.
The main component of the legendary absinthe
– extract of wormwood.
The preparation of various sauces greatly benefits from the addition of
this spicy herb.
Creamy tarragon sauce is quick and easy to make. For
to implement this recipe, you need half a bottle of white dry
wine, finely chopped small onion,
black pepper, salt, 2 sprigs of fresh tarragon and ½ tablespoon
tablespoons of chopped leaves, one cup of heavy cream. In a deep frying pan
stew the tarragon stalks in wine with pepper and onion (about 20 minutes).
Remove the stems (they are no longer needed), pour the cream into the pan,
simmer the sauce over low heat until thickened. Salt
and add finely chopped tarragon leaves. Serve with chicken
fish or vegetables..
In cosmetology
Wormwood has a cosmetic value. At home you can
use wormwood broth to cleanse the skin of the face. Steam
wormwood bath tones up and promotes better blood circulation.
Scrub from chopped wormwood herb and grains of salt on honey
basis perfectly cleanses oily skin. Wormwood infusion and broth are used
as a hair rinse. Essential oil and extract from wormwood
are components of various creams and lotions.
In perfumery
The bitter aroma of wormwood plays great in perfume compositions.
Popular perfume with the scent of wormwood Fleur Defendue by Lolita
Lempicka and Absinthe Nasomatto.
Other uses
The smell of wormwood helps to withstand the rolling of the sea. Worth sniffing
a bunch of wormwood grass as motion sickness recedes.
A natural dye is obtained from a decoction of wormwood herb, from yellowish green
to a rich dark green hue.
Wormwood is an effective natural pest control. How to use wormwood
against fleas? Armfuls of wormwood spread out on the floor in living quarters
allow you to get rid of these insects..
Interesting Facts
The mention of wormwood is found in Shakespeare’s tragedy “Romeo
and Juliet”(Act 1, Scene 3). Juliet’s nanny talks about
that when she weaned her three-year-old pet from the breast, she had to
use the bitter juice of wormwood, with which she lubricated the body.
John Locke, in his Essay on Human Thought (1689), cites wormwood
as an abstract example of bitterness in general: “The child distinguishes between concepts
bitter and sweet even before he masters speech. And later when
he begins to speak, he realizes that wormwood and lollipop are not one
and also».
The Bible also says that wormwood is a shooting star
from heaven after the sound of the trumpet of the third angel. She oozes bitterness
which poisons one third of all the waters on earth in the days of the Apocalypse..
There are numerous legends about wormwood. One of the legends tells
about the Polovtsian hordes, the leaders of which were the brothers-khans Otrok
and Syrchan. Once the brothers’ troops were defeated in the battle with Vladimir
Monomakh. After that, Syrchan went to explore the distant steppes,
and the Youth to decide to rule in the Caucasian lands. After the death of Monomakh
Syrchan invited the Youth to return to his homeland. The brother refused.
Later Syrchan ordered to send a messenger to him with an armful of dried wormwood.
The inexplicable has come to pass: the youth, inhaling the long-forgotten steppe
aroma, could not resist the call of his native land and changed his
decision. It is in this legend that one of the primary
the symbolic meanings of the plant: wormwood as a symbol of memory..
Astrological botany claims there is a secret connection
between planets and plants, the healing power of which is determined
cosmic influence. Wormwood, according to this theory, refers to
plants marked by Mars. They are bitter, poisonous in the heat and possess
pungent and strong odor. Mars thus predetermines
the warlike essence of wormwood, its bitterness and strength..
Dangerous properties of wormwood and contraindications
Theoretically, wormwood affects the effectiveness of drugs that reduce
acidity. Thujon contained in wormwood can reduce clinical
effect of phenobarbital.
Wormwood is contraindicated in pregnancy and acute inflammatory
conditions of the alimentary canal, which are accompanied by bleeding.
Long-term use can cause mental health problems
and leads to poisoning..
Medicines based on Austrian wormwood are contraindicated in obesity
in the elderly; it is forbidden to take tarragon wormwood when
pregnancy.
Wormwood preparations should be strictly dosed, since
this type of wormwood belongs to poisonous plants..
The use of wormwood is prohibited for ulcers, asthmatics,
allergy sufferers and those suffering from gastritis.
We have collected the most important points about the benefits and possible dangers of wormwood.
in this illustration and we will be very grateful if you share
a picture on social networks, with a link to our page:
Botanical description
It is a shrubby perennial plant of the family Astrovykh
(Asteraceae).
Origin of the name
The generic name of the plant in Latin (Artemisia)
associated with the Greek goddess Artemis, who patronized
hunters and women in labor. People call wormwood the Chernobyl,
tree of God.
Wormwood species
The species diversity of the shrub is unusually wide,
the most common are the following types of wormwood:
- 1 Common wormwood – growing area
of this species – Europe, the northern part of the African continent,
Far East., Asian countries, North America; like most
species of wormwood has medicinal value, is used в
cooking; - 2 Wormwood austrian – representative
European flora; a medicinal plant whose essential oil
used also in the perfume industry; - 3 Medicinal wormwood (lemon) –
a species native to Asia Minor and the Mediterranean; grows in the Altai mountains,
in the Caucasus, Siberia. Decorative, delicate and pretty
mild aroma, applied in homeopathy; - 4 Wormwood – the plant is grown
in Europe, USA,., in the north of Africa. The species is known for
their role in the production of absinthe; - 5 Wormwood tarragon (tarragon) – at
grows wild in Europe, Asia, America. Cultivated
for the purpose of using tarragon in cooking. - 6 Wormwood annual – meets
in the south of Europe, in Central Asia. Produces the substance artemisinin,
which is a key component in antimalarial
drugs. - 7 Field wormwood – grows
., in the west of Siberia, in the Central Asian countries. - 8 Seaside wormwood – grows along
the coasts of the Black and Azov seas; like many types of wormwood,
It has medicinal use; - 9 Wormwood – endemic to the Middle
Asia. Although the plant is used for the preparation of medicinal
raw, it is important to remember that it is highly toxic, is
to poisonous; - 10 Crimean wormwood – grows on
plains of the Crimean peninsula, not far from the coasts. Medicinal
a plant with a specific strong odor..
The wormwood root is vertical, with many small brown
roots. Stems are high, paniculate, branched, brownish-gray
colors. The leaves are brownish green above and grayish white below. Small
flowers are pink or reddish, collected in inflorescences of a basket.
The fruit is achene. Common wormwood blooms from July to August. Period
ripening of fruits – August and September.
Common wormwood grows almost everywhere, with the exception of mountain
terrain. In the steppe area it is found not as often as in the forest-steppe.
The plant can be found along rivers, on the shore of a lake or pond,
in wet areas of clearings and forest edges. Wormwood took root and how
a weed common to city parks, gardens, abandoned plots..
Growing conditions
Wormwood refers to plants that do not require special conditions.
for growing and has a high yield. The grass is grown even on
those areas that turned out to be unsuitable for most representatives
flora. Wormwood is propagated using seeds and vegetative
way – by dividing the bush. Unharvested grass bears fruit, forms
microgrowths that are used for the preparation of medicinal
raw materials. One plant is capable of producing approximately 100 thousand seeds, which
germinate well from the soil surface and at a shallow depth..
The collection of wormwood according to the timing and specifics of the preparation of the raw material depends
from the type of plant. When it comes to wormwood,
it is important to know that amateur pickers with little experience instead of bitter
wormwood sometimes collect species of the same genus, similar in appearance. Most often
confused and collected by mistake wormwood Austrian
и wormwood… Austrian wormwood is characterized by
low stems and whitish, not large leaves, lined
into thin line segments.
Artemisia leaves are harvested before the plant blooms
(June-July), separating them from the stalks when cutting, and the grass is harvested
in the initial period of flowering (July-August), pruning the stems with
knife. If you are late with harvesting, then the grass, when dried, becomes
dark gray, and the baskets (inflorescences) are brown, dull brown
and pour. Drying of grass and leaves takes place in areas protected by
moisture resistant and well ventilated. When working with wormwood, the collector must
adhere to safety rules, as the plant belongs
to the category of potent:
- During collection, do not touch your eyes, lips, skin with your hands
person taking food. After completing the work, you must carefully
wash your hands with disinfectant or soap. - At the next stages of work (processing of raw materials, drying, sorting,
packaging) you need to use a respirator to protect the respiratory tract,
protect eyes with special glasses, you should refrain from tricks
food, do not touch your eyes and face with your hands. - After finishing work, it is necessary to gently shake the outer clothing,
wash your face and wash your hands clean. - When grinding and grinding wormwood, especially indoors
without a sufficient supply of fresh air, dust provokes irritation
mucous tissues of the respiratory organs, a feeling of constriction in the throat,
choking, bitter taste in the mouth, which persists for a long time
the time. - If wormwood poisoning occurs, it is imperative to immediately contact
to the doctor.
Grass wormwood harvested during flowering
(July-August), separating the apical part with a knife or sickle
and lateral stems.
Crimean wormwood also harvested in the phase of intensive
flowering, cutting the grass with a knife or sickle, and with a dense and extensive
overgrowth is mowed, avoiding the ingestion of coarse root
parts.
Collection wormwood, taking into account seasonal conditions,
carried out in the last decade of August – early September. Grass
cut with a sickle. Wormwood is dried in direct sunlight, and then
thresh. The resulting mass is sieved twice using a sieve
with a coarse and fine mesh, separating unnecessary components. Reusable
sifting ensures the receipt of pure raw materials from the inflorescences-baskets.
Shelf life of grass wormwood and wormwood ordinary 3 years.
Wormwood leaves and grass are stored for up to 2 years...
Power circuit
Most animals avoid wormwood because of the bitterness contained
in the plant. At the same time, it is known that both wild animals and pets
sometimes they use the anthelmintic effect of wormwood and eat grass
the case when they need to get rid of
from parasites. Wormwood roots lose their bitterness in winter, during strong
frost and even become sweetish in taste. This time of year
small rodents do not mind eating them. Different types of wormwood have
the opposite effect on the animal’s body. If a tarragon wormwood
is a good addition to feed for cattle, then
such types as wormwood Tauride, Meyer’s wormwood
и gray wormwood toxic and dangerous. Poisoning by these species
occurs when the hay is clogged with wormwood. Even a small
concentration of dry wormwood in hay or green wormwood in grass
carries a significant dose of poison for horses and sheep. Picture of the acute
poisoning can be replaced by the death of the animal, if it is not in time
help.
Video
Where does the word “wormwood” come from? Why is wormwood called “the mother of all herbs” and “grass over herbs”? To whom is it contraindicated? Recommendations and recipes of a phytotherapist in the video.
