Wormwood benefits and disadvantages We want to clarify here today a series of questions that have been sent to us about wormwood and which include some such as: Does wormwood have contraindications? What are the side effects of wormwood? I would like to know what are the dangers of wormwood? What are the benefits of wormwood root and leaf? Could you tell me the contraindications of wormwood? Does Swedish bitter have contraindications?
To answer these questions, it is necessary to know the botanical aspect of this plant.
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General and botanical aspects
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a perennial plant native to Europe and parts of Africa and Asia. It is widely cultivated. It is part of the Asteraceae family. The species name, absinthium, means «without sweetness.» Many species of the genus Artemisia have medicinal properties.
He wormwood It grows along highways and byways. This shrub is between 30 and 90 cm tall, and its stems are greyish-green or whitish in color with fine hairs. The leaves are yellowish-green and silky, and have granules containing resinous particles with an aromatic odor and an intense, bitter taste.
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culinary uses
Absinthe has been used for centuries in the gastronomic world to prepare different dishes, but did you know that it has also been used to make beers?
Because wormwood is a bittering agent, it worked well as a hop substitute for beer. In the Middle Ages, «purl,» or absinthe ale, was a variation of beer that incorporated absinthe instead of hops to give it a bitter touch.
In this sense, Shakespeare made reference to this drink in his work The Merry Wives of Windsor, and Charles Dickens also mentioned the drink in his writings. To prepare them, brewers used the top of the plant, which commonly grew along England’s coastal marshes. In the 19th century, this technique died out as more people turned to hops to make beer. Let’s see, below, the wormwood benefits and disadvantages.
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Medicinal uses and benefits
To answer the question does wormwood have benefits and drawbacks? we must explain that wormwood contains a wide variety of biologically active compounds that contribute to increasing its medicinal value. The constituents of wormwood are:
acetylenes.
Ascorbic acid (vitamin C).
Blue us.
Carotenoids.
Flavonoids.
ignite us.
phenolic acids.
tannins.
thujone and isotujone.
sesquiterpene lactones.
Wormwood is strongly bitter and affects the taste endings on the tongue, which send signals to the brain to stimulate the entire digestive system (salivationstomach acid production, intestinal contractile movement, etc.).
This bitter taste also stimulates the production of bile by the liver and the storage of bile in the gallbladder. Azulenes have anti-inflammatory activities. Sesquiterpene lactones are insecticidal and have antitumor activity.
Thujon toxin is a brain stimulant. Wormwood also has activity anti-inflammatoryantidepressant, carminative (favors the elimination of meteorism), tonic (restores the tone of the tissues), antibacterial, antifungal, antiamoebic, hepatoprotective (prevents and cures liver lesions), febrifuge (reduces fever) and vermifuge (eliminates worms intestinal).
Wormwood has been used in traditional European medicine to restore impaired cognitive functions (thinking, memory, and perception).
This plant is often used as a digestive stimulant. It is useful for treating indigestion, pyrosis, irritable bowel syndrome, stomach pain, excessive meteorism and abdominal distension. By increasing the production of bile acid, it can be useful in people with poor digestion. It helps patients recover after a long illness and improves the assimilation of nutrients.
Wormwood is also used to eliminate worms, especially flat and round worms, and as insect repellent and insecticide.
Wormwood is useful for treating inflammation of the gallbladder, hepatitis, jaundice, fever, infections, and mild depression. It can also protect the liver from harmful chemicals, stimulates menstruation, and is abortifacient. It has been used for pain associated with childbirth, cancer, muscle pains, arthritic affectation, joint dislocation and bone fractures.
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Wormwood contraindications and side effects
Excessive use of wormwood can produce toxic levels of thujone in the body. Therefore, it may have the following contraindications:
Wormwood contraindications and side effects #1 nerve damage The thujone from wormwood can be toxic to the nerves. People who abuse wormwood or take wormwood essential oil—which contains higher levels of thujone than wormwood tea or tincture—may have fits or convulsions, or experience hallucinations. Some experts disagree that wormwood causes these symptoms and side effects.
In a German study, for example, researchers gave 20 Crohn’s disease patients an herbal preparation containing wormwood. The study did not report any serious side effects from the use of wormwood, according to a brief article on the Tufts Medical Center website. Studies like this one and others that have shown a relatively low concentration of thujone in wormwood preparations have led some herbalists to question the traditional belief that wormwood is highly toxic except in very high doses.
Wormwood contraindications and side effects #2 Kidney failure Ingesting wormwood essential oil can cause kidney failure, according to a case study published in the New England Journal of Medicine. The report concerns a man who drank wormwood oil thinking it was absinthe. His symptoms included seizures, muscle breakdown, congestive heart failure, and acute kidney failure.
Wormwood contraindications and side effects #3 Muscle contractions Wormwood causes muscle contractions and spasms, including uterine contractions. Pregnant and lactating women should avoid its consumption for this reason, according to the American Cancer Society website. Wormwood can also cause the breakdown of muscle tissue.
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and Swedish bitters. Does it have contraindications?
Regarding the question, Does the Swedish bitter have contraindications? We must indicate that since it has wormwood among its ingredients, this preparation may have the following contraindications if consumed excessively: auditory and visual hallucinations, convulsive tremors, lack of sleep, stomach problems, brain injury and an increased risk of psychological disorders and suicide.
If you want to know more about wormwood benefits and drawbacks, you can ask your question in the comment section.
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