Wormwood c/s ( also called absinthe)
Wormwood is a strong bitter that affects the bitter-sensing taste buds on the tongue which stimulates the whole digestive system (salivation, stomach acid production, intestinal tract movement, etc.). This bitter taste also stimulates the production of bile by the liver. The compounds in wormwood have anti-inflammatory activity, insecticidal and have anti-tumor activity.
The toxin thujone (which is in wormwood) is a brain stimulant. Wormwood also has anti-inflammatory, antidepressant, carminative, tonic (restores tone to tissues), antibacterial, antifungal, anti-amoebic, hepatoprotective (prevents and cures liver damage), febrifugal (reduces fever), and vermifugal (expels intestinal worms) activities.
General use
Wormwood is used to eliminate intestinal worms, especially pinworms and roundworms. It is also used as an insect repellent, insecticide which can be used in gardens and on pets.
Wormwood is also helpful in treating gall bladder inflammation, hepatitis, jaundice, fever, infections, and mild depression. Wormwood may also protect the liver from harmful chemicals and stimulate menstruation or miscarriage. It has been used to treat the pains associated with childbirth, muscle aches, arthritic joints, sprains, and broken bones.
Wormwood has a "checkered" past : absinthe. This clear green alcoholic beverage, which contains essential oil of wormwood is highly toxic and presently banned in many countries. A favorite liqueur in nineteenth-century France, absinthe was addictive and associated with a collection of serious side effects known as absinthism (irreversible damage to the central nervous system).
Thujone is the toxic element in wormwood that causes absinthism . Wormwood soaked in white wine is used to produce the liqueur called vermouth (derived from the German word for wormwood, Wermuth), which contains very little thujone.
Wormwood may be taken as a tea , as a tincture (an alcohol solution), or in pill form. Wormwood should be taken only under the supervision of a professional. It should be taken in small doses as directed, and for no longer than four to five weeks at a time.
SIDE EFFECTS
The tea can be prepared by steeping 0.5-2 tsp of wormwood in 1 cup of boiling-hot water for 10-15 minutes. The usual dosage is 3 cups daily, for a period not to exceed four weeks.
Significant side effects are not encountered when wormwood is taken in small doses for only two to four weeks. One report stated, however, that using as much as 1 mL of wormwood tincture three times a day for up to nine months caused no side effects.
The U. S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) states that wormwood may cause neurological symptoms, including delirium, paralysis, loss of intellect, and numbness of the legs and arms. The side effects associated with absinthism include auditory (hearing) and visual (seeing) hallucinations; tremors and convulsions; sleeplessness; paralysis; stomach problems; brain damage; and an increased risk of psychological disorders and suicide.
