Wormwood

Wormwood or Wormwood (botanical: Artemisia absinthium L.) belongs to the sunflower plant family. It is also popularly known as absinthe or wormweed.

Occurrence & cultivation of wormwood

Wormwood grows as a perennial subshrub with a strong rhizome, preferably on dry, calcareous soils.

The plant, which is up to 120 centimeters high, has characteristic, silver-gray hairy leaves and has a strong aromatic scent. Wormwood blooms between July and September. Its inflorescences consist of numerous, small, spherical cups in which yellow tubular flowers can be found.

Wormwood grows at altitudes up to 3500 meters. It is widespread in Europe, Asia, North Africa and now also in North and South America. Wormwood is grown locally as a medicinal plant.

Effect & application

Wormwood contains essential oil, the main component of which is the poisonous thujone. Bitter substances are found in high concentrations in wormwood, mainly absinthe. Various flavonoids were also detected. In addition, small amounts of Azytelen are suspected.

In Germany, wormwood is harvested and cultivated, the quality of which is recorded in the European Pharmacopoeia. The branch tips of flowering plants are used. On the one hand, they come on the market as a cut drug for tea preparations. As phytopharmaceuticals, dry extracts (in the form of dragees or tablets) as well as aqueous or aqueous-alcoholic extracts (as tinctures or drops) are also available.

In addition to using wormwood as a medicinal drug, wormwood herb is added as a spice to foods that are difficult to digest in some regions. The best known is probably the use of wormwood to make vermouth wine and absinthe - a not harmless, high-proof alcoholic drink.

Possible side effects of an overdose of wormwood are drowsiness up to delirium, malaise and vomiting. In severe cases, kidney damage can occur. This is due to the toxic effects of the thujone contained in wormwood.

Importance to health

Already in ancient times Wormwood used as a medicinal plant. Wormwood was thought to stimulate the appetite and promote digestion. Hildegard von Bingen described in detail the use of wormwood in traditional medicine in the Middle Ages. The use of wormwood as a worming treatment is also documented, which is also indicated by the English-language name of wormwood as "wormwood".

As a committee of the European Medicines Authorization Agency, https://vpxl.net the Herbal Medicinal Product Committee (HMPC) decides on the classification of herbal drugs and their approval as herbal medicines. Wormwood has been classified as a traditional herbal medicine by the HMPC.

The effectiveness of wormwood has been shown to stimulate appetite, relieve digestive problems and stimulate liver function. Wormwood is therefore mainly used in the treatment of temporary loss of appetite, flatulence, gastritis and other spasmodic complaints in the gastrointestinal tract.

Anyone suffering from gallstones or other biliary disorders should consult a doctor before treatment. People with allergies to daisy family are not allowed to use wormwood preparations. Pregnant women and nursing mothers are also not advised. The use of wormwood is also not recommended for children and adolescents, as there are still no findings on its safety.

When using commercially available phytopharmaceuticals, the manufacturer's dosage instructions must be observed. For a tea infusion, a teaspoon of wormwood is poured over about 150 milliliters of boiling water, left to stand for 10 to 15 minutes and then strained. We recommend three cups of freshly made tea a day. In order to stimulate the appetite, the tea infusion made from wormwood should be drunk about half an hour before meals, in the case of acute digestive problems after meals.