-IBIS-1.7.0-
rx
herb
Artemisia absinthium (Wormwood)
Botanicals
definition
botanical name(s): Artemisia absinthium
synonyms: wormwood, wermut, meifuss, absinthe, armoise commune, ajenjo, zona din Johannes, arternisa comun, erba di San Giovanni
part(s) used: flowering tops, leaves
qualities: aromatic, bitter, pungent, cold, dry
affinities:
actions: anthelmintic, anti-inflammatory, carminative, cholagogue, febrifuge, nerve depressant, stomachic, tonic
dosage:
» tincture: 1 - 2 ml.
» herb: 1 - 2 g
pulse:
» hard pulse in Liver finger (Wood)
therapy: atonic and acholic states in the stomach; ptosed stomach; atonic stomach; dyspepsia; atonic gall bladder; biliary dyskinesia; influenza; postoperative and post-infectious states (Weiss, p. 79); nematode infestation; anorexia (British Herbal Pharmacopoeia, p. 33); dead affect, brutalized in some way (Wood)
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 2b, 2d (do not exceed recommended dose or use long-term)
toxicity: 2
» contraindicated in pregnancy (Felter and Lloyd, pp. 5-6) due to its emmenagogue and
abortifacient effects and uterine stimulant action on animal uteri (Brinker, Farnsworth) associated with thujone, its major volatile constituent (Albert-Puleo.)
» may cause changes in lactation, especially nutritional quality and flavor
(Muenscher, p. 19)
» may produce scarlatiniform eruptions (Duke, p. 67; Fuller and McClintock, p. 370)
» Cerebral convulsant; causes excitation of the motor cortex directly after ingestion.
» Other signs and symptoms include: headache, trembling, stupor and tonic or clonic convulsions progressing to tonic-clonic. Epileptiform or Jacksonian seizures not uncommon, especially in young women; patient will awaken 30 seconds post-ictally with no memory of the event (Theines and Haley, pp. 13-14)
» Essential oil can produce chronic absinthism syndrome: disturbed sleep,
disagreeable dreams, hand and tongue tremors during sleep. Nausea, vomiting, vertigo, convulsions; impaired mental and physical functions can occur while awake as well as hypergastric hyperesthesia, impotence, premature menopause, narcotic effects, general paralysis, death. Toxic effects may be passed to neonates (Theines and Haley, pp. 13-14).
» Essential oil has been associated with esophageal cancer; 15 g. may produce convulsions with unconsciousness (Morton, p. 371)
» avoid in cases of stomach ulcers or intestinal ulcers due to irritation of the stomach and stimulation of the GI tract (Felter & Lloyd)
constituents: volatile oil, thujyl alcohol, azulenes, sesquiterpene lactones, acetylenes
footnotes
Albert-Puleo M. 1978. Mythobotany, pharmacology, and chemistry of thujone-containing plants and derivatives. Econ. Bot., 32:65-74.
Brinker F. 1996. The Toxicology of Botanical Medicines, rev. 2nd ed., Sandy, Oregon: Eclectic Medical Publications.
British Herbal Medical Association. 1983. British Herbal Pharmacopoeia. West Yorks, England: The British Herbal Medical Association.
Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.
Farnsworth NR, Bingel AS, Cordell GA, Crane FA, Fong HHS. 1975. Potential Value of Plants as Sources of New Antifertility Agents I. J. Pharm. Sci., 64:535-98.
Felter, H. W.; Lloyd, J. U. 1983. King's American Dispensatory, Vols. I and II. Portland, OR: Eclectic Medical Publications.
Fuller, T.C., and McClintock, E. 1986. Poisonous Plants of California. Los Angeles: University of Southern California Press.
Morton, J.F. 1977. Major Medicinal Plants: Botany, Culture, Uses. Springfield, IL: Charles C. Thomas.
Thienes, C.H., Haley, T.J. 1975. Clinical Toxicology. 5th ed. Philadelphia: Lea and Febiger.
Weiss, R.F. 1988. Herbal Medicine. Gothenburg, Sweden: Ab Arcanum; Beaconsfield, England: Beaconsfield Publishers, Ltd.
Wood, Matthew. 1992. The Admirable Secrets of Herbs, Roots and Barks: Western Herbal Medicine, A Materia Medica. Unpublished manuscript.