Sagebrush

ArtemisiaabsinthiumL.

Several centuries ago, Western pharmacists bought an unusual powder brought from the East from merchants. Its origin was unknown. It was calledArtemisiacina - “grain against”, it was used as a strong anthelmintic. In large doses, the powder was observed to cause cramps, dizziness and even hallucinations, so it was used only in small quantities.

The powder was made from artemisia, which grows in the salt Caspian steppes. Wormwood was given this beautiful name in honor of the Greek goddess Artemis, the patroness of women and protector of chastity. According to legend, as soon as she was born, she helped her mother accept Apollo, who was born after her. Wormwood really facilitates labor and promotes conception. In English it is calledmothernort - “everything that is good for mothers.” But in England they call wormwoodtheoldwomen - “elderly woman”, because even in Ancient Greece it was used to treat all kinds of disorders during menopause. In Ancient Egypt, wormwood was used to prevent epileptic seizures.

In Chinese traditional medicine, they even used delicate fluff, which was collected from the leaves of a special type of wormwood. A cone was made from fluff, placed on the required acupuncture point and set on fire. The slowly smoldering cone warmed up well and lightly burned the skin, stimulating certain centers. This procedure was called “cauterization with a hot needle.” Lonicerus wrote that wormwood, used as a seasoning, expels poisons and bile and promotes digestion. Odo of Mena in the poem “On the Properties of Herbs” gives a special place to wormwood:

With honey and soda it always helps with sore throat.
Grated, it helps a lot with fresh wounds.
It also heals ulcers if you put the tops of it on top;
Also, when itching, the decoction helps by warming it up...
Under the headboard she gives a soothing aroma,
If the patient did not know that he had wormwood.
Wormwood ash turns hair black if mixed thoroughly
They were often anointed with wax ointment and remedy.
If wormwood is in the chest, then it serves as protection against moths.
Together with honey, it heals a tumor under the tongue.
Also the black bruise that usually appears around
The hollows of the eyes can be cleared by this medicine.

Paracelsus prescribed it for seasickness. Avicenna recommended wormwood as an antitumor and antifever agent, as well as an antidote for mushroom poisoning, snake bites, and heavy drinking. For ear diseases, he advised making medicinal bandages with wormwood. He wrote: “...its oil promotes the growth of a beard that is lagging or falling out, and helps against cold and chills.”

Wormwood essential oil disinfects the air well. During the plague epidemic, Count Vorontsov ordered huts and barnyards to be fumigated with wormwood. Thanks to these measures, it was possible to stop the spread of a deadly disease in the Tauride province. Wormwood was also used in cholera epidemics. The spicy infusion helped get rid of harmful insects in the house. A decoction of wormwood was used to wash clothes to get rid of lice. Travelers setting out on a long journey tied wormwood branches to their feet so that fatigue would not overcome them prematurely.

E. I. Roerich wrote: “Wormwood - Artemisia - a herb plant with a very strong aroma, common in the mountainous places of Tibet, India, Russia and Switzerland, it seems that it also grows in America. In Switzerland they give wormwood tea to drink for inflammation of the tonsils. The oil from this plant is useful if you easily rub it into the sore spot. The proportion, preparation, and administration of such a substance must be researched, for each person is individual. It is always recommended to start with small doses. Wormwood tea should be weak, it has a good effect on the tonsils, cleansing them... Wormwood belongs to the twelve famous Rosicrucian remedies... In our area, local people use ground wormwood leaves against skin diseases. They apply them to the sore spot... Artemisia oil is also a powerful affirmation of the nervous system. It does not destroy, but fiery cleanses from harmful deposits.”

There are many varieties of wormwood. The composition of the essential oil is identical in many of its components, but there are also differences. The aroma of Tauride wormwood is effective for heart pain. It is this type of wormwood that is used as a raw material for the production of tauremisin, used for heart failure. There are many known cases of curing severe forms of purulent tonsillitis with the help of wormwood oil applied in small quantities (2-3 parts 5-6 times a day) to the tonsils. Modern scientific research has shown that lemon wormwood essential oil in small concentrations has high antimicrobial activity. Research from the Tomsk Medical Institute has shown that wormwood essential oil has low toxicity, a pronounced anti-inflammatory effect, heals the skin well in case of thermal burns (II1-IV degrees), and accelerates the resorption of swelling during inflammatory processes. Preparations with essential oil of wormwood significantly suppress exudation, reducing capillary permeability to normal; in case of adjuvant disease, they reduce joint swelling, normalize the structure of articular tissues and internal organs, and in connective tissue they reduce capillary permeability. In the parenchyma of the heart, kidneys and liver, it eliminates the signs of hydropic degeneration and metabolic disorders.

Medicinal properties

1. Used for influenza (especially lemon wormwood), cough, bronchitis, whooping cough, bronchial asthma, runny nose.
2. Stimulates the function of the glands of the gastrointestinal tract. Increases bile secretion, stimulates appetite, and is prescribed for gastritis with low acidity.
3. It has an analgesic effect for arthritis, rheumatism, and muscle fatigue.
4. Prevents the development of morphohistochemical disorders in joints.
5. Effective for hearing loss.
6. It has a cardiac stimulating effect and helps with stroke.
7. Eliminates bad breath.
8. It has a bactericidal effect against inflammation and damage to the skin, acne. Recommended for diseases caused by pathogenic fungi.
9. Accelerates the healing of burns (IIIB-IV degrees) and restoration of skin tissue.
10. In folk medicine it is used for jaundice, malaria, dropsy, diseases of the female genital organs, delayed menstruation, liver diseases, anemia, intestinal parasites, headaches.
11. Helps with depression and shock, chorea, treatment of neuroses, tics, hysteria. Recommended for insomnia, sleepwalking, mental lethargy, and irritability.
12. Well suited for the care of oily, impure skin.
13. The smell of wormwood repels fleas, bedbugs, and cockroaches.

Dosage

Externally: 2-3 k. per 10 ml of vegetable oil.

Internally: 1 k. for 1 tsp. honey 2-3 times a day.

Baths: 1-2 k.

Inhalations: 1-2 k.

Enrichment of cosmetics: 2-3 k. per 10 g of base.

Contraindications. Individual intolerance, pregnancy.

Note. Intensive oil. Overdose and long-term use (more than 1 month) can cause convulsions, hallucinations, dizziness, spasms, convulsions, and nervous disorders.

Children have increased sensitivity to wormwood, so the oil can be used for medicinal purposes only after consulting a doctor.