Hi,
Does anyone have any experience with the herb wornwood? Wormwood (Artemisia
absinthium) is part of the daisy family. According to a internet:

Description
Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) is a perennial that is native to Europe and
parts of Africa and Asia but now grows wild in the United States. It is
extensively cultivated. Also called shrub wormwood, Artemisia absinthium is
a member of the daisy or Asteraceae family. The species name, absinthium,
means "without sweetness". Many species of the genus Artemisia have
medicinal properties.

Constituents and bioactivities
Wormwood contains a wide variety of biologically active compounds that
contribute to its medicinal value. The constituents of wormwood include:

acetylenes (trans-dehydromatricaria ester, C13 and C14 trans-spiroketalenol
ethers and others)
ascorbic acid (vitamin C)
azulenes (chamazulene, dihydrochamazulenes, bisabolene, camphene, cadinene,
sabinene, trans-sabinylacetate, phellandrene, pinene, and others)
carotenoids
flavonoids (quercitin 3-glucoside, quercitin 3-rhamnoglucoside, spinacetin
3-glucoside, spinacetin 3-rhamnoglucoside, and others)
lignins (diayangambin and epiyangambin)
phenolic acids (p-hydroxyphenylacetic, p-coumaric, chlorogenic,
protocatechuic, vanillic, syringic, and others)
tannins
thujone and isothujone
sesquiterpene lactones (absinthin, artabsin, anabsinthin, artemetin,
arabsin, artabin, artabsinolides, artemolin, matricin, isoabsinthin, and
others).

The mom wants to use (on herself) for pinworms that have not been taken care
of by regular medicine. The internet site says that wornwood is used as:
vermifugal (expels intestinal worms) activities among other things. The mom
is breastfeeding her 12 month old who is nursing only a few times per day.
Any ideas?
Thanks
Donna in Alaska

Precautions
Excessive use of wormwood leads to toxic levels of thujone in the body. The
long-term use of wormwood oil containing thujone, or alcoholic drinks
containing thujone oil (e.g., absinthe) can be addictive and cause seizures,
brain damage, temporary kidney failure, and possibly death. Using wormwood
for longer than four weeks or at higher than recommended doses may lead to
nausea, vomiting, restlessness, insomnia, vertigo, tremors, and seizures.
Women who are pregnant or lactating (breast feeding) should not use
wormwood.

Side effects
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.

Interactions
As of mid-2000, there are no identified interactions between wormwood and
any other drug or herbal medicine.

This info was taken from Gale Encyclopedia of Alternative Medicine. Gale
Group, 2001.

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