People have long been familiar with wormwood. Useful properties of it have been used by man since ancient times. A huge number of beautiful legends are associated with this plant. So, according to one of the legends, the grass got its name in honor of a young woman, whose name was exactly Wormwood. Her fate was formed, as expected, in a tragic way.
The girl escaped from the pursuit of an unwanted, imposed groom, and her path lay through the steppe. In complete sorrow and despair, bursting into tears, she asked mother-steppe for protection. The steppe heard her request and turned it into a plant. From that moment there is no more heady and bitter shrub than wormwood. At the same time, the legend says that the bitterness of this plant arose from the girlish tears that were shed about its unfortunate fate.
The Romans generally considered this weed a gift from the gods and used it in almost all areas of their lives. She was even named after the goddess Artemis. It was believed that its magic properties have the ability to relieve fatigue and muscle pain. In ancient times, they thought that if wormwood was added to dishes from mushrooms, then poisoning would be avoided.
But even today I would like to note that the beneficial properties of wormwood for the body are unique. The list of diseases for which it treats is simply huge, and its use in folk medicine has helped save a large number of people from all kinds of ailments, while returning them to good health, strength and health.
The composition and biological properties of wormwood
The Latin name of the plant is Artemísia absínthium. A perennial flowering plant with a spicy aroma and bitter taste. The healing effect of wormwood provides a huge amount of useful substances that are part of its composition:
- succinic and malic organic acids;
- glycosides anabsistin and absistin;
- vitamins;
- tannins;
- volatile;
- flavonoids;
- resinous substances.
The most valuable product from this herb is essential oil.
The plant is mainly used in its pure form, as it potentiates the healing effect of other herbs. It enhances appetite, acts sedatively on the nervous system, stimulates appetite and disinfects. In this article we will consider the methods of application, useful properties and contraindications of wormwood.
The healing properties of wormwood
Not all people are well acquainted with the healing properties of this plant. Therefore, gardeners often take it for a simple weed and simply destroy it. But the true true herbalists, adherents of herbal treatment and traditional healers are aware of the useful properties of wormwood. And scientists, having conducted numerous studies, were able to prove that the herb is used in the treatment of many ailments and pathologies:
- depression and anxiety syndromes;
- bowel and stomach diseases;
- remedy for parasites;
- insomnia;
- pathology of the pancreas;
- hepatic colic;
- functional disorder of the intestines and stomach;
- treatment of conjunctivitis of various origins;
- anti-inflammatory and wound healing agent;
- hemostatic agent;
- acts as an effective diuretic and choleretic agent.
And this is not the whole list of diseases from which this herb can help. If there is a fever, then use tinctures and decoctions based on it. For the expulsion of parasites with helminthic invasions, a decoction is used. To eliminate inflammation, lotions or a warm wormwood compress are applied to the skin. Useful properties and contraindications of it, as already mentioned above, are due to its unusual composition.
Cooking recipes
There are several ways to prepare products based on this plant in traditional medicine:
- Infusion. 40 grams of raw or dry grass need to pour a glass of boiling water. The resulting mixture is infused for about an hour. Squeeze out the precipitate and strain. Take a tablespoon full spoon before meals three times a day.
- Tea. For this drink from wormwood should take 10 grams of leaves, combine them with two glasses of hot water. Insist a maximum of 30 minutes. Remove sediment and take ¼ cup per day before meals.
- Decoction. To do this, take a spoonful of dry grass, pour a glass of water. Next, put on fire, boil for about three minutes. The resulting broth should be insisted for 45 minutes. It is taken half a glass three times a day before meals. This decoction very well helps with poisoning that can not be treated by other means.
- Powder. To create a powder, you need to dry the leaves of the grass and grind them. The resulting powder is consumed in a pinch no more than 1 gram 3 times a day.
- Tea for appetite. In order to improve appetite, they make a different composition as tea: you need to take 80 g of wormwood leaves, as well as 20 g of yarrow leaves. Stir the herbs, take 10 g of the collection, pour two cups of boiling water and drink it.
- Ointments. To prepare the ointment, squeeze the juice from the leaves and mix with the base. In this case, the basis are various fats: ghee, petroleum jelly, lanolin, butter.
- Alcohol tincture. It can be bought at the pharmacy. Use 20 drops, dissolving them in a glass of water.
Tincture: recipe
It is necessary to take a glass of alcohol, pour them wormwood (50 grams), previously crushed and dried. Then the tincture must be insisted on its full readiness for 2 weeks in a dark place. Next, strain and pour into a jar or bottle of dark glass.
You need to use it as follows: in a small glass of water, dilute 15 drops of tincture and drink before meals for better digestion, eliminate flatulence, and increase appetite.
Use of essential oil
The beneficial properties of wormwood for the human body also extend to the use of essential oil. It has a very wide range:
- expectorant;
- means for eliminating edema;
- reduces depression;
- relieves nervous tension;
- relieves pain in muscles and joints;
- relieves insomnia;
- eliminates bouts of dizziness and nausea when walking at sea.
As you can see, the list of useful properties of wormwood is quite impressive. It has also been observed that the scent of wormwood can significantly enhance libido. In this case, with migraine headache is perfectly relieved with a mixture of wormwood oil and peppermint oil. To do this, you need to dilute in water a few drops of these medicinal potions and moisten the back of the head and temples.
Contraindications
The beneficial properties of wormwood and its effect on the body we have already considered. This is a very strong natural remedy, suitable for the treatment of various ailments. Now let's talk about contraindications. In ancient times, it was believed that the uncontrolled use of various means created on the basis of this plant can lead a person to madness. Of course, today no one thinks so, but with the wrong dose (overdose), various side effects are noted, manifested in the form of convulsions, hallucinations, loss of consciousness and dizziness.
When treating this herb, you do not need to violate the following rules:
- The course of eating wormwood should not be more than one month.
- Then take a break also for one month.
- In any case, the grass should not be taken for more than three courses.
There are a number of diseases in which the use of drugs with wormwood is completely contraindicated:
- gastritis with low secretion;
- chronic and acute ulcerative gastroenteritis;
- anemia
- individual intolerance;
- bleeding
- inflammation of the small intestine.
Alcohol addiction
Useful properties of a decoction of wormwood allow you to overcome alcoholism. An effective folk remedy based on a decoction of this herb and thyme is well known in traditional medicine.
The fight against alcoholism
In equal quantities, take chopped herb thyme and wormwood. Stir and add a collection bundle to a glass of boiling water. Boil for about 4 minutes. Now cool. Eat 2 dessert spoons three times a day with meals. The treatment period is 30 days. If there is no effect, you should take a month break and repeat again.
It should be noted that the treatment will be most effective if the patient makes every effort to his recovery.
Foot baths
The beneficial properties of wormwood apply to getting rid of corns. Well-proven foot baths. In this case, freshly picked stems and leaves of the grass (about 200 g) pour boiling water (about 6 l). Feet soar 25 minutes.
Digestive system diseases
The beneficial properties of wormwood help to cope with many diseases of the digestive system, including oropharyngeal candidiasis, helminthic infestations, and excess weight.
Digestion of digestive system problems
For internal use, an infusion prepared according to this recipe is used:
- Pour 20 grams of herb with 250 ml of boiling water.
- In a water bath leave over low heat.
- Keep in a water bath for half an hour, then remove from heat, cool and strain.
The infusion of taste can be very bitter and unpleasant, therefore, you can add a little honey. Take one sip before meals for four days. When applying the infusion, acidity can increase.
Treatment of parasitic infestation
People are often treated by neurologists and gastroenterologists and do not get the desired result. Worms can be the cause of ill health. A person becomes infected with them when their eggs enter the body in some way.
Violation of the rules of hygiene, dirty berries, vegetables and fruits are the main reasons for their appearance. Eating unwashed vegetables, a healthy person eats a certain number of eggs that have fallen to the ground from the intestines of a sick animal. Therefore, infection with parasites occurs.
Symptoms of the disease:
- disorders of the nervous system;
- all kinds of disorders of the intestines and stomach;
- allergic manifestations;
- skin rashes;
- frequent disorders and infections of the gastrointestinal tract.
Getting rid of worms
The beneficial properties of wormwood are also used to expel parasites from the human body. To do this, pour grass (20 g) in an enameled pan with boiling water (glass). Put for half an hour in a water bath. To the finished strained infusion add another glass of boiling water. Such a drug is taken half an hour before a meal for 7 days, 30 ml each. Long-term use may cause an overdose. In particular, caution should be given to such infusion for children, preliminary consultation with the doctor is required.
Wormwood in cosmetology
Of course, such a natural powerful natural remedy could not pass by the attention of the tender sex. Women always want to improve their appearance, while maintaining beauty and youth. Let's look at the beneficial properties and contraindications of wormwood for women.
Normalize weight
There are good recipes for weight loss. This is achieved by normalizing digestion and water-salt metabolism in general. To do this, you need to use infusion of wormwood for 7 days. It must be done according to general rules. The composition should be taken before meals. After one course, a short break is made for a week and again repeated.
Rejuvenate wormwood skin oil
The beneficial properties of wormwood for women extend their effect to the skin of hands and body. They are beneficially influenced by the oil created from this herb. For cooking, take 400 g of sunflower oil, add 5 tablespoons of freshly chopped wormwood and 2 tablespoons of vinegar. Stir the ingredients and leave to infuse for 2 weeks in a dark place.
It is worth noting that the fat-soluble vitamins found in sunflower oil, in addition, the beneficial properties of wormwood can make the skin smooth and silky. Irregularities and stretch marks of the skin will disappear after a few weeks of daily use of this product.
Conclusion
In our area, wormwood grows everywhere: in fields and forest edges, along roads. If you want to pluck or touch this plant, you will feel the unique spicy, bitter aroma of the plant's juice. These sensations are explained by the essential oils that it contains.
A real treasury of various useful substances and medicinal properties of the plant provided him with popularity among herbalists and a wide range of uses in traditional medicine. Understanding what diseases this herb cures for, you will be sure of its help in many diseases. Use this knowledge to your advantage and follow the rules of admission and recipes!