Guest guest Posted March 7, 2001 Report Share Posted March 7, 2001 Artemesia annua (Sweet Annie, Qing hao) is not wormwood, Artemesia absinthum. I'll have to lok up my constituent information on Artemesia annua, but its essential oil content is at 0.3% is essentially similar to Yin chen hao Artemesia capillaris, which is around 0.1-1% (when not substituted by oregano Origanum vulgare, pei yin chen). All of the artemesias used herbally contain cineol. I cannot find thujone information at the moment, but I believe both contain some. (Constituent information in the MMs only contain that which is known to have been tested for in significant quantities and are not a complete listing, which is why they may vary from one book to another - leaving aside the issue of sample variability.) R.F.Weiss, Herbal Medicine states: " The plant [Artemesia absinthum] contains 0.25-0.5% of a volatile oil the main constituent of which is thujone as well as bitters. The bitter action predominates. Wormwood is a typical aromatic bitter. The volatile oil is remarkably effective against worms. It is however toxic, whilst the bitter principle is largely non-toxic. Absinthe is made with wormwood oil, but in Germany its manufacture has been banned since 1923. The usual wormwood preparations contain so little of the oil that there is no risk of toxic effect. In some Mediterranean countries, where absinthe is consumed in large quantities, the seriously damaging effects on the central nervous system which have given the plant its bad name may develop and even lead to seizures. This shows that wormwood also has central stimulant properties that are no doubt of benefit in the small quantities normally used. " Artemesia absinthum is pretty nasty and one would have to drink huge quantities to get the negative reactions from the thujone et. al. especially as water is not the best extractor of essential oils and decoctions do not usually retain them well. Hence the need to create absinthe, the liquere made with sugar, hyssop, calamus, melissa, anise seed, fennel seed, star anise, coriander seed, citron, mint and licorice in a twice distilled double macerate process. The quality of the alcohol as well as the artemesia constituents may have contributed to reports of blindness from absinthe. Kidney disease can come from the wormwood however, as well as certain urinary disorders. The intoxicating effects probably are also communicated by smoking, which may vary significantly from the effects of alcohol tinctures. Mugwort, ( Ai ye, Artemesia argyi and Artemesia vulgaris), harvested somewhat later in the season than our moxa, has mildly intoxicating effects from smoking- but stems seem to contain most of the effect, so our leaf fuzz moxa sticks are unlikely to get patients high. Headaches occur with large doses or prolonged use. Eating leaves can produce a similar effect at a dose of around a teaspoon a day (sorry, don't know in grams). The effect is apparently variable (reported as pleasurable to unpleasant with headaches) from batch to batch so I'd be cautious about any of the artemesias with psychoactive effects. While eating mugwort or drinking an infusion can put someone to sleep, drinking the tincture can have an opposite effect, causing agitation. General rule of thumb- if it can hurt worms or other parasites, large quantities are probably not good for you. Karen Vaughan CreationsGarden *************************************** Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment. " The more power man had over nature, the more his knowledge and skill went to his head, and the deeper became his contempt for the merely natural. " - Carl Jung <<Does anyone (Karen?) know the difference between Artemisia annua (Qing hao, sometimes called Sweet Wormwood, called Wormwood in Bensky & Gamble) and Artemisia absinthum - Wormwood (the stuff from which Absinthe was made). Furthermore, does anyone know, if A. annua is Wormwood, why high doses can be given with no mention in the materia medicas of any mind-altering effects? Are the intoxicating effects of wormwood only unleashed when it's in alcohol? ALSO, as to the campaign to prohibit absinthe, I've read that some thought it was propaganda-driven and others thought absinthe was genuinely toxic stuff. Again, no mention of toxicity in Chinese materia medicas. So is A. annua (Qing hao) wormwood? ______________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 .. Eating leaves can produce a similar effect > at a dose of around a teaspoon a day (sorry, don't know in grams). The > effect is apparently variable (reported as pleasurable to unpleasant with > headaches) from batch to batch so I'd be cautious about any of the > artemesias with psychoactive effects. While eating mugwort or drinking > an infusion can put someone to sleep, drinking the tincture can have an > opposite effect, causing agitation. I TSP equals 3 gms of herb material in gen'l. > > General rule of thumb- if it can hurt worms or other parasites, large > quantities are probably not good for you. do you think this is also true of Wu Mei? Pumpkin seeds? Cara > > Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 >> General rule of thumb- if it can hurt worms or other parasites, large >> quantities are probably not good for you. > >do you think this is also true of Wu Mei? Pumpkin seeds? Pumpkin seeds would be an exception since they work mechanically rather than biochemically. They can be hard on the intestine and irritate the anal area however, if eaten whole. Karen Vaughan CreationsGarden *************************************** Email advice is not a substitute for medical treatment. " The more power man had over nature, the more his knowledge and skill went to his head, and the deeper became his contempt for the merely natural. " - Carl Jung ______________ GET INTERNET ACCESS FROM JUNO! Juno offers FREE or PREMIUM Internet access for less! Join Juno today! For your FREE software, visit: http://dl.www.juno.com/get/tagj. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest guest Posted March 8, 2001 Report Share Posted March 8, 2001 > >> General rule of thumb- if it can hurt worms or other parasites, large > >> quantities are probably not good for you. > > > >do you think this is also true of Wu Mei? Pumpkin seeds? > > Pumpkin seeds would be an exception since they work mechanically rather > than biochemically. > > They can be hard on the intestine and irritate the anal area however, if > eaten whole. I can vouch for that - itchy itchy ooooo. Ditto for too many watermelon seeds - i got into eating them in my watermelon this past summer - very tasty, adds a whole new dimension to watermelon eating. Then I found I shouldn't eat too many! ann Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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