The essential oil of wormwood is mostly extracted from the leaves, twigs and flowering tops of the herbaceous and aromatic shrub botanically known as Artemisia absinthium, through a steam distillation process.

Its use actually dates back to prehistoric times, where it was first mentioned in the Bible and in the first century writings of Greece and Rome. There, the wormwood herb was said to treat various ailments, such as sore feet. Wormwood was also used by Hippocrates, who was the ancient Greek physician and the father of western medicine.

But what is most popular about wormwood essential oil is that it is associated with the alcoholic drink, Absinthe, which many artists consumed as it was believed to stimulate creativity and inspiration. This drink is a botanical spirit made from wormwood, fennel and anise. While wormwood is being used as an ingredient in alcoholic beverages, it still has various medicinal positive effects on the body!

When used properly, you can surely reap the benefits of wormwood essential oil and combat many diseases and illnesses with this essential oil! Its sharp, woody and herbaceous aroma that is akin to chamomile blue infusion and its bluish-green mixture is one that you can invest in to reap benefits! Read on to find out more about the uses and positive effects of the wormwood essential oil!

Health Gains of Wormwood Essential Oil:

1. Treat Menstrual Problems

As it is an emmenagogue, wormwood essential oil can help to facilitate unobstructed menstrual flow and induces menstrual discharge. This is extremely beneficial as it can prevent various diseases and problems from occurring such as uterine tumors and even cancer.

Not only that, it can also help to combat irregular menstruation, uterine fibroids and menopausal problems. It can also offer relief from abdominal cramps, nausea, fatigue and headaches that comes with menstruation.

This is because the oil can stimulate and enhance blood circulation to the uterus and pelvic region. As such, this oil is a handy weapon to have when you want to seek relief from your menstrual problems.

2. Promotes the Health of the Digestive System

Wormwood essential oil can drastically improve the digestive system and keep problems associated with digestion at bay. Being a cholagogue and digestive, this oil greatly helps to strengthen the digestive processes and ensure its smooth functioning within the body.

It stimulates the secretion of bile from the liver into the stomach, which then facilitates the breaking down of food to be readily and easily absorbed into the bloodstream. Hence, this greatly helps the digestive system because it prevents indigestion from happening. The bile, being alkaline in nature, also helps to neutralize any excess acids in the stomach and as such, prevents conditions of acid reflux and stomach ulcers.

3. Gets Rid of Worms and Parasites

The wormwood herb is extremely beneficial in killing various intestinal worms and parasites that are lurking in your body. For example, it is able to eliminate pinworms and roundworms, which are worm infections that mainly affect the human intestines. These intestinal worms are dangerous because it can cause a myriad of other health problems such as cough, abdominal pain, nausea and diarrhea, blood in the stool and even the presence of worms in vomit or stool.

Therefore, it is important to treat these intestinal worms and parasites. Wormwood essential oil can be used to treat such problems as its high degree of toxicity is able to kill off such parasites in the first place. As such, it facilitates the proper absorption of nutrients into the body. Talk to your medical practitioner or an oil specialist on how best to utilize wormwood essential oil for this very purpose, since you cannot ingest it due to its toxicity without proper medical advice.

4. Able to Fight off Fevers

Wormwood essential oil contains toxic components such as alpha thujone and beta thujone which actually makes it very potent in killing off infections as they inhibit the growth and spread of bacteria. This thus makes the oil a powerful immune shield to protect your body from harmful microbes. Also, they are able to speed up healing times for those suffering from fevers, making this oil an effective febrifuge.

Also, a 2004 research done by the Cancer Institute on the efficacy of alternative medicines suggested that wormwood is a powerful agent to treat fevers and even used in malaria treatments!

5. Can Potentially Combat Cancer Cells

Artemisinin in wormwood can also potentially combat and kill off breast-cancer cells, similar to how this herbal drug can be used to kill malaria-causing bacteria. As such, wormwood can be used as a potential and natural cancer treatment. There have been promising results on the studies and experiments done on the effects of wormwood on cancer cells. One of which includes the 2012 study carried out by bioengineers Henry Lai and Narendra Singh of the University of Washington, Seattle.

What they did was that they separated the normal breast cancer cells from the cancerous ones and dosed both groups of cells with artemisinin (the chemical compound found in wormwood). They found that almost all the cancer cells were killed within 16 hours, while the normal cells received relatively little damage. This is because the breast cancer cells absorbs iron more readily to facilitate cell division and as such, they are more vulnerable to artemisinin.

Although more research needs to be carried out to illustrate how exactly can wormwood essential oil be used in cancer treatments, this initial results is indeed very promising and demonstrates its potential in killing off cancer cells.

6. Helps Combat Stress and Depression

Wormwood oil contains narcotic compounds. Before you are alarmed, fret not because these narcotic compounds in the oil actually help to pacify anxiety, tension and feelings of nervousness. It can also be useful in managing stress and bouts of insomnia because the oil can induce feelings of calm and relaxation to your nerves to promote restful sleep. This thus helps to prevent nervous afflictions and depression.

7. Can Kill off Various Bacteria

Various studies have shown that the essential oil of wormwood actually helps to kill off a variety of bacteria as it contains antimicrobial and antifungal constituents. For example, a 2006 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry showed that wormwood oil can combat a broad spectrum of bacteria, including salmonella and E.coli.

It also demonstrates antifungal activities as it is seen to combat various types of fungal infections. A 2005 study published in the Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry yet again found that wormwood prevented the growth of the 11 tested fungi and also showed antioxidant properties during the research.

8. Serves as a Tonic for the Body

Wormwood essential oil is also a tonic, meaning that it improves the digestion system greatly as it facilitates the proper and regular absorption of nutrients into the body. It also tones up the circulatory systems to ensure proper blood flow and fortifies the excretory system as it regulates detoxification processes.

Not only that, the oil can also help to tone the endocrine system and promotes hormonal balance and enzymes. It strengthens the nervous system and provides a tremendous boost to the immune system, thus preventing your body from getting infections and diseases easily.

How to Use Wormwood Essential Oil:

• Wormwood essential oil should never be ingested as it is a neurotoxin and contains high levels of toxicity and narcotic levels due to the presence of thujone. As such, it can cause adverse side effects when not used properly.

• It can be applied topically onto the skin but ensure that it is properly and fully diluted with a carrier oil (such as coconut oil, sesame oil or avocado oil) to create a massage blend. It should never be applied onto the skin in its pure, undiluted and concentrated form.

• Ensure that you do a skin patch test first before application onto the desired areas.

• It can also be diffused into your distiller or vaporizer but ensure that you only put in small doses of the oil (such as 2-3 drops) and blend it with other essential oils.

• Do not inhale the oil in your diffuser for more than 20 minutes.

• Do not use wormwood essential oil if you are pregnant or breastfeeding as it can induce menstruation.

• Restrict the use of this oil on children.

• Always speak to your medical practitioner first before using wormwood essential oil as a form of treatment, especially if you have allergies or are suffering from epilepsy, kidney failures or other illnesses. This is because the constituents in wormwood can react negatively with your ailments and may not be suitable for you, thus producing harmful side effects.

• Do not use wormwood essential oil for prolonged periods as it is highly toxic.

References:

Polina Blagojevic, et al., “Chemical Composition of the Essential Oils of Serbian Wild-Growing Artemisia absinthium and Artemisia vulgaris”, Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2006); 54(13)

Kordali S, et al., “Screening of chemical composition and antifungal and antioxidant activities of the essential oils from three Turkish artemisia species” Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry (2005); 53(5)

Deborah Hill, “Wormwood Extract Kills Cancer Cells”, Science Mag Org, Nov 30 2001