Artemisia Annua is an herb that has been used in Traditional Chinese Medicine for several thousand years. It also has a variety of names; the most common being “wormwood”, which hints at its ability to rid the body of ‘worms’, or parasites.
While Artemisia is mostly known for its abilities to purge the body of parasites, that’s only the tip of the iceberg.
As usual, natural substances that work exceptionally and unusually well are typically banned or not recommended on larger scales, because they’re not profitable. There’s just too much money left on the table.
Like Lugol’s iodine, if you look up Artemisia, you’ll find several hit pieces and other articles from ‘health websites’ warning you about Artemisia’s dangers.
Artemisia is so dangerous that it’s been used to fix life-destroying health problems for 5,000+ years.
As is the case with any natural, ingestible substance that is safe for human consumption, Artemisia’s ability to harm or heal depends on the quantity used, with what it’s consumed and the circumstances. In other words, it requires common sense.
For the most part, Artemisia has a negative connotation due to the fact that it was used to make Absinthe, which was the favorite alcoholic beverage of many 19th century artists, including Van Gogh.
It was also known to have terrible side-effects, including hallucinations and other strange behaviors due to its high thujone content.
The thing is, Absinthe is also 74% proof..
Try taking Xanax, which is considered “safe”, with several glasses of 74% alcohol every night and see what happens (obviously joking, never do this).
Absinthe was banned at the beginning of the 20th century, and only recently became legalized again in several countries as long as the quantities of Wormwood and alcohol were lowered. In the United States, it was banned from 1912 up until 2007.
In a nutshell, they threw the baby out with the bathwater, considering the impressive benefits that Artemisia offers related to remedying chronic diseases and lengthening lifespan.
Major benefits of Artemisia
Helps Treat Malaria
Malaria is caused by parasites that are spread by infected mosquitos, and Artemisia has been proven and accepted even in Western medicine for its ability to effectively treat Malaria.
Effective Against Lyme Disease
Lyme disease is an infectious disease caused by the bacterium Borrelia burgdorferi (B. burgdorferi), and is spread to humans via a tick that carries the bacterium. It affects roughly 300,000 people each year in the U.S. alone.
The active constituent in Artemisia has been documented to have activity against the stationary form of Borrelia. One thing to note is that Lyme can also be carried inside parasites.
However, it’s not used alone to treat Lyme Disease, but in conjunction with a variety of other substances, such as Japanese Knotweed, Chinese Skullcap, Cat’s Claw, and Cryptolepis, and Black Walnut in order to also address co-infections.
Reduce Inflammation
Inflammation is found at the source of just about all chronic diseases, including heart disease, diabetes, Alzheimer’s, arthritis and cancer.
Artemisia has been shown to reduce inflammatory markers, including COX-2 production, serine/thereonine kinase (AKT) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways.
Underlying inflammation also impacts the brain, so anything that lowers inflammation will improve psychological health.
Heart Health
Researches have shown that Artemisia restores systolic blood pressure, attenuates serum sodium/potassium levels and prevents cardiac oxidative stress.
Anti-Cancer
Artemisia has one of the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) levels, meaning it is extremely high in antioxidants.
This is thanks to its high phenolic content; Artemisia has over 50 different phenolic compounds belonging to five major groups, including flavones and flavonols.
Artemisinin and other antioxidants found in Artemisia (particularly flavonoids) induce apoptosis and have anti-proliferative effects against certain types of cancers, including thyroid, colorectal and lung cancer. It’s thought this plant can help fight cancer due to its ability to decrease oxidative stress and free radical damage.
TCM’s Take on Artemisia (Qing Hao)
In Traditional Chinese Medicine, Artemisia is used to “clear heat and purge fire”. Inflammatory and infectious conditions are said to be caused by excess internal heat in TCM, which would explain why most herbs in this category have antibacterial and antiviral properties.
In TCM, the main idea is to achieve a balance between Yin and Yang. Yin refers to cooling elements and Yang refers to heating. Since Artemisia is considered cool in nature, it is used for individuals who show an excess of Yang.
Artemisia is also a bitter herb. Bitter herbs are said to cleanse the body by clearing heat, drying dampness and promoting elimination.
Bitter herbs also target the liver, kidney and gallbladder meridians, enhancing bile production, facilitating detoxification, enhancing the reproductive system and balancing the emotions.
In Western diets, there are very few bitter elements, which certainly contributes to the plethora of disease and physiological imbalance among citizens of Western countries.
How to Use
Artemisia is an underestimated and extremely potent, but it is best used sparingly and when necessary.
Generally speaking, it’s best to consume anything in its natural form, which is why I prefer to consume Artemisia as a tea.
Infuse one teaspoon of the Artemisia plant in hot water for 10 minutes and drink once per day. However, You would not want to take this once per day for an extended period of time, or more than 3 weeks at a time without an extended break.
Otherwise, you can safely consume a cup of Artemisia once per week as a preventative measure for heart health, cancer prevention, and to kill parasites.
When not to consume Artemisia
Pregnant or breastfeeding
Epilepsy or seizure disorder: Thujone can cause seizures in susceptible individuals. It can also reduce the effects of anti-seizure drugs.
Heart disease drugs: If you are taking Warfarin, Artemisia can cause bleeding.
Kidney Disease: If you have kidney disease, avoid Artemesia.
Allergies: If you are allergic to anything in the Asteracaeae family, such as ragweed or marigolds, you’ll probably be allergic to Artemisia.
