Sweet Wormwood 100 g, 50 g, 25 g

Sweet Wormwood – 100 g ($13.99), 50 g ($9.99), 25 g ($6.99)

Benefits
Anti-Inflammatory & Arthritis Pain
Certain studies suggest that due to its anti-inflammatory effects, artemisia may be helpful for treating osteoarthritis symptoms, especially those affecting the knees and hips. It seems to safely help dull pain and stiffness and decrease physicals limitations for up to six months with ongoing treatment.

Researchers believe that dihydroartemisinin, a synthetic derivative of artemisinin, can help arthritis patients due to its ability to reduce inflammatory markers and pathways, including COX-2 production, serine/threonine kinase (AKT) and mitogen activated protein kinase (MAPK) pathways.

Cancer-Fighting
A number of reports indicate that A. annua is one of the four medicinal plants with the highest ORAC (oxygen radical absorbance capacity) levels, meaning it is very high in disease-fighting antioxidants. The high antioxidant activity of A. annua extract is most likely due to its high phenolic content, considering it has over 50 different phenolic compounds belonging to five major groups, including flavones and flavonols.

Artemisinin and other antioxidants found in artemisia, especially flavonoids, have been shown to induce apoptosis and have anti-proliferative effects against certain types pf 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.

Malaria
Artemisinin-based combination therapies are commonly used with other drugs to treat malaria. Malaria is a disease caused by parasites (Plasmodium falciparum) that is spread through bites of infected mosquitoes. Systematic reviews have shown that treatments made with artemisia annua are typically as effective as the drug quinine for both uncomplicated and severe malaria.

According to the World Health Organization, a combination of riamet (Coartem), lumefantrine (120 mg) and artemether (an artemisinin derivative) given over two days is effective in treating malaria about 98 percent of the time. That said, although WHO recommends artemisinin-based remedies for treating uncomplicated malaria, artemisinin resistance is becoming a growing concern. Because malaria is a serious and even deadly disease, patients need to be treated by a health care provider with artemisia-based drugs and should not self-treat for malaria.

Artemisia annua is also used in the treatment of other infections and illnesses, including leishmaniasis, Chagas disease and African sleeping sickness.

Botanical Name: Artemisia annua
English: Sweet annie, Sweet sagewort, Annual mugwort or Annual wormwood
Also, Known as: Artemisia annua, also known as sweet wormwood, sweet annie, sweet sagewort, annual mugwort or annual wormwood, Chinese wormwood, Artemisia annua
Chinese: 黄花草, pinyin: huánghuahão, Quing Hao
Origin: China
Harvested: Wild
Parts Used: Leaves & stems

General Information:
Artemisia annua is an aromatic, herbaceous plant native of Asia, a species that stands out from the rest of its genre as an excellent and important source of clinically proven therapeutic compounds. Artemisia annua L. produces a range of complex terpenoids in its trichomes, amongst which artemisinin is of special interest for the treatment of a range of pathologies.

In addition, the plant produces other substances such as flavonoids (artemetin, chrysospleneti, chrysosplenos, crinilineol and eupatorin), phenolic acids, and coumarins, which increase the impact and efficiency of artemisinin via a phenomenon called pharmacodynamic synergy, as well as acting as an antioxidant and stimulating the immune system.

Artemisia annua is able to grow in a variety of habitats, including forested margins, semi-deserted slopes, saline, and rocky fields, and at an ample altitudinal range, meaning it is relatively easy to cultivate in many climates, from tropical regions to arid ones. Its life cycle is long, 7 to 8 months, which is when it reaches its maximum growth and flowers, also the point at which artemisinin reaches its greatest concentration in planta.

How to use:
We make these suggestions to help you get the best benefit from the herbs that you’re choosing to improve your health. Also we make these ideas and recommendations so that consuming them easier and better fit into your lifestyle by adding them to the food that you already eat.
For the full health benefit, it is best to consume (or use the whole herb in poultices) the whole herb. All of the compounds in the herb act best together, as nature intends. Extracts draw out the most prominent beneficial compounds and may concentrate them. What is not extracted can be helpful in ways that we do not yet understand.

Cut Pieces or Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use cut pieces or powdered herb.
Food Preparation: You can add powdered or pieces of herb (if the pieces you buy are bigger than you like, a coffee or herb grinder will quickly reduce) to any yogurt, smoothie, apple or other sauces, spreads, salads or other foods more familiar to you that don’t use heat. Heat can be damaging to the beneficial compounds in the herb. Other options like oatmeal, scrambled eggs, pasta sauce, soup, cookies and anything else that fits your lifestyle, but minimizing (by adding near the end of cooking) the heat is helpful.
Also, for children, you can mix powdered herb with honey or glycerin to make paste. The thicker the paste, the more potent and herbal in taste. The sweet taste of honey and glycerin will help medicine go down. The resulting liquid is called an electuary.
For seeds in general, but especially small seeds, it’s best to grind these to break the protective hulls a short time before consumption. This makes all the benefits available, rather than some remaining locked inside the hulls that are unbroken by insufficient chewing.
To make adding herbs even easier, you could add a week’s worth of your chosen herb(s) to an amount of, for example, yogurt that you would eat in a week. Mix thoroughly and eat this each day of the week. So you make once /week and just eat each other day.
Hot Infusion: The basic method for dried herbs and flower is, take 2-3 tablespoons of dried herb in a cup or teapot. Pour hot water over it and cover it with lid for 10-30 minutes. The heat from making tea can degrade some of the beneficial compounds in the herb. This method minimizes this effect. For the full health benefit, it is recommended to consume what is left over after making tea.
Decoctions: Decoctions are suitable for roots, barks, large seeds & berries, and other dense material. The simple way to make decoction is, in a saucepan, add 1 tablespoon of dried herbs to 1 cup of water, Bring the water to boil, reduce heat and simmer for 30-60 minutes with the pot covered. Squeeze out as much as liquid as possible. Best practice is to drink the liquid and also consume the solid material that remains. Herb pieces can also be used.
Powdered Herb:
There are different ways to use powdered herb.
Capsules: HerbsCrafters makes capsules guaranteed to be filled with the pure herb with no filler or any other products. You can also use powdered herb to make your own capsules at home. These capsules are best taken with liquid to aid in digestion and absorption and to ensure it doesn’t stick in your throat.
Poultice: Poultice can be made with an herbal powder and liquid (mostly water) to form a paste which is then applied to the skin. This method is very helpful for skin conditions.
Herbal shot: Powdered herb can be mixed with water, fruit juice or other liquid to make herbal shot.

Tips:
You can sweeten your herbal decoctions with bit of honey, natural fruit juice, stevia leaves powder or licorice root powder.

Precautions:
You should consult with a qualified healthcare practitioner before using any herbal products, particularly if you are pregnant, nursing, or on any medications.
All information on this website is for educational purpose ONLY.
This information has not been evaluated by Health Canada.
This information is not intended to diagnose, treat, cure, or prevent any disease.