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Silver wormwood

What is silver wormwood?

Silverwormwood is a small bush that is usually found in North Africa and the Middle East. The parts of this bush that grow above ground are used to make medicine. Silver wormwood is used for coughs, digestive problems, colds, measles, diabetes, jaundice, anxiety, irregular heartbeat and muscle weakness. It is also used to treat infections with parasites such as roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms and worms.

How does silver wormwood work?

Some of the chemicals contained in silver wormwood appear to kill parasites and bacteria. Some other chemicals contained may lower blood sugar levels.

How effective is silver wormwood?

There is not enough scientific data to make a statement about the effectiveness of silver wormwood for the following conditions:

  • Diabetes: Scientific research suggests that taking an aqueous extract of silver wormwood may lower blood sugar levels in some people suffering from type 2 diabetes.
  • Infections caused by parasites such as roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms and sucking worms: There is evidence that taking an aqueous extract of silver wormwood could reduce the symptoms of pinworm infection in adults and children after 3 days of treatment and cure the infection.

There is also insufficient scientific information on the effectiveness of silver wormwood for stomach upsets, colds, measles, jaundice, anxiety, irregular heartbeat and muscle weakness. More scientific research is needed to evaluate the effectiveness of silver wormwood for these conditions.

Are there any safety concerns?

There is not enough information to say whether silver wormwood is safe and harmless. In some people who participated in a study with silver wormwood, a reduction in blood pressure and a reduced heart rate were observed. The significance of these effects is not known.

Precautions and warnings

  • Pregnancy and lactation: Not enough is known about the use of silver wormwood during pregnancy and lactation. For this reason, pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid products made from this plant to be on the safe side.
  • Diabetes: There are indications that silver wormwood could lower blood sugar. Some experts are concerned that taking silver wormwood in combination with diabetes medication could lower blood sugar levels too much. For this reason, blood sugar levels should be carefully monitored when using silver wormwood and suffering from diabetes. It is possible that the dosage of diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.
  • Surgeries: Silver wormwood could affect blood sugar levels. This has led to concerns that silver wormwood may affect blood sugar control during and after surgery. For this reason, you should stop taking silver wormwood at least two weeks before upcoming operations.

Interactions with medication:

Care should be taken when combining silver wormwood with the following medications:

Diabetes medications

Silver wormwood could lower blood sugar. Diabetes medication is also used to lower blood sugar levels. Taking silver wormwood in combination with diabetes medication could result in an excessive drop in blood sugar levels. For this reason, blood sugar levels should be carefully monitored. It is possible that the dosage of the diabetes medication may need to be adjusted.

Dosage

An appropriate dosage of silver wormwood depends on various factors such as age, state of health and others. At the present time, there is insufficient scientific data to make a statement about appropriate dosage ranges for silver wormwood. For this reason, you should follow the dosage instructions on the label and/or consult a doctor or pharmacist before use.

References

  1. al-Khazraji SM, al-Shamaony LA, Twaij HA. Hypoglycaemic effect of Artemisia herba alba. I. Effect of different parts and influence of the solvent on hypoglycaemic activity. J Ethnopharmacol 1993;40:163-6.
  2. al-Shamaony L, al-Khazraji SM, Twaij HA. Hypoglycaemic effect of Artemisia herba alba. II. effect of a valuable extract on some blood parameters in diabetic animals. J Ethnopharmacol 1994;43:167-71.
  3. al-Waili NS. Artemisia herba-alba Asso. in diabetes mellitus. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1988;15:497.
  4. al-Waili NS. Artemisia herba-alba extract for treating Enterobius vermicularis infection. Trans R Soc Trop Med Hyg 1988;82:626.
  5. al-Waili NS. Treatment of diabetes mellitus by Artemisia herba-alba extract: preliminary study. Clin Exp Pharmacol Physiol 1986;13:569-73.
  6. Marrif HI, Ali BH, Hassan KM. Some pharmacological studies on Artemisia herba-alba (Asso.) in rabbits and mice. J Ethnopharmacol 1995;49:51-5.
  7. Twaij HA, Al-Badr AA. Hypoglycemic activity of Artemisia herba alba. J Ethnopharmacol 1988;24:123-6.
  8. Yashphe J, Segal R, Breuer A, Erdreich-Naftali G. Antibacterial activity of Artemisia herba-alba. J Pharm Sci 1979;68:924-5.