Is it possible to get poisoned from the smell of wormwood? Wormwood poisoning symptoms
Wormwood is a plant that is found almost everywhere. It has been used since ancient times as an effective medicine. In some cases, poisoning occurs with this bitter plant. This happens if a person consumes excess amounts of products that contain wormwood.
As you know, such an alcoholic drink as absinthe also contains wormwood. Therefore, if you drink a lot of absinthe, poisoning can also develop. What symptoms would indicate intoxication? How to provide first aid to an injured person to avoid dangerous consequences? All this will be discussed in detail below.
This plant has a rich beneficial composition, due to this it has found its use in the medical field.
It contains vitamin components, essential oils, various trace elements, and glycosides.
The composition of wormwood is quite diverse. What benefits does wormwood have for the human body?
The beneficial properties of wormwood are multifaceted:
Wormwood-based products are used to treat various diseases, but therapy must be carried out with caution so that an overdose does not occur. Some people are completely prohibited from using wormwood, even if the prescribed doses are observed.
Contraindications for use
The use of this plant should be completely abandoned:
- Persons who have thrombosis;
- Patients whose age is less than 12 years;
- Pregnant women, breastfeeding mothers;
- In acute inflammatory processes in the digestive tract;
- If you have allergies;
- Persons who have bronchial asthma experience various types of bleeding;
- For gastritis with low acidity.
These conditions must be taken into account so that intoxication does not develop.
In most cases, poisoning with this drug is chronic. If a person uses wormwood-based preparations for a long period, then the toxic components begin to actively accumulate in the body.
Attention! Over time, substances with wormwood do not lose their beneficial and harmful properties at all, which makes overdose of poisoning with it dangerous, regardless of time.
With prolonged intoxication by this plant, the activity of the central nervous system is disrupted. The victim may experience symptoms of nervous system excitement. Brain function is inhibited. Convulsions and hallucinations may occur.
In case of poisoning, the following symptoms appear:
- The head begins to feel dizzy, there is severe pain in the head;
- The production of saliva fluid increases;
- A person feels sick, he vomits;
- Developing;
- Muscle soreness, quite noticeable;
- Hallucinations develop, both visual and auditory;
- Fever occurs;
- Digestion is impaired;
- Internal bleeding may occur;
- A person becomes tired, weak, there is apathy, which is replaced by increased nervous excitement;
- If the poisoning is severe, the person may lose consciousness and fall into a coma.
You need to know that with severe intoxication a person can die.
Victims often confuse plant intoxication with ordinary food poisoning. However, if you continue to use preparations based on wormwood, more and more toxic components will enter the body. The situation will only get worse, and the condition will become much more dangerous.
The function of the nervous system is impaired, and the efficiency of the functioning of internal organs decreases. If you do not provide timely assistance to the injured person, death is possible.
Diagnostics
To establish wormwood poisoning, the patient is asked about what diseases he suffered previously, whether he used folk remedies and medicines based on wormwood. But making a diagnosis becomes significantly more difficult if the patient hides information about the long-term use of extracts, decoctions of wormwood or absinthe.
Upon visual examination, it can be established that the victim’s speech becomes inadequate, his voice is raised, and the person is in a state of increased mental excitability. The epidermis becomes pale.
First aid
If signs of poisoning by the plant in question are detected, the first step is to stop using products that contain it.
Since chronic intonation often develops, first aid measures do not include gastric lavage.
You should call a medical team and do the following before they arrive:
- Place the injured person in a horizontal position;
- A cold compress can be placed on the forehead to reduce the excitability of the nervous system;
- It is good to ventilate a visit in which a poisoned person is present;
- If convulsions are present, then you need to hold the patient or even restrain him. This must be done so that he does not get injured. When the attack ends, the patient must be placed on the side, and the mouth must be cleared of residual saliva and vomit.
- Provide the poisoned person with plenty of fluids, preferably clean, warm water.
Further treatment is performed in an inpatient setting. Doctors use different techniques to cleanse the body of toxic substances.
Treatment
The main goal of therapy is to reduce the effect of wormwood toxic substances on the central nervous system. Treatment is carried out in the toxicology department.
There is no specific one, so measures are taken aimed at general cleansing of the body. Usually various dialysis, plasmapheresis, and hemosorption are performed.
Patients are also prescribed B vitamins and other vitamins to restore the functioning of organs and systems of the body. Infusion treatment is carried out. If first aid and treatment are provided in a timely manner, the patient will recover very quickly.
Possible consequences
Wormwood intoxication can have a very negative effect on the body. As a result of such intoxication, the following consequences may develop:
- Chronic sleep disturbance, insomnia;
- Depression, apathy;
- Memory impairment;
- Disorders of the digestive system;
- Violations of the nervous system, development of mental disorders.
It should also be noted that as a result of convulsions, vomit may enter the respiratory tract. This provokes aspiration anemia, which is very difficult for patients to tolerate.
Conclusions
To avoid intoxication with this plant, you need to know that products containing wormwood should not be used without a doctor’s prescription. Folk remedies should also not be used for self-medication. If the doctor has prescribed medications based on this herb, then under no circumstances should the dosage regimen and duration of the treatment course be violated.
Although wormwood poisoning is not a common occurrence, it is still very dangerous. We should never forget to be careful when using preparations containing wormwood.
Otherwise, you can get seriously poisoned, sometimes even fatal. If used correctly, wormwood can cure various diseases.
Sagebrush(Artemisia L., family Compositae) is distributed in the Crimea, the Caucasus, the Caspian region and Central Asia. Only wormwood in some areas is poisonous. Most often, poisoning occurs in hungry or imported animals when eating Tauride wormwood (Artemisia taurica).
Wormwood is poisonous in fresh and dried form to horses, camels, sheep and other animals. An admixture of 2% wormwood to hay can cause chronic poisoning of the animal. The toxic dose for horses is 200-500 g of dry wormwood, lethal - 500-700 g; for sheep - 200-300 g and 500 g, respectively.
The toxic substances of wormwood are essential wormwood oil (dry wormwood can contain up to 1-1.2%) and a lactone-type substance tauricin in an amount of 0.1-0.7%. Essential wormwood oil is very persistently retained in the plant, amounting to 0.6-0.8% after 5 years of storage. The bitter substance of wormwood - absinthine - is low-toxic, but, easily absorbed, gives milk and meat a characteristic wormwood smell and taste.
Pathogenesis. The toxic substances of wormwood act on the nervous system. Wormwood oil causes severe agitation, epileptic convulsions, and then loss of consciousness. Salivation, vomiting, diarrhea, vasospasm and bradycardia are noted.
Pathological changes. In acute cases of poisoning, causing the death of the animal after 4-12 hours, autopsy reveals massive hemorrhages, catarrhal inflammation of the stomach and intestines. The contents of the stomach have the smell of wormwood, icteric coloration of the subcutaneous tissue, sharp congestive hyperemia and swelling of the brain are noted.
Symptoms. In acute cases, horses are excited, fearful, have increased skin sensitivity, and are anxious. Then convulsive twitching of individual muscles appears. After 1-2 hours, seizures of epileptiform convulsions begin, following each other with short breaks. Animals rush forward, injure themselves, then fall to the ground. Tension of all muscles is observed with the neck bending upward and backward. After 30-50 seconds of tension in all muscles, clonic convulsions begin. Body temperature reaches 40.5 °C; profuse sweating occurs. Neutrophilic leukocytosis and blood thickening are detected. The animal becomes very weak and after a series of attacks dies within 3-5 hours.
In case of mild poisoning, the disease proceeds without convulsive seizures; begins with convulsive twitching of individual muscles or simply muscle tremors in the head and neck area. The horses' gait becomes awkward and tense. Animals are easily excitable and restless. This condition lasts more than a day, then the animal remains lethargic for a long time.
In chronic cases, in addition to nervous symptoms, gastrointestinal lesions, increased salivation, increased peristalsis, yellowness of the mucous membranes and bilirubinemia are noted.
In sheep, nervous symptoms are accompanied by signs of kidney damage.
The course is acute and chronic.
Diagnosis. To establish a diagnosis of wormwood poisoning, it is enough to open the stomach, the contents of which consist of wormwood, and find the latter in the feed that makes up the diet of a dead or sick animal.
Treatment. It is recommended to rinse the stomach of a sick animal with a 2% solution of sodium bicarbonate or a solution of potassium permanganate 1: 1000. The solutions are injected into the stomach through a nasoesophageal tube. Hemovinyl 1000-2000 ml is administered intravenously. As an anticonvulsant, an enema is done with chloral hydrate (60-70 g) in a mucous decoction. Camphor oil or caffeine solution is injected under the skin.
Prevention. Prohibit feeding hay containing more than 2% wormwood. Particular caution must be exercised in relation to imported animals. Hay contaminated with wormwood should not be given on an empty stomach.
Wormwood, the contraindications to which are very strict, is also called burnt, Chernobyl, and emshan. Pharmaceutical name: wormwood leaves or wormwood herb.
Wormwood (there are contraindications) is used in traditional and folk medicine most often as a bitterness, which helps stimulate appetite and improve digestion. This herb restores strength in especially weakened patients. Wormwood is also a fairly effective medicine for complex liver diseases: cholecystitis, hepatitis and Plant preparations are prescribed for flatulence, dysmenorrhea, inflammation of the appendages, as with kidney stones and kidney diseases, as an anthelmintic, less often as a mild laxative. As an external remedy, this herb is used for lotions and compresses, as well as as part of enemas against roundworms and pinworms. stimulates the central nervous system and improves hematopoiesis. It is indicated for insomnia, anemia, asthenia and epilepsy. Here is such a healing hospital - wormwood. Contraindications for it are given below.
Wormwood: contraindications
Wormwood herb is strictly contraindicated for use during pregnancy. The toxic substances that are present in wormwood can negatively affect the course of pregnancy and even (in rare cases) the entire period of breastfeeding the baby should also pass without the participation of tinctures and decoctions of wormwood.
Wormwood is contraindicated for those people who suffer from bleeding, enterocolitis, and allergies to some components of the plant. A relative contraindication for the use of the wormwood plant is a combination of advanced age and increased body weight. For people with such indicators, wormwood may be too powerful a remedy that will cause harm to the body.
Also contraindications to the use of wormwood herb are intestinal and stomach ulcers, any in acute phases. Under no circumstances should people who are prone to alcoholism, suffer from mental disorders, or suffer from complex central nervous system diseases take any preparations from wormwood internally. If you have thrombophlebitis, then wormwood should not be taken orally either.
When deciding to use it, contraindications to its use should be studied especially carefully. Measure each gram of herb carefully for teas, infusions and infusions. Wormwood is very poisonous, so the slightest overdose can easily provoke significant mental disorders, muscle tremors, and even the appearance of visions in a healthy person. It is not recommended to drink wormwood preparations for a long time, as this can also provoke a dangerous overdose. Of course, preparations from this herb have a very bitter taste. But it is in this bitterness that the main healing effect of wormwood lies. You should not immediately drink a lot of infusions and teas with this bitterness, because you can get used to it very soon.
Wormwood tincture: contraindications
The drug should not be used to treat patients who have hypersensitivity to the plant itself, to alcohol, as well as those suffering from peptic ulcers of the duodenum and stomach, with high acidity, cholecystitis, as well as during pregnancy and lactation.
An overdose of wormwood can cause severe stimulation of the nervous system (convulsions, hallucinations).
Wormwood should absolutely not be taken continuously. It is necessary to take short breaks - at least for 1-2 months. The course of treatment with this herb should not exceed a total of two weeks, a maximum of a month, after which a break is necessary - at least 2 weeks, or even better, a whole month. Since the plant is poisonous, it should be used only under the supervision of a doctor.
Wormwood herb is a herbal medicine used as a means to increase appetite.
What is the composition and release form of Wormwood?
The pharmaceutical industry produces this plant material in crushed form, which contains wormwood flower baskets, stems and leaves, pieces of various shapes. The color of the grass is gray-greenish. The smell is quite aromatic, quite unique and strong. The aqueous extract has a spicy-bitter taste.
The crushed raw materials of the herbal medicine Wormwood herb are packaged in cardboard packs of 35, 50, 75 and 100 grams. The date of release of the drug is indicated on the box. The shelf life of the herbal product is two years, after which it is necessary to refrain from using it.
The herbal medicine is sold without a prescription. Wormwood plant materials should be stored away from damp places, as excessive waterlogging will lead to the growth of bacteria, as a result of which the wormwood herb will become moldy and become unsuitable for further use.
What is the effect of "Wormwood herb"?
The herbal remedy Wormwood slightly enhances the secretion of gastric juice, helps increase appetite, in addition, normalizes the digestion process, and also has a choleretic effect.
The specific smell of this herb is explained by the presence of essential oil in bitter wormwood, which consists of thujol alcohol, some hydrocarbons, and other chemical compounds. In addition to it, the herbal remedy contains absinthine bitterness, tannins, sesquiterpene lactones, carotene, flavonoids, organic acids, and ascorbic acid.
In Rus', wormwood has been known since ancient times. The name “wormwood” comes from the Slavic “flight”, which means to burn. Popular rumor called this plant as wormwood, God's tree, witch's grass, and also as a remedy for a hundred diseases. It was believed that it had the magical ability to heal many ailments.
They knew about wormwood in Ancient Egypt; information about the healing properties of the plant is reflected on papyri. In addition, this herb was known in China and Ancient Greece. In ancient Rome, wormwood leaves were added in small quantities to wine. It was believed that this plant helps against all kinds of evil spirits, and therefore the grass was placed on windows and on the threshold of the house, woven into braids, burned in fires, and simply carried in pockets or in the bosom.
It was believed that it was enough to simply say the word “wormwood” and the evil spirits would scatter in different directions. The girls wove wreaths from this plant on the night of Ivan Kupala, using them to tell fortunes, after which the secret wreath hung on the door of the house, protecting its inhabitants from misfortunes and quarrels.
In Japan, the inhabitants of a house where a crime had recently been committed burned wormwood grass on the footprints of the criminal in order to immobilize his legs in such a ritual and prevent him from running far. The power of the plant extended not only to rites and ritual ceremonies, but wormwood was also used as a medicine.
Hippocrates wrote in his monumental works about the magical healing properties of wormwood. And after some time, Avicenna gave a more detailed description of the medicinal properties of this plant. In Europe in the 19th century, an alcoholic drink was quite common, which was a mixture, one component of which was the essential oil of wormwood, and the second alcohol, and the drink was called absinthe. But such a potion had severe side effects as a result of its excessive use.
What are the indications for use of Wormwood herb?
The instructions for use of the drug “Wormwood bitter herb” allow it to be used for medicinal purposes to stimulate appetite, as well as to improve digestion; the herbal remedy is prescribed as a choleretic agent for diseases of the liver and gall bladder.
What are the contraindications for use of Wormwood herb?
The instructions for use of the product “Wormwood Herb” do not allow use for medicinal purposes in the following cases:
If you are hypersensitive to the herb wormwood;
With increased gastric secretion;
In the presence of hyperacid gastritis;
During pregnancy;
For peptic ulcer disease;
Reflux esophagitis disease;
For acute cholecystitis;
During lactation.
In addition, herbal pharmaceuticals are not prescribed until the age of twelve.
What are the uses and dosage of Wormwood herb?
To prepare a decoction from the herb wormwood, you will need to pour about ten grams of crushed raw material into an enamel bowl, into which 200 milliliters of boiling water is poured. After which the container is covered with a lid and the container is placed in a prepared water bath for about fifteen minutes.
After 15 minutes, remove the broth from the stove and leave it to cool for 45 minutes. Next, begin filtering, for this you can use a strainer or double-folded gauze, squeeze out the remaining phyto-raw materials.
It is recommended to increase the volume of the resulting decoction based on wormwood herb to 200 milliliters with boiled water. Next, the herbal medicine is used in a quarter of a glass three times a day, about thirty minutes before meals.
What are the side effects of Wormwood?
The use of a herbal medicine can cause the following side effects: allergic reactions, typical heartburn, gastralgia (severe stomach pain), possible diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, especially with prolonged use of the herbal medicine.
Wormwood herb - drug overdose
Symptoms of an overdose of the herbal decoction are as follows: tremor occurs, headache is observed, convulsions are typical, dizziness may occur, and hallucinations are possible. The patient is given symptomatic treatment.
How to replace “Wormwood herb”, what analogues should I use?
Wormwood tincture, Wormwood extract.
Conclusion
You can use a decoction of the herbal medicine Wormwood herb as prescribed by a specialist.
Among the variety of useful herbs and plants, those whose effectiveness is recognized in scientific circles are included in a separate group. This group includes wormwood, the medicinal properties and contraindications of which are taken into account both by traditional healers and when creating medications based on it. What is so remarkable about this plant?
The benefits of natural composition
There are a lot of different varieties of wormwood. And first of all, they differ visually. Wormwood, being one of the medicinal plants, but having toxic components in its chemical composition, has a specific smell and bitter taste. When deciding to collect this herb yourself for home drying during the flowering period, you need to see it in the photo so as not to confuse the desired plant variety. The photo below shows wormwood.This plant received its specific taste and smell from nature by having it in its composition. bitterness And essential oils, which make this herb especially healing. However, wormwood is not only rich in such components. Certain benefits and positive effects on the human body are achieved thanks to the variety of elements, vitamins, and substances included in the natural composition of the plant.
Wormwood medicinal properties and contraindications: features of the plant’s composition
- tannins are present in large quantities in the plant;
- B vitamins, for example B6 and B9, as well as vitamins A, C, PP;
- the healing properties of wormwood are revealed thanks to the following elements: sulfur, copper, potassium, molybdenum, iron, calcium, zinc, nickel, magnesium, aluminum;
- Among the natural beneficial acids, malic, isovaleric, succinic and acetic acids are found in it;
- essential oils: phellanderene, thujol, thujone;
- the plant has an extremely low calorie content (no more than 25 kcal), and no fat is found in it;
- The benefits and healing of the body with the help of bitter wormwood are achieved due to the presence of resins, chamazulene, tannins, terpenoids, glycosides, and amino acids in its composition.
Due to such an outstanding natural chemical composition, the herb wormwood has a variety of medicinal properties on the body. It can be used as a medicine or as a preventive measure. Based on plant extracts and essential oils, medications that have proven themselves to be effective are made.
What functions does grass have?
Useful properties and features of bitter wormwood:Despite the fact that wormwood has become very widely used due to its natural characteristics, before the course of treatment you need to know some nuances. Otherwise, the herb may act as a toxic substance for the body.
What to consider when taking wormwood?
- Due to the chemical characteristics of medicines based on this plant, it is unacceptable to combine them with dairy products, eggs, alcohol consumption and smoking.
- The course of taking wormwood varies from 5 days to one month. It is important to consult with your doctor before starting the course.
- After the last day of admission you need to take a month's break.
- It is necessary to carefully follow the instructions on the packaging of drugs, preparations, tinctures and not exceed the indicated dosage.
The beneficial effects of wormwood and its healing effects are achieved primarily through bitterness. Therefore, adding various kinds of sweeteners to teas or decoctions is excluded.
In what form should the herb be consumed?
- homemade infusions of dry or fresh wormwood; when dried, it does not lose its qualities;
- extracts, tinctures and decoctions;
- the essential oil of this plant is also very useful;
- juice and tea;
- For external use, compresses and lotions are used, as well as ointments based on leaves, inflorescences, and twigs of the plant.
Homemade decoctions made with water are not recommended to be stored for longer than a day, even in the refrigerator. Wormwood can also be combined with other herbs, such as cloves or peppermint, which will have an even greater positive effect on the human body.
What ailments does wormwood help with?
The healing properties of wormwood: for what ailments should you use this herb?
- Oncological diseases. In particular, cancer of the stomach, intestines, and uterus.
- In professional medicine, products based on this herb are used to relieve epilepsy attacks. Medicines help with seizures of various origins.
- Flu, sore throat, bronchitis, colds.
- Wormwood has positive reviews in the treatment of gynecological diseases. Infusions from this plant stimulate the onset of menstruation, relieve pain during menstrual periods, are used as part of douching for leucorrhoea and other secretions, and help with inflammatory processes of the appendages.
- In general, bitter wormwood successfully relieves infectious and inflammatory diseases affecting the genitourinary system of men and women.
- It stimulates appetite, so the herb can be used in the treatment of eating disorders.
- Improves digestion, fights poisoning, diarrhea, and has a beneficial effect on the functioning of internal organs. Wormwood is used for enterocolitis, gastritis, and high stomach acidity.
- Diseases of the liver, gall bladder, and pancreas are treated using the plant extract. Wormwood gets rid of stones and sand, cleanses the ducts, and is a choleretic agent.
- Compresses relieve joint pain and are useful for rheumatism.
- Due to the presence of magnesium and potassium, wormwood has a beneficial effect on the heart muscle, reducing the risk of heart attacks and strokes.
- Changes muscle tone, in particular the muscles of the uterus, which helps with difficult or protracted labor.
- Fights skin conditions such as acne, blackheads, allergic reactions and rashes. Helps with various swelling, bruises, hematomas, contusions.
- For eye diseases, such as conjunctivitis, it is permissible to use wormwood solution for compresses.
- The plant promotes rapid healing of wounds, disinfecting them.
- Kidney inflammation is treated with decoctions of this herb.
- Affects blood composition, fights anemia.
- Relieves insomnia.
- It is used as a remedy against hysteria, depression of various origins, for psychoses and neuroses, providing a sedative effect.
- Relieves spasms, cramps, colic in the intestines, relieves increased gas formation.
- It is a natural anthelmintic.
- Used in dentistry. Based on decoctions of this bitter herb, remedies are made against stomatitis, gingivitis, ulcers on the oral mucosa, and are used against bleeding and weak gums.
- It is used in folk and alternative medicine for the following ailments:
- varicose veins;
- diseases of the spleen, as well as jaundice of various origins;
- obesity, poisoning of the body with poisons and toxins;
- as a means to completely cleanse the body during fasting days;
- wormwood is also effective for warts and boils;
- eczema;
- malaria;
- muscle and ligament sprains, dislocations;
- for diseases of the vocal cords;
- for purulent infections of various types;
- during the period of treatment of domestic drunkenness and severe forms of alcohol dependence;
- to stabilize blood pressure;
- as part of the treatment of ear diseases, in particular drops with wormwood are used for inflammation, otitis media;
- as a stimulant support agent.
Side effects and contraindications
Like any other medicine, wormwood can have a negative effect on the body. However, compared to other medicinal plants, the risk increases due to the toxic components in the herb. With the correct dosage and normal use, it is not capable of harming health and well-being. But it is necessary to get an idea of possible side effects in the same way as to take into account some contraindications.
Consequences of excessive consumption of wormwood (overdose):
- dizziness, severe and persistent headaches;
- nausea and vomiting, additional signs of food poisoning;
- hallucinations of various types (visual, auditory, tactile);
- general weakness, lethargy;
- , pain in muscles and joints, various types of convulsive states;
- indigestion;
- bleeding, including internal;
- trembling, tremor, fever;
- , fainting;
- other forms of mental disorders and mental functions.
- During pregnancy.
- Under the age of 12 years.
- During breastfeeding.
- For gastritis with low acidity.
- During exacerbations of gastrointestinal tract disease, for example, during complications of intestinal or stomach ulcers.
- As a remedy for bronchial asthma, wormwood should be used with extreme caution.
- Due to acute allergic reactions and individual intolerance to plant components.
- During various types of bleeding. Wormwood can be consumed before the onset of menstruation, but not during it.
- For thrombosis, this herb is contraindicated.
- For some mental and nervous diseases, therapy using bitter wormwood is unacceptable.
During treatment with wormwood during the course, side painful conditions and exacerbations of latent or sluggish underlying chronic diseases may occur. In the presence of internal inflammatory and infectious processes, pus may be released from the body.
