Wormwood: medicinal properties and contraindications

The famous wormwood smell can not be confused with any other, its strong spicy aroma is able to repel insect pests, and the legendary wormwood bitterness from ancient times is in demand for the treatment of many diseases.

Chemical composition

Essential oil gives such aromatic smell of wormwood. It is obtained by distillation. It has a blue or dark green color. The consistency of the oil is thick, but it contains a whole combination of various substances. So, a group of terpenes is widely represented - cadinene, pinene, fellandren, carotene and others, which have a beneficial effect on the digestive, musculoskeletal and other systems of the human body. Also in the composition there are other active substances (for example, the bitter glycosides anabsintin, absintin, orortabsin) that improve the functioning of the digestive tract. There is in the composition of the essential oil and the substance thujone, which has a toxic effect. Its presence makes you cautious about the use of wormwood.

Vitamins are most represented by varieties A and E, capable of eliminating toxins and carcinogens, stimulate cell renewal, and participate in most of the body's vital processes.

Also in the wormwood there are organic acids - ascorbic, malic, succinic, thanks to which a normal acid-base balance is maintained. Wormwood contains phytoncides and flavonoids, capable of regulating a whole complex of vital processes.

Thanks to the tannin components in the composition of wormwood, it acquires the ability to eliminate the negative impact of pathogenic microorganisms.

Saponins wormwood, which can cure many diseases, complete the picture of the beneficial substances, as they have expectorant, diuretic, and laxative properties.

What does wormwood look like and where does wormwood grow

Although wormwood and a herbaceous plant, it sometimes grows up to 2 m and looks more like a shrub. Its root is rod, branched and can grow into the ground up to 3 m in depth. The shoots are erect, in general appearance, the plant is green, with a gray-silver coating, with which it is covered, like microscopic fluff.

Straight stems of wormwood are slightly ribbed, they are straight from the bottom, closer to the top they begin to branch. The leaves of the plant differ in both shape and methods of attachment to the stem. The lower ones sit on long petioles, and in shape they are twice and thrice pinnately dissected. The middle leaves are attached with short petioles, and all of them are pinnate, dissected twice. The uppermost ones are without a petiole, attached directly to the stem, therefore they are called sessile. These leaves are also pinnate and divided.

The wormwood that is found in nature has small yellow flowers; in decorative varieties, large flowers of shades of pink-raspberry color are possible. The flowers are so small that even the inflorescence-basket collected from them does not exceed 3.5 mm in diameter. Brushes are collected from such inflorescences.On the European territory of Russia, wormwood blooms in June – July, then in August the seeds ripen, which are oblong pointed achenes only about 1 mm long.

Wormwood tolerates frost and drought well, and therefore the geography of its distribution is vast: it grows in Europe, North America, North Africa, and western Asia. In Russia, it covers the entire territory of the European part of the country - from the northern to the southern seas. Soils with neutral acidity and moderate moisture are most suitable for her; she feels well both in vegetable gardens and in the fields. Meadows, fallow lands, forest edges, roadsides, territory of settlements - everywhere you can find wormwood. It is grown as a culture, not only in Russia, but also in the USA, in the south of Europe and in the north of the African continent. Plant materials are used to produce oil.

Kinds

In nature, there are over 200 different types of wormwood, among them there are tall and undersized.

Species tall

1. Wormwood. The most common species in central Russia. This perennial has a pronounced smell and a bitter taste.
2. Wormwood is rutifolia. This steppe plant is found in Central Asia, as well as in Western and Eastern Siberia. In height, it can reach 80 cm.
3. Wormwood Gmelin. A herbaceous plant capable of reaching a meter height. It has fairly strong upright stems, usually lignified from below.
4. 1) Louisiana wormwood. In August, this wormwood usually blooms and is so decorative that gardeners and landscape designers even use it to decorate aromatic or spicy flower beds and flower beds.
5. Wormwood is annual. Outwardly and smells like a perennial. It differs from it only in the root system: the perennial has buds on the roots, and the annual one does not. It grows mainly in the arid regions of Central Asia in East Asia, as well as in the south and southeast of Europe.
6. Wormwood is milky-flowered. A fairly large plant, this perennial can reach a height of 2 m in height. They love to use this species for decorative purposes in landscape design, as well as to decorate borders and mixborders or plant in the same row with currants: it is not beautiful and harmful to insect insects.
7. Wormwood field. The plant is perennial and reaches a height of 80 cm. The stems are reddish in color, slightly pubescent, the leaves are green, thin and flat. It is found in Western Siberia, as well as in Central Asia, favorite places of growth - glades, edges, meadows, steppes, roadsides.

Undersized species

1. Wormwood Schmidt. The height of this perennial is only 20 cm. It finds practical application in home gardening, as it is very decorative: the leaves are silvery, strongly dissected. They are planted as a border, decorated with alpine slides, they are shaded with roses on the flower beds.
2. Wormwood is cold. A plant with pale green leaves, grows up to 40 cm in height, the flowers are yellow or pink-purple. Favorite places of growth are steppes, pine forests, terraces and rocky slopes of Central Asia and northern China.
3. Wormwood Steller. Bright beautiful plant with soft openwork silver leaves. It is found in the natural environment in Norway, Japan and the Far East. This decorative flower is used to decorate gardens. It looks very impressive in combination with bright colors on alpine slides, natural terraces and retaining walls.
4. Wormwood is brilliant. It is found in nature in the southeast of the Alps. The leaves are characterized by a silver coating and a rather intense special smell. They are thin, narrow and flat. The plant is low and has also found application in the decorative landscaping of the territory - for framing flower arrangements.

Collection and storage

Wormwood is harvested twice during the summer, depending on what kind of medicinal raw material is required. Leaves break off before the plants enter the flowering season. In this case, both sessile leaves and petioles are collected, while the petioles are not taken, only a leaf plate is needed for medicinal purposes.

Later, when buds form in the wormwood, it is time to cut or pick off the blooming tops. You should not wait until the buds open later — dried flowers will lose yellow color, become brown, and the medicinal value of the plant will decrease. Inflorescences are cut to a height of 20–25 cm.

The medicinal plant is harvested on a fine sunny day, when the dew has already come down, and it’s better to hurry up and manage your work in the morning.

Wormwood is laid out for drying on paper with a loose layer (not thicker than 5 cm) in a well-ventilated place - on the veranda, terrace or in the attic. To dry faster, from time to time the grass is tedious. If the stems began to break, then the raw material is ready.

Store dried grass in linen bags, in plywood and wooden boxes or in glass jars under tightly closed lids. The maximum shelf life is 2 years.

The healing properties of wormwood

The healing properties of wormwood are recognized not only by traditional medicine, but also by official. This medicinal plant is included in the pharmacopeia of more than 20 countries of the world, in particular, it was also included in the pharmacopeia of the USSR.

Liquid formulations are prepared from the plant - water infusions and alcohol tinctures, extracts and decoctions, oil and teas. Wormwood bitterness is used to improve digestion and appetite, enhances the secretion of bile and pancreatic juice. As a medicine, it is used orally for the treatment of diseases of the liver and biliary tract, gastritis, diarrhea and dysentery, heartburn, ulcerative colitis, hemorrhoids, jaundice, as well as for getting rid of worms. The effectiveness of wormwood for metabolic disorders, obesity, diabetes mellitus, anemia, edema, hypertension and migraine is recognized. As an expectorant and anti-inflammatory drug, wormwood is used for colds, bronchitis and even pulmonary tuberculosis.

Externally, the use of wormwood is based on its hemostatic, anti-inflammatory, analgesic and wound healing abilities. In the wormwood, compresses, lotions and applications are made to treat purulent wounds and ulcers, allergies, bruises, and also to alleviate the condition with dislocations and sprains.

For women

Wormwood is quite widely known in gynecology. Women use her ability to reduce excessively heavy menstrual flow, to eliminate pain during this period. In addition, this medicinal plant helps to normalize the hormonal background, and therefore can be used in the treatment of infertility, combats sexual infections, and also prevents the onset of malignant uterine tumors.

To eliminate menstrual pain before eating, just take a couple of drops of alcohol tincture of wormwood. The same remedy is used for uterine fibroids, but 1 teaspoon during each breakfast and dinner for two weeks. After a 30-day break, take another course of treatment.

For men

As a means used to improve men's health, wormwood has been known since ancient times. Moreover, its effectiveness has been tested both on the treatment of infectious diseases of the male genital area, and to alleviate the condition with prostate adenoma and prostatitis. With the latter problem, the anti-inflammatory ability of the medicinal plant works, which improves the outflow of urine, facilitates urination and reduces pain.

Since wormwood-based formulations help improve blood circulation in the pelvic organs, this allows them to be used to treat impotence as adjuvants. They have a beneficial effect in the treatment of alcohol dependence, as well as alcohol poisoning and a hangover syndrome.

During pregnancy

But pregnant women should not take wormwood compounds. Firstly, because it is a strong laxative. Secondly, one should not forget about the large number of essential oils contained in wormwood. They can provoke a serious allergy in the unborn child. Thirdly, although folk healers have long prescribed wormwood during pregnancy, the purpose of these appointments was not to save the baby, but to cause a miscarriage.This is a serious risk for the expectant mother, especially in the early stages.

In addition, pregnant women can not get remedies from wormwood, since the plant contains thujone, which is essentially almost poison.

For kids

Alcohol tincture of wormwood is strictly contraindicated in children, because it is insisted on alcohol.

Children can take teas and decoctions for coughing, but with great care and only after consulting a doctor. In addition, the dose should be three times lower than for an adult, you can take a decoction only 1 teaspoon before a meal.

When losing weight

In losing weight, the main thing is to establish a metabolism, get rid of everything unnecessary that the body has accumulated: toxins, salts and other harmful deposits. Wormwood will help to carry out such a necessary cleaning. You can try using wormwood oil, for which 3 times a day, 20 minutes before a meal, drink 1 tablespoon of the product. If you take it regularly for two weeks, the weight will decrease, the metabolism will return to normal, digestion and stool will improve.

Wormwood in folk medicine

In folk medicine, wormwood broths have long been used for various diseases, especially for coughing. Even a lotion made on a decoction of wormwood, laid on the forehead, can eliminate insomnia.

With diabetes

Since wormwood contains an insulin-like substance inulin, this plant is useful for diabetes. When inulin enters the digestive system, it binds glucose that enters the stomach and intestines with food. As a result, glucose does not enter the circulatory system, respectively, the need for insulin in humans is sharply reduced. Inulin acts in different dosage forms: tinctures, decoctions, teas, even in powder, which is ground dry wormwood.

1. Powder for diabetes. It is necessary to make a deepening in the crumb of brown bread, pour into it the dried greens of wormwood crumbled into powder. Roll a ball from bread, roll a medicinal plant into it, and eat it at dinner. Such treatment should be continued for 2 weeks. You can pour such a powder into morning porridge, cooked both in water and in milk.
2. Juice with wine for diabetes. Pull 2.5 kg of wormwood, wash it, dry it with a paper towel and scroll through a meat grinder or smash it into a pulp with a blender. Squeeze the juice from the resulting mass, about 300-400 ml should be obtained. Add 2 l of slightly warmed, warm Cahors wine to the resulting juice. Stir and pour into dark glass bottles. Store wine with juice in the refrigerator. Take this remedy in three-day courses of 20 ml in the morning and evening. Then take a break for 3 days and repeat the treatment again. In general, the course is a month.

With pancreatitis

Doctors warn: patients suffering from pancreatitis should not drink wormwood-based products during periods of exacerbation of the disease, that is, during pain in the pancreas. At this moment, the body needs maximum calm. When the severity of the attack is relieved, it is necessary to consult a doctor about what scheme and which remedy to take.

1. Infusion for pancreatitis. It will take 1 tablespoon of freshly collected wormwood leaves or 0.5 tablespoon of dried medicinal raw materials. Pour wormwood with a glass of boiling water and cover with a lid or saucer so that the essential oils do not disappear. Let the infusion stand for half an hour, then strain and take 3 times a day half an hour before meals.
2. A decoction for pancreatitis. Proportions - as in the previous recipe: per glass of water - 1 tablespoon of fresh leaves or 0.5 tablespoons of dried raw materials. Put grass in hot water on a slow fire for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and when cool, strain. Sweeten the broth with 2 teaspoons of honey and take it in the same way as the infusion: 30 minutes before meals 3 times a day.
3. Powders for pancreatitis. Grind dried wormwood grass in a mortar. Mix the resulting powder with sage powder obtained in the same way. For one part of wormwood, take five parts of sage.Take the finished powder 1 teaspoon 3 times a day half an hour before meals. Drink with boiled water.
4. Herbalism for pancreatitis. Wormwood is such a bitter grass that not everyone has the courage to take it for several weeks. To muffle the bitter taste and enrich the broth with additional useful properties, you can prepare a collection of several medicinal herbs. Take 1 tablespoon of wormwood, St. John's wort, chamomile, flowers of calendula, sage, string, horsetail, dried pine, elecampane and burdock roots. Mix all dried and crushed medicinal plants in one large glass jar, close with a screw cap. In the mornings, brew 1 tablespoon of a mixture of herbs with a glass of boiling water, leave for 15 minutes, then strain and divide into three servings, which should be drunk during the day - in the morning, afternoon and evening. The course of treatment is two weeks.

With gastritis

To reduce the acidity of gastric juice, you need to prepare an infusion of a mixture of herbs. This tool will increase appetite and improve the digestive tract.

Take equally wormwood, yarrow, mint, chamomile, sage. Stir the raw materials and grind in a mortar. Pour 1 tablespoon of the mixture with a glass of boiling water, cover and insist for about an hour. Strain and drink once a day.

For the liver

1. Infusion with wormwood and juniper. It is necessary to prepare equally dried sage, wormwood and juniper herbs. Stir, chop. Take 4 tablespoons of the mixture and pour 1 liter of boiling water. Insist under a closed lid for at least an hour. Strain, divide the resulting liquid into 3 servings and drink it in 3 doses during the day. It is recommended both for liver problems and gall bladder diseases.
2. In chronic inflammation of the liver. In equal quantities mix the yarrow grass, wormwood, mint, fennel fruits, dill seeds and immortelle flowers. Take 2 tablespoons of the mixture, pour them with 0.5 liters of boiling water and send to a water bath for 15 minutes. Remove from heat and insist ¾ another hour. Strain, take half a cup a quarter of an hour before meals 4 times a day.

For the kidneys

Wormwood among traditional healers is considered one of the most useful plants for people suffering from kidney diseases. The diuretic effect and the ability to remove stones, which is used by the pharmaceutical industry for the manufacture of medicines, help in their treatment.

Kidney Syrup
This syrup is so effective in rescuing from renal colic, removing stones and sand, that herbalists call it a miracle syrup.

Pour 3-4 tablespoons of raw materials with water, leave for a day to insist. Drain the liquid through cheesecloth and bring it to a boil over low heat. Add a glass of sugar or honey and boil the contents to a thick consistency. As it cools down, you can start taking. Drink 3 times a day for 15 g without reference to the time of eating.

Decoctions for pyelonephritis
This remedy helps in reducing pain in the kidneys.

Mix 2 tablespoons of dry herbs of wormwood, blueberries and lavender, 1 tablespoon of willow bark, 4 tablespoons of pharmaceutical chamomile. The amount of water is calculated as follows: for 10 g of raw materials - 100 ml of water. Boil the herbs over low heat for about 15 minutes, then cool and strain the broth. Boil again, allow the broth to cool and start applying. In the first month, drink 3 cups of decoction per day, in the next - twice a day, 200 g. In the third month, the norm decreases until one cup of medicinal composition is taken on an empty stomach.

If only one kidney hurts, only compresses are enough: in the broth, moisten the tissue and make a compress with it on the side of the lower back where it hurts.

From prostatitis

Most often, wormwood infusions are used to treat prostatitis.

1. It is necessary to mix one part of the wormwood inflorescences and two parts of the grass of the mountaineer pepper, horsetail, leaves of hazelnut hazel and three parts of the chamomile. A mixture of herbs (1 tablespoon) pour boiling water (a glass) and let it brew for an hour.Strain and take half an hour before meals 3 times a day.
2. Wormwood inflorescences (1 tablespoon) pour boiling water (a glass) and leave for an hour. Strain and divide into 3 parts. Drink during the day half an hour before meals.
3. Take 100 g of dry grass yarrow, wormwood and pine buds. Mix plant materials, pour 1 liter of warm water and put on low heat, boil for 2.5 hours. Remove from the stove and leave to infuse for a day, then strain and add 50 g of cognac and a glass of freshly squeezed aloe juice. Sweeten with 1 tablespoon of honey. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day, regardless of the meal.

Against cough

With cough and cold, wormwood is also effective, alcohol can be used for treatment.

Pour 200 ml of alcohol 2-3 tablespoons of chopped wormwood leaves, better than freshly picked, but you can also dry raw materials. Warm up the composition in a water bath for about 20 minutes. Remove from a water bath, dissolve in a tincture 1 teaspoon of honey and leave to infuse for 12 hours, then strain.

Take 2 tablespoons in the morning and at night. You can bite this product with fruit to discourage bitterness.

From parasites

To cleanse the intestines and get rid of parasites, you need to prepare a special infusion, with wormwood and garlic, which then use with an enema.

1. A solution from worms. 1 tablespoon with a hill of chopped wormwood pour a glass of boiling water and insist hour. Meanwhile, squeeze half a glass of garlic juice. Strain the infusion of wormwood, add garlic juice to it. The composition for the enema is ready!
2. Tea from worms. To expel round parasites, herbal healers are prescribed to drink 10 days of wormwood tea. It is simple to prepare: 1 teaspoon of dry raw materials pour a glass of boiling water and take 3 tablespoons in the mornings and evenings.
3. Anthelmintic powder. Grind in a mortar or coffee grinder 100 g of dried wormwood. During the first three days, every 2 hours, take 1 teaspoon of the resulting powder and drink it with water. In the following days, increase the interval between doses. Take all the powder in a week. This method of treatment is recommended to be used 2 times a year, especially for those who are in close contact with animals - working with them or keeping them on the farm.

Cold sore

Brew 1 tablespoon of dried raw wormwood with boiling water. Cover and wrap to insist 3 hours. Strain and grease herpes sores on her lips with this infusion. You can stick a piece of steamed sheet and hold it in a sore spot. It is advised to use the infusion as tea 2 times a day, if desired with honey.

In oncology

The bitter wormwood tincture gives the body the strength to deal with a serious illness, neutralizes free radicals in the human body, cleanses the liver of toxins, which is especially important if the patient is undergoing chemotherapy treatment. This remedy can only be used as supportive in addition to the main treatment prescribed by your doctor.

Prepare 5 g of dried wormwood grass and 50 g of rose hips and yarrow grass. Pour raw materials with 3 liters of boiling water and leave to brew for 2 hours. Then put in a water bath and boil also 2 hours. Remove from heat, wrap in a towel for heat and insist for a day. Then pour 200 g of dry powder of chaga extract into the infusion and put 2 handfuls of finely chopped aloe leaves. Enrich the infusion with a glass of cognac and 3-4 tablespoons of honey. Take 1 tablespoon of a medicinal product before each meal.

With bronchitis

From wormwood, you can make various remedies for the treatment of bronchitis: decoctions, teas, infusions, inhalations.

1. A decoction for bronchitis. An agent prepared according to this recipe is effective not only for bronchitis, but also for pulmonary diseases. Pour 300 ml of cold water 1 tablespoon of dried medicinal raw wormwood. Put on fire and simmer for 3 minutes. Remove from heat and insist 45 minutes. Strain and drink during the day, divided into 3 doses. Drink 15–20 minutes before eating.
2. Tincture with dry cough. Pour 0.5 ml of good vodka 20 g of dry raw wormwood.Insist on it for at least a day in a dark place with room temperature. Take 3 times a day for 1 tablespoon. Drink before meals and at night. If you add honey to the tincture (2 tablespoons), it will be effective for very strong bronchitis with a clogging cough. Take in the same way. The cough will begin to abruptly lose ground on the second day from the start of the intake.
3. Cough infusion without alcohol. This tool also works great for bronchitis. Unlike alcohol tinctures, it can be given to children. It is necessary to fill in 40 g of grass with a glass of boiling water and, having covered with a lid, insist for an hour. Strain and drink 3 times a day for a tablespoon, add honey.
4. Inhalation with cough oil. For inhalation with bronchitis, not homemade oil extract will go, but wormwood essential oil, which you can buy at the pharmacy. If there is a special inhaler, you can drip 1-2 drops of essential oil into it and breathe. If there is no inhaler, you can drip 3-5 drops of healing oil into hot water and breathe, bending over the container and covering yourself with a towel.

Types of healing compounds

Infusion

The infusion should be prepared in the amount necessary for the day, since it is not intended for long-term storage. For a daily portion of the healing composition, 2 teaspoons of the powder from the dry leaves of wormwood is enough. Pour them with a glass of boiling water, cover tightly with a lid. After 20 minutes, strain and drink.

Tincture

Tincture works well in the complex treatment of cough, colds and SARS. But this remedy is forbidden to children, since it contains alcohol.

To get the tincture, you need to pour 2 tablespoons of chopped wormwood leaves in a glass bowl with a glass of high-quality vodka, shake and send to a water bath for 20 minutes. Remove from heat and leave for further infusion for 6 hours, then strain, squeeze the grass, and pour the resulting tincture into a bottle, twist it with a lid and put in the refrigerator.

Decoction

To prepare a decoction according to the classic recipe, you need both dry raw materials and fresh leaves. Dried wormwood need 0.5 tablespoon, raw chopped leaves - full. Pour a glass of hot water and put on fire. As it boils, simmer for 20 minutes. Remove from heat, and when cool, strain.

A decoction of this recipe normalizes the metabolic process.

Dry grass broth
A remedy for the treatment of hemorrhoids is prepared from dried wormwood, and then used in the form of an enema.

To prepare a healing broth, you need to pour 1 liter of water 4 tablespoons of medicinal herbs, bring to a boil and boil for 7 minutes over low heat. Remove from heat, wrap in a towel for heat and insist for about 6 hours. Strain before use.

Wormwood root broth
Pour dried and chopped wormwood root into hot water (2 tablespoons). Boil for 10 minutes under a lid so that the essential oils do not evaporate. When it cools down, strain the broth and drink throughout the day, taking 2 tablespoons at a time - 30 minutes before eating. This composition is effective for oncological diseases of the digestive system and reproductive system, as well as an anthelmintic.

Tea

To enhance immunity, it is recommended to drink tea with wormwood. To do this, you need to brew the usual favorite green tea in the teapot. In another bowl, pour 1 teaspoon of wormwood into a half cup of boiling water. Wait 5-7 minutes, filter the wormwood infusion and add it to the teapot with tea. Let them stand together for another 5 minutes, and then you can drink. The herbal aroma of green tea with a fine bit of wormwood is delicious! You can add sweets with sugar or drink with honey.

Butter

You can make wormwood oil at home. Of course, this will not be the essential oil that is sold in the pharmacy, it is made on special equipment and with the appropriate technological processes. But to get yourself a useful wormwood oil concentrate is quite possible.

For homemade oil, you need to dial a half-liter jar of fresh leaves of wormwood, you do not need to specially ram the leaves. Then pour the leaves completely with olive, sunflower or linseed oil, close the jar with a screw cap.Insist for at least 2 weeks, during this time the beneficial substances from the leaves will turn into oil, it will turn dark green. Turned green - then ready. You can filter and clean in the refrigerator, then apply as necessary, treat ulcers, wounds.

Application in cosmetology

Due to the fact that wormwood contains many mineral complexes, vitamins and organic acids, it is widely used to clean up the skin of the face: eliminate peeling, inflammation, fight acne, rejuvenate and smooth the skin. In order to make women beautiful, on the basis of wormwood, lotions, lotions, oils, tonics, cream, decoctions and ice cubes based on it, tinctures and masks are made. Most often, cosmetic wormwood is used for cosmetic purposes, famous for its anti-inflammatory and antibacterial properties.

For the face, wormwood works as follows: normalizes the functioning of the sebaceous glands, drying overly oily skin, removes redness and inflammation, eliminating pathogenic microflora, eliminates acne and acne, stimulates metabolic processes and cell renewal, brightens and removes age spots.

Means based on this plant are suitable for use with various types of skin, but most often it is used for oily and prone to acne. Its effectiveness in this case is provided by disinfecting components. For this reason, they are also used to treat skin diseases - such as psoriasis, eczema, dermatitis, urticaria, demodicosis and diathesis.

Before applying the composition based on wormwood, you need to check the individual reaction of the body to the components, for which purpose apply the product for 25-30 minutes on the inside of the elbow or wrist. If there is no redness or peeling, you can use wormwood to restore beauty.

Lotion

To prepare the lotion, you need to mix 1 teaspoon of alcohol tincture of wormwood with 300 ml of mineral water and 20 drops of almond oil (you can buy it at a pharmacy). Pour the finished product into a glass bottle with a screw cap and store the lotion in the refrigerator. Wipe their face in the mornings and evenings after washing, then it is recommended to apply a moisturizer.

This tool promotes deep cleansing of pores, nourishing the skin with vitamins, minerals and trace elements. Thanks to its use, blood circulation improves, skin tone is restored, its structure is leveled, and the face is refreshed.

Ice cubes

Ice cubes prepared on a decoction of medicinal herbs are wiped on the face, which allows you to remove acne and inflammation, remove redness and normalize skin color, narrow pores and “invigorate” the skin. In addition, the cold perfectly “trains” the vessels, making them more elastic. They treat the face after washing. This method is especially useful in the treatment of acne and demodicosis. For the best effect, a course of 7-10 such procedures is required.

Cosmetic oil

1 tablespoon of chopped fresh wormwood leaves pour 100 ml of oil - you can take olive, sunflower, flaxseed. Insist for at least 3 days in a glass dish at room temperature in a dark room. Strain and can be used.

Add a couple of drops of the resulting oil to a cream that is usually used for morning facial treatment. In the evening, you can apply pure oil to your face without cream.

This oil is suitable for ladies with any type of skin. It helps with rejuvenation, softens the skin, makes it more elastic, smoothes small wrinkles.

Whitening mask

Such a mask will help to brighten the face, remove the pigmentation of mature skin, and discolour freckles. It is good to use this product before traveling to the sea so that the tan is even.

Grind 1 tablespoon of oatmeal and wormwood in a coffee grinder and portionwise, gradually pour 50-60 ml of green tea. Stir to the consistency of the paste and add 1 teaspoon of lemon juice to the paste. Apply the product on the face, especially carefully study the age spots. Let the mask lie on the skin for about 15 minutes. During the month before vacation, do this procedure 4-5 times.

If the skin is dry, sour cream, fat milk or cream is used instead of tea. The resulting paste is applied to the face for 20 minutes.

Combination skin scrub mask

Steam your face with a hot towel: dip it in hot water, squeeze it out and place it on the chin, cheeks, forehead. Lie down for 5 minutes until the towel has cooled. Repeat the procedure again and wait 5 minutes again. Then take dried and chopped wormwood grass and apply it on the face, gently massaging the skin. Wormwood acts as a mild abrasive, cleanses the skin of old cells, deep pollution, and also stimulates the process of its renewal.

Mask for sore skin

First you need to prepare an infusion of wormwood, for which 1 tablespoon of plant material pour 100 ml of hot water. As it is infused (after 30–40 minutes), strain the infusion, and mix the vegetable gruel with 2 tablespoons of sour cream and apply to the face. Wash yourself after 15 minutes. If you apply the mask regularly - once a week, it will not only reduce inflammation, but also contribute to whitening the skin.

For acne

The ability of wormwood to eliminate inflammation is in demand in masks for the treatment of various skin problems.

In 1 tablespoon of badyagi powder (available at the pharmacy) add a little mineral water, mix to achieve the state of liquid sour cream, and leave for 10 minutes to brew. Mix 1 teaspoon of wormwood juice with the same amount of pharmacy chamomile and add to the composition of badiaga. The resulting product is applied to cleansed skin for 18-20 minutes.

Use such a mask once a week, in total the course intake should be from 5 to 7 days.

Healing mask

Make a decoction of wormwood leaves: for 10 minutes, boil 2 tablespoons of dry chopped raw materials in 2 cups boiling water. Cool and strain. Make a paste of 50–70 g of oatmeal, adding a little decoction. Apply the resulting composition to the skin for 15-20 minutes.

The remaining broth does not need to be poured. They can be wiped with skin in the morning to tone and give it a fresh look.

Mask for oily skin

Boil for 10 minutes 1 tablespoon of dry wormwood in a glass of water. Cool, strain. Beat egg white and gently mix it with a decoction. Apply on face for 20 minutes. This will help eliminate oily sheen, cleanse and narrow pores, tighten the oval of the face.

Alcohol mask

Take 2 teaspoons of alcohol tincture of wormwood, mix with 1 tablespoon of honey. Apply to face with cotton pad for 30 minutes. Wash off with warm water.

Facial rash mask

Grate the upper yellow part of the skin of the lemon - zest. A mask will require 20 g (approximately 2 teaspoons) of zest. Mix it with 50 g of oatmeal left over from breakfast with milk and 50 ml of wormwood broth. Put the mixture on your face for 20 minutes. Repeat this procedure 2 times a week, the duration of treatment is a month.

Wrinkle mask

Mix 1 tablespoon of dry wormwood with 2 tablespoons of sage and pour a little hot water to make a paste. Mix with 10 g (or 2 teaspoons) of cottage cheese and chicken yolk and apply with massaging movements on the face, pre-clean it.

Wash off the composition after 15-20 minutes, and wipe the face with an ice cube made from a decoction of wormwood. The greatest effect can be achieved if you make such a mask every 4–5 days, a total of 7-8 procedures are required.

Anti-aging mask

This mask has anti-aging properties, since it contains antioxidant components.

To prepare, you need to mix the dry raw materials of wormwood with St. John's wort, mint, chamomile, coltsfoot, sage. Wormwood to take 1 teaspoon, the rest of the herbs - 2 teaspoons. Pour the herbal mixture with hot water and insist 20-25 minutes. Strain, remove the broth in the refrigerator, then use it for morning washing, and mix the steamed herbal mixture with 1 teaspoon of sour cream and spread on the face.After 15-20 minutes, wash. In winter, such a mask should be done a couple of times a week, in the summer - once.

Infusion for hair

To improve the condition of the scalp and reduce its oiliness, you can rub the infusion of wormwood: 2 tablespoons of dry grass pour a glass of boiling water, cover, cover with a towel and leave for 10-12 hours, and then rub into the skin under the hair, do not rinse. You can repeat this procedure twice a week. In addition to reducing fat, it will help get rid of dandruff and severe hair loss.

Rinse Broth

The broth will help get rid of itching of the head, strengthen the hair and slightly mask individual gray hair.

1 tablespoon of chopped dry wormwood pour a glass of boiling water and boil for 5 minutes over low heat. Cool, strain and dilute 1 liter of water. Rinse hair after shampooing.

Hair Growth Mask

Pour 2 tablespoons of grass with 200 ml of beer and heat the composition in a water bath for 15 minutes. When it cools down, so that you can endure, apply to the hair with massage movements, wrap your head in a towel for half an hour, then rinse. Such a mask will not only strengthen the hair follicles, but also accelerate their growth.

Dandruff mask

Knead until smooth, 1 tablespoon of wormwood broth, yolk and 15 g of honey. Lubricate the hair and skin under them with this compound, tighten the head with cling film and insulate with a towel. Keep the mask on your head for half an hour, then rinse off. This tool will help get rid of any type of dandruff.

Contraindications

In any case, no wormwood-based compounds are allowed: in the best case, you can get an allergy in the unborn baby, but worse, it is fraught with miscarriages. Expectant mothers are not forbidden to walk through the fields and breathe in grassy odors, including inhaling the bitter aroma. For women breastfeeding babies, wormwood is contraindicated. Wormwood-based formulations can be given to children with great care and only after consulting a doctor.

A direct contraindication for wormwood is a stomach ulcer and duodenal ulcer, gastritis with low acidity, as well as diseases of the digestive system during the exacerbation period.

You should not take compounds in wormwood with thrombophlebitis. If an individual intolerance to the body is found, it is better not to take this drug.

Since, in case of an overdose, wormwood can even cause visions and uncontrolled muscle tremors in a relatively healthy person, then those who suffer from diseases associated with mental disorders, as well as serious diseases of the nervous system, the intake of grass is generally contraindicated.

Herbal remedies can be too strong for overweight people.

However, everyone who is forbidden to internally use wormwood can be treated with external agents - apply applications, compresses, lotions.

In case of an overdose of wormwood, the head can be very sick and dizzy, nausea up to vomiting is quite possible. Weakness and lethargy up to loss of consciousness, auditory, visual and tactile hallucinations, as well as convulsions and convulsions - such manifestations of an overdose also take place.

Photo of wormwood