Sweet wormwood plantWormwood (Artemisia)
In a 10-week double-blind trial (n = 40), Crohn's patients tapering steroids stayed in remission on a wormwood blend (65%) while most placebo patients relapsed; a second controlled trial (n = 20) found serum TNF-alpha fell from 24.5 to 8.0 pg/mL over six weeks with remission in 8 of 10 patients versus 2 of 10 controls, and mood improved. The effect looks immunological, not antimicrobial. Those trials used Artemisia absinthium. The product here is its close relative Artemisia annua, sweet wormwood (Qing Hao in Chinese medicine), the species I now use and point people to: a USDA-organic liquid extract, 0.8 mL of aerial-parts extract per 25 drops, with organic alcohol and water as the only other ingredients. Read the trial numbers as evidence for the genus, not for this exact bottle.
Andrew's notes
Wormwood and bitters in general have been part of my own routine for digestion, particularly after a meal, and I consider them important for that reason. That is a subjective digestive experience, and I keep it separate from the Crohn's trials, which tested a specific preparation over weeks against a disease-modifying endpoint. I am still forming my views on wormwood for IBD itself; the evidence looks promising, and I think it is worth a careful try with your team, never in pregnancy and never long-term.
- SKU
- GAI-90726002
At a glance
Product options from the guide
go.supplementsforibd.com/wormwood
References
- Omer B, Krebs S, Omer H, Noor TO. Steroid-sparing effect of wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) in Crohn's disease: a double-blind placebo-controlled study. Phytomedicine 2007;14(2–3):87–95.
- Krebs S, Omer TN, Omer B. Wormwood (Artemisia absinthium) suppresses tumour necrosis factor alpha and accelerates healing in patients with Crohn's disease: a controlled clinical trial. Phytomedicine 2010;17(5):305–309.
- Rahimi R, Nikfar S, Abdollahi M. Induction of clinical response and remission of inflammatory bowel disease by use of herbal medicines: a meta-analysis. World J Gastroenterol 2013;19(34):5738–5749. (Two A. absinthium trials, n = 60; relative risk for clinical remission 27; summarized in the Drugs.com wormwood monograph.)
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