Artemisia annua Common name: Sweet Annie, Chinese Wormwood
Family: Asteraceae
Part Used: Leaf
Constituents: Sesquiterpene lactones (artemisinin), VO (including alpha-pinene, camphene, ß-pinene (0.882%), myrcene, 1,8-cineole, artemisia ketone, linalool, camphor, borneol, and ß-caryophyllene)m flavonoids
Medicinal actions: Antiparasititc, Antineoplastic, Bitter, reduces fever, Anti-malarial, Highly aromatic
Medicinal uses: Malaria & Parasitic infections (leishmaniasis, Chagas’ disease, African sleeping sickness), Cancer, Fever, Headaches & Dizziness.
Pharmacology:
Pharmacy: 90-120 gtt of 1:2 QD or 150 mg capsule BID (note: better absorbed through tea vs. capsules), IM or intranasally. Note: Women clear up to twice as fast as me, therefore need to pulse dose to allow enzymes to normalize periodically.
Toxicity: High doses of isolated sesquiterpene lactones are neurotoxic. High oral doses may cause abdominal pain, bradycardia, diarrhea, nausea, vomiting, decreased appetite, flu-like symptoms, fever, liver enzyme elevations and decreased reticulocyte count.
Contraindications: Pregnancy, lactation, seizures
Interactions: Interferes with antacids, sucralfate, proton pump inhibitors, and histamine-receptor antagonists because it increases the production of stomach acid. Can induce seizures resulting in decreased efficacy of anti-seizure medications
Comments are closed.