Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter)

What is Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter)?

Wormwood is a very bitter grey-green herb. Its plant name is Artemisia absinthium. It carries a real poison risk, so read the safety part before anything else.

The risk comes from thujone, a compound in the herb's oil. Thujone can trigger seizures (fits) in people. The essential oil is the most dangerous form of all.

In Nordic folk use the herb was usually put on the skin, not swallowed. It was made into a wash, a rub (liniment) and a bitter bath herb. Finnish names are mäkimalja and koiruoho; Swedish malört; Norwegian malurt.

Here is the honest verdict. No sound human trials show that a wormwood wash, rub or bath helps any condition. Long tradition is not proof that it works, and it is not proof that it is safe.

How does Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter) work?

The honest answer is that nobody knows. No human trial shows what a wormwood wash does to skin or joints. What follows comes from lab work, not from people.

In test tubes, wormwood oil slows the growth of some bacteria and fungi. Whether that happens on human skin is not established.

In animal studies, thujone blocks a brake signal in the brain called GABA. That is why too much can cause seizures. Skin takes in some of the oil, and hot water or broken skin raises that uptake.

The bitter taste of the herb is real and strong. Old writers linked that bitterness to healing power. That idea was never tested.

What forms does Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter) come in?

Wormwood reaches the skin in a few simple forms. Their strength differs hugely.

- a wash: dried herb steeped in hot water, then cooled - a liniment: herb soaked in oil or spirit and rubbed on - a bath bitter: dried herb or extract added to bath water - the essential oil: steam-distilled, very strong, the riskiest form - loose dried herb and tea bags sold for home use

The essential oil stands apart for risk. It can hold a lot of thujone. Swallowing even small amounts has caused seizures and kidney harm.

Wormwood also flavours drinks such as absinthe and vermouth. Those are food products with legal thujone limits. Home-made spirits carry no such check.

Where it comes from:

Wormwood was a well known household herb across Scandinavia and Finland. Written records of farm and household use run from the medieval period into the 1900s.

It was hung in cupboards against moths and fleas. Washes and rubs went on aching limbs, itchy skin and lousy scalps. A handful was thrown into bath water as a bitter bath herb.

The herb also had a strong drink trade. Wormwood flavoured bitter spirits, and later absinthe, which drove the first thujone scares in Europe.

These are records of what people did. They are not records of what helped.

What does Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter) help with?

• Sore muscles and stiff joints (as a rub): Nordic folk use rubbed a wormwood liniment on aching backs, knees and shoulders. There are no human trials of this use. Any warmth you feel likely comes from the rubbing and the spirit base.
• Itchy skin and rashes (as a wash): A cooled wash was dabbed on itchy patches and rashes. No human trial supports it. Wormwood can itself cause an allergic rash, so it may make the skin worse.
• Insect bites and insect repelling: The strong smell led to use against bugs and bites. Lab work on some Artemisia oils shows insect-repelling action. A wormwood wash has not been tested against modern repellents in people.
• Lice and scabies (old parasite wash): Farm households used bitter herb washes for lice and scabies. No trial shows that wormwood clears either one. Both have proven pharmacy treatments, so a folk wash mainly delays real care.
• Cleaning minor cuts and sores: Wormwood washes were used on cuts and slow-healing sores. Lab tests show the oil slows some bacteria. Broken skin takes in more thujone, so this use is not advised at all.
• Tired, aching legs (as a bath herb): A handful of dried herb went into a hot bath for tired legs. Hot water alone eases aching muscles. There is no human evidence that the herb adds anything.

What are the side effects of Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter)?

• Burning or stinging where it touches the skin
• Red, itchy allergic rash (contact dermatitis)
• Blistering from strong or undiluted oil
• Sun-sensitive skin in some people
• Headache and dizziness after breathing strong oil vapour
• Nausea and vomiting if any is swallowed
• Muscle twitching and seizures (fits) after larger exposure
• Kidney damage after swallowing the oil

Good to know:

Mild skin reactions are the common problem. Wormwood belongs to the daisy family, a frequent cause of allergic rash.

The severe effects are rare and come mainly from swallowing the oil. Seizures and kidney failure have both been reported. They can kill, and that is why this page is high-risk.

How much Wormwood (wash, liniment, bath bitter) should you take?

• Recommended daily: This page gives no dose, and that is on purpose. Wormwood holds thujone, which can cause seizures, and the amount in home-made washes, rubs and baths cannot be known. No amount of a wormwood wash, liniment or bath herb has been shown to be both safe and useful. If you want help with a skin or joint problem, speak to a doctor or pharmacist first.
• Best time of day: Timing is not the issue here. No time of day makes a thujone-bearing wash safe. That is why this page gives no schedule.
• With or without food: This does not apply, since these forms go on the skin. Never swallow a wormwood wash, liniment or essential oil. If someone swallows any, treat it as an emergency.
• Time to effect: There is no reliable answer, because the effect itself is unproven. A wash or bath may do nothing at all. If burning, a rash or any odd feeling starts, wash it off and stop.
• How long to take it: No length of use is given here either. Since no safe amount is known, no safe duration can be named. Repeat skin contact also raises the chance of an allergic rash.