Wormwood has many medicinal properties. Regular consumption of wormwood eggs not only aids blood circulation and treats musculoskeletal diseases and fatigue but also helps regulate menstruation…
Delicious Dishes with Multiple Health Benefits
Traditional medicine practitioner Hoang Duy Tan, former vice president of the Dong Nai Traditional Medicine Association, states that wormwood, also known as mugwort, has the scientific name Artemisia vulgaris L and belongs to the daisy family.
Wormwood Eggs – Delicious Dish for Health – (Illustrative Image)
According to traditional medicine, wormwood has a bitter, spicy taste and a warm nature, which helps expel cold and dampness, warm the meridians, stop bleeding, and calm the fetus… It is used to treat cold stomach pain, diarrhea, muscle spasms, chronic dysentery, vomiting blood, nosebleeds, bloody stools, irregular menstruation, postpartum bleeding, abnormal vaginal discharge, restless pregnancy, ulcers, and skin irritations.
Wormwood is available year-round, but the best time to harvest its branches and leaves is in June, then dry them in a shady place. Sometimes, it is dried and ground into a fine powder, filtering out the white fluff, which is called “mugwort fluff,” used as a moxa for stimulating acupuncture points.
According to Dr. Nguyen Van Thai from the Military Institute of Radiology and Oncology, wormwood eggs are not only a delicious dish but also have therapeutic properties for various ailments.
- Improves Blood Circulation: For those who frequently experience dizziness or light-headedness due to poor blood circulation, it is advisable to consume wormwood. Wormwood leaves can be incorporated into daily meals, used in soups, or fried with eggs weekly to enhance cerebral blood circulation.
- Treats Fatigue: In folk remedies, wormwood is known as a highly effective tonic. The leaves combined with lotus seeds and red dates, when stewed with black chicken, create a nourishing dish that promotes blood flow and helps alleviate appetite loss and fatigue in those recovering from illness.
- Treats Musculoskeletal Disorders: Due to its warming properties, wormwood is commonly used in remedies for musculoskeletal ailments.
The plant helps enhance blood flow, strengthens blood circulation, benefits the musculoskeletal system, reduces pain, and has anti-inflammatory effects, especially for those suffering from spinal spurs or rheumatism… It can be crushed to extract juice mixed with honey for consumption or made into a paste for topical application.
- Supports Menstrual Regulation: With its warming nature, wormwood is also an effective remedy for relieving menstrual cramps and back pain. It helps regulate menstruation for those with irregular cycles.
- Helps Stop Bleeding: The components in wormwood are effective for stopping bleeding, reducing inflammation, disinfecting, and relieving pain… Therefore, it is a valuable remedy for quick and urgent first aid, especially in cases of injury, severed limbs, or snake bites.
Dishes and Remedies with Wormwood
Cooking Wormwood Fried Eggs – (Illustrative Image).
In traditional medicine, wormwood is used in various dishes and remedies that are both nutritious and therapeutic.
- Wormwood Soup with Lean Meat: This remedy treats women’s health issues (irregular menstruation, abnormal discharge, cold-related abdominal pain…). Finely chop lean pork, season with seasoning, stir-fry briefly, add water, and bring to a boil with the wormwood. Once boiling, season to taste and serve hot.
- Wormwood Fried Eggs: Helps improve blood flow to the brain and alleviate headaches. Take a handful of wormwood leaves, chop finely, mix well with one egg, season to taste, and pour into a pan to fry until cooked.
- Stewed Chicken with Wormwood: Nourishes health, promotes blood circulation, and strengthens bones: Use a black chicken weighing about 500g, three red dates, job’s tears, goji berries, three slices of ginseng, wormwood, lotus seeds, and seasoning. Clean the chicken, remove the insides, stuff all ingredients into the chicken, place in a pot, add just enough water, season to taste, and stew until the chicken is tender.
- Wormwood Porridge for Threatened Miscarriage or Joint Pain Relief: Use 50g of fresh wormwood leaves, 100g of plain rice, and enough brown sugar (optional to add piper lolot leaves). Chop the wormwood leaves finely, cook with water to make porridge. Sweeten to taste, eat hot. Consume in two servings for breakfast and lunch for 3-5 consecutive days.
- Helps Calm Pregnancy: Pregnant women experiencing abdominal pain or bleeding can use 16g of wormwood leaves and 16g of perilla leaves, simmered with 600ml of water, until only 100ml remains, divided into 3-4 doses daily. This remedy helps stabilize pregnancy.
- For Exhausted Individuals or Nursing Mothers: Use 5 sprigs of fresh (or dried) wormwood, wash thoroughly, chop finely, and mix with a cup of boiling water, consuming daily for quick recovery of health.
- Treats Acne: Crush fresh wormwood leaves and apply on the face, leave for about 20 minutes, then rinse; doing this continuously will give you smooth and radiant skin.
- Treats Itching, Scabies, and Rashes in Children: For young children prone to rashes, blend wormwood leaves, strain to extract the juice, and mix into their bath water. Repeat for several days, and the itchy spots will disappear.
- Boosts Overall Health: Use a lot of fresh or dried wormwood leaves in a tea bag and pour hot water through before adding it to the bath. This method helps exfoliate dead skin, soften the skin and calluses, improve blood circulation, and soothe aching muscles and swollen or inflamed areas.
- For Irregular Menstruation: Each month, before the expected menstrual date and during menstruation, take 10g of dried wormwood leaves and simmer with 200ml of water until only 100ml remains, divided into two doses daily, sweeten if necessary.
Who Should Avoid Wormwood?
- Individuals with Acute Intestinal Disorders: Wormwood is a diuretic and laxative, which can exacerbate conditions in those with intestinal disorders, making the illness more severe and harder to manage. Additionally, people with kidney stones are advised to avoid wormwood.
- Pregnant Women in the First Trimester: Wormwood has compounds that can lead to uterine contractions; consuming it in large amounts may increase the risk of miscarriage.
- Individuals with Liver Disease: Wormwood contains volatile essential oils that can have therapeutic effects but also carry toxicity. These substances can enter the liver, disrupting liver cell metabolism, causing acute liver inflammation due to poisoning, jaundice, liver enlargement, and cloudy urine…
For those with hepatitis, frequent consumption of wormwood may worsen their condition and lead to dangerous complications.
Moreover, healthy individuals should not consume wormwood regularly, limiting intake to 1-2 times a week. Excessive consumption can cause poisoning and potentially affect the nervous system, leading to seizures or paralysis…
For healthy individuals, wormwood should not be used to brew tea as a substitute for green tea, as it may have adverse health effects.
