[MR] Ancient/modern cure for cancer from Wormwood

[Betty Eyer]

Absinthe aside, Wormwood is listed in most herbals
with extreme warnings.  Some of them say not to take
it internally at all.  I just want to make sure that
those reading the original email quickly did not walk
away with the idea that wormwood is a safe medicinal
drug in its natural form. 

It IS a cool herb for pot pouris because it smells
nice and repels bugs that eat wool as well as some
other household pests. And it is a nice looking shrub
and fairly easy to grow. 

M
--- Craig Levin <clevin at ripco.com> wrote:
> Magdalena:
> 
> > Sorry to contradict, but
> > 
> > ...although harmless in small and/or inconsistent
> > dosages, Wormwood is a)mildly
> hallucinogenic/euphoric
> > in large doses and b)causes permanent nerve damage
> > when taken regularly and c)can result in death if
> you
> > do both (large doses, regularly).  You can look
> this
> > up in pretty much any modern herbal.  You extract
> the
> > active ingredient in alcohol.  It is the basis for
> the
> > cordial absinthe which was notorious in the late
> 19th
> > century for addiction and health problems of this
> > nature.  I would not recommend that anyone take it
> on
> > a regular basis. I would not want to chose between
> > breast cancer and lingering dementia, personally. 
> 
> 
> Some of the problems of absinthe may have been due
> to the fact
> that this was fairly high-proof stuff-its modern
> descendant,
> Pernod, is about 80 proof, but absinthe was a
> stronger item,
> easily in the 120 proof range. There's a nifty
> webpage about
> whether it was the herb or the alcohol that was
> mostly to blame:
> 
> http://www.straightdope.com/columns/011026.html
> 
> This by the (in)famous notes and queries columnist,
> Cecil Adams.
> 
> Also, thujone, the chemical which has the
> interesting
> neurological f/x, may not be the chemical with the
> anti-cancer
> properties.
> 
> Pedro
> -- 
> http://pages.ripco.net/~clevin/index.html 
> clevin at rci.ripco.com
> Craig Levin				Librarians Rule Oook!
>
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=====
Magdalena de Hazebrouck-Purpure, a fess fusilly argent between three torches or. While Joshua was near Jericho, he raised his eyes and saw one who stood facing him, drawn sword in hand.  Joshua went up to him and asked "Are you one of us or of our enemies?" He replied, "Neither.  I am the captain of the host of the Lord and I have just arrived in this valley." Joshua 5, 13-14.

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