Can pregnant women eat wormwood?

Wormwood is a popular herb not only in Vietnam but also used in many countries around the world. This herb is known for its healing effects, especially in traditional medicine in Asian countries such as Vietnam and China.
Wormwood is a green-silver herb in the stem, the leaves are yellow-green and the flowers are pale yellow. Because of its good adaptability to many different soil and climate conditions. So, although native to Europe, mugwort is found almost everywhere in the world from Asia, Africa and the Americas.

The effects that wormwood brings are mainly due to the compounds it contains such as Thujone, Artemisinin, Chamazulene.
Wormwood is used in the treatment of digestive problems such as loss of appetite, acid reflux, bladder problems. Besides, some other effects of wormwood are used to treat fever, liver disease, depression, muscle pain, memory loss or worm infection. The anti-inflammatory effects of mugwort are also used in the treatment of Crohn's disease and IgA nephropathy. Wormwood oil can also be used to apply directly to the skin for arthritis or insect bites because of the pain-relieving effects of the compounds present in the wormwood plant.
In manufacturing, wormwood oil is also used as a fragrance agent in soaps, cosmetics or perfumes. It is also used in insecticides.

The original application of wormwood was used to make Absinthe wine, also known as mugwort wine. This is a popular wine in the 19th century, wormwood alcohol has a hallucinogenic effect on users, if used in excess can cause convulsions, even death. Therefore, wormwood was banned for a long time in the United States because of these toxic effects.

These toxic effects are mainly due to overuse of the Thujone compound present in wormwood. Thujone comes in two forms, alpha and beta-thujone. Alpha-thujone is more toxic but is the main ingredient in mugwort.
Thujone stimulates the brain through the inhibitory effect of the neurotransmitter GABA, so it will create a feeling of euphoria and can cause hallucinations if used in excess. Therefore, the European Union (EU) has limited the foods made from wormwood to 0.5 mg thujone/kg, the threshold for alcoholic beverages like wormwood wine is 35mg thujone/ kg.

In normal people, excessive use of mugwort can cause serious side effects. Therefore, in special populations such as pregnant and lactating women, herbs such as mugwort should be avoided.
Part of this is because there is currently not enough evidence to prove the safe use of mugwort in pregnant women. Thujone present in wormwood can stimulate uterine contractions causing miscarriage or premature birth and can be the cause of kidney failure or aggravate kidney failure if present in pregnant women.
A study in rats, people injected 150 mg/kg or 300 mg/kg essential oil of mugwort extract on days 3 - 5 of pregnancy and found that mugwort reduced the ability of the fetus to implant and increased miscarriage rate compared to the non-user group. Injections on days 10-12 of pregnancy increase the risk of a mid-pregnancy miscarriage. And finally, injection on days 19-21 of gestation (late gestation) reduced the likelihood of going into labor and the rate of spontaneous delivery in rats.

This study demonstrated that wormwood caused many harmful effects on pregnancy in rats. Therefore, the use of wormwood in pregnant women is not recommended. Although, currently there is not enough evidence to prove that mugwort is harmful or beneficial during pregnancy and further studies are needed for sufficient evidence. But in terms of research ethics and given the evidence in animal studies, the use of mugwort during pregnancy is not appropriate.
To summarize, mugwort is an herb that has many advantages in reducing inflammation and pain, but can also be harmful if used in excess. In pregnant women, wormwood should not be used because there is currently not enough scientific evidence to prove that mugwort is safe during pregnancy. Even animal studies have shown that wormwood can cause miscarriages in rats.
To ensure the safety of the health of the mother and the fetus during pregnancy, you should use the full maternity service at reputable medical facilities for advice, care, and careful monitoring about pregnancy. all aspects during pregnancy and after birth.
At Vinmec International General Hospital, there is a package maternity service as a solution to help pregnant women feel secure because of the companionship of the medical team throughout the pregnancy. When choosing Maternity Package, pregnant women can:
The pregnancy process is monitored by a team of highly qualified doctors Regular check-ups, early detection of abnormalities The package pregnancy helps to facilitate Convenience for the birthing process Newborns receive comprehensive care To register for examination and treatment at Vinmec International General Hospital, you can contact the nationwide Vinmec Health System Hotline, or register Check online HERE.
References: webmd.com, healthline.com, pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov