Pharmacological validation of the use of Artemisia absinthium (L.) described in treatises between the 17th and 20th centuries

Karen Berenice Denez
OrcID
Adriana Nunes Wolffenbüttel
OrcID

    Karen Berenice Denez

    CABSIN - Consórcio Acadêmico de Saúde Integrativa

    OrcID https://orcid.org/0000-0002-5678-2879

    Graduada em Farm´´acia pela UFSC, Graduada em Educação Física pela UDESC, Mestre em Assistência Farmacêutica pela UFSC . Coordenadora do Conselho Consultivo do CABSIN, Membro do grupo gestor do Projeto Amanhecer da UFSC, Membro do Núcleo Executivo da Rede PICS Brasil, Membro da CIPPSPICS do CNS, Consultora da Farmácia Viva do Município de Santa Rosa de LIma SC

    Adriana Nunes Wolffenbüttel

    CABSIN - Consórcio Acadêmico de Saúde Integrativa

    OrcID https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0586-2227

    Pesquisador no grupo de pesquisa Pesquisa em Medicinas Tradicionais, Complementares e Integrativas aplicadas à Saúde Pública, do(a) Consorcio Acadêmico Brasileiro de Saúde Integrativa pela CABSIn. Coordenadora do primeiro Mapa de Evidências da Efetividade Clínica da Aromaterapia (OPAS/BIREME/CABSIn). Pós-doutora em Ciências Farmacêuticas (PPGCF/UFRGS). Possui graduação como Bacharel em Química (UFRGS), Especialização em Toxicologia (SSP/RS), Especialização em Óleos Essenciais (PUCRS), Mestrado em Engenharia Metalúrgica-Ciências dos Materiais (PPGEMM/UFRGS), Doutorado em Ciências Farmacêuticas. Certificação CertAroma pela ABRAROMA. Tem experiência na área de química, com ênfase em química analítica, atuando principalmente nos seguintes temas: toxicologia química (drogas de abuso, agrotóxicos e venenos), controle de qualidade, óleos essenciais, farmacologia e formulações na área da saúde com óleos essenciais e aromáticos. Dizer pessoal: "O bacharelado iluminou o caminho, o mestrado ensinou como caminhar através da metodologia científica, a toxicologia mostrou o perigo e os cuidados necessários, entretanto a especialização, o doutorado e o pós-doutorado na área dos óleos essenciais evidenciaram a beleza, a harmonia e o potencial terapêutico da química."

Keywords

Artemisia absinthium
Uterine affection/disorder
Circulatory disorders
Indigestion, Heartburn
wormwood
1st Pharmacopoeia of the 20th century
Rodolpho Albino.

Abstract

Artemisia absinthium L., known as wormwood or absinthe, is a Eurasian plant adapted to all regions of Brazil. Traditionally, according to treatises from the 17th to 20th centuries, wormwood has been used for uterine disorders, to stimulate circulation, and to treat heartburn, digestive atony, and bladder ailments, using its leaves and flowering tops.
Preclinical studies have validated its uterotonic use, showing that the aqueous extract exerts a contractile effect on isolated rat uterus, reinforcing the abortive risk in pregnant women. Wormwood also showed efficacy in Polycystic Ovary Syndrome models, demonstrating hormonal regulatory and antioxidant effects. For digestive atony, the plant exhibited gastroprotective action, reducing gastric lesions due to its antioxidant properties. In bladder disorders, it showed nephroprotective effects, evidenced by decreased renal damage biomarkers in rats. In oncology, α,β-thujone and flavonoids demonstrated antineoplastic activity in cervical and endometrial cancer. The main compound, thujone, is neurotoxic at high doses and regulated by agencies such as EMA and EFSA, although standardized extracts show low toxicity in hepatic and brain tissues. Wormwood is included in the Brazilian Pharmacopoeia, the European Medicines Agency, and the National List of Medicinal Plants of Interest to the Brazilian Public Health System (RENISUS).

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Pharmacological validation of the use of Artemisia absinthium (L.) described in treatises between the 17th and 20th centuries. Rev Fitos [Internet]. 2026 May 20 [cited 2026 May 22];20(2):e1941. Available from: https://revistafitos.far.fiocruz.br/index.php/revista-fitos/article/view/1941
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