Artemisia Herba-Alba

• Overview
• Uses
• Side Effects
• Precautions
• Interactions
• Dosing

Artemisia herba-alba is a short shrub usually found in Northern Africa and the Middle East. The parts that grow above the ground are used as medicine.

People take Artemisia herba-alba for cough, stomach and intestinal upset, the common cold, measles, diabetes, yellowed skin (jaundice), anxiety, irregular heartbeat, and muscle weakness. It is also used for parasitic infections such as roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and flukes.

How does it work?

Some chemicals contained in Artemisia herba-alba seem to kill parasites and bacteria. Some other chemicals might lower blood sugar levels.

Insufficient Evidence to Rate Effectiveness for...

• Diabetes. Developing research suggests that taking an Artemisia herba-alba water extract might lower blood sugar levels in some people with type 2 diabetes.
• Parasitic infections such as roundworms, pinworms, tapeworms, hookworms, and flukes. There is some evidence that taking an Artemisia herba-alba water extract might reduce symptoms and cure pinworm infections in adults and children after 3 days of treatment.
• Stomach upset.
• Common cold.
• Measles.
• Jaundice.
• Anxiety.
• Irregular heartbeat.
• Muscle weakness.
• Other conditions.

Natural Medicines Comprehensive Database rates effectiveness based on scientific evidence according to the following scale: Effective, Likely Effective, Possibly Effective, Possibly Ineffective, Likely Ineffective, and Insufficient Evidence to Rate (detailed description of each of the ratings).

There is not enough information to know if Artemisia herba-alba is safe.

Some people involved in a research project that studied Artemisia herba-alba experienced lowered blood pressure and lowered heart rate. The significance of these effects is unknown.

Diabetes: There is evidence that Artemisia herba-alba might lower blood sugar. Some experts worry that taking Artemisia herba-alba along with drugs used for controlling diabetes might lower blood sugar too much. If you take Artemisia herba-alba and have diabetes, monitor your blood sugar levels closely. The dose of medications you take for diabetes might need to be adjusted.

Surgery: Artemisia herba-alba might affect blood glucose levels. That has raised concern that it might interfere with blood glucose control during and after surgery. Stop taking Artemisia herba-alba at least 2 weeks before a scheduled surgery.

Artemisia herba-alba might decrease blood sugar. Diabetes medications are also used to lower blood sugar. Taking Artemisia herba-alba along with diabetes medications might cause your blood sugar to go too low. Monitor your blood sugar closely. The dose of your diabetes medication might need to be changed.

Some medications used for diabetes include glimepiride (Amaryl), glyburide (Diabeta, Glynase PresTab, Micronase), insulin, pioglitazone (Actos), rosiglitazone (Avandia), chlorpropamide (Diabinese), glipizide (Glucotrol), tolbutamide (Orinase), and others.

The appropriate dose of Artemisia herba-alba depends on several factors such as the user's age, health, and several other conditions. At this time there is not enough scientific information to determine an appropriate range of doses for Artemisia herba-alba. Keep in mind that natural products are not always necessarily safe and dosages can be important. Be sure to follow relevant directions on product labels and consult your pharmacist or physician or other healthcare professional before using.