- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Europe, temperate Asia and North Africa; naturalised in North America. Artemisia vulgaris
- Sanskrit
- Nagadamni
Europe · Herb · № 64
Artemisia vulgaris
Herb · Europe
Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
Traditionally used as a digestive bitter and to bring on delayed periods. Clinical evidence is largely lacking.
Safety notes
Avoid during pregnancy: it may stimulate the uterus. Its pollen is a well-known hay fever trigger.
Preparation
Used as tea or tincture; in East Asia a related dried herb is burned as moxa. No dosage is given here.
Use in traditions
Mugwort is the first herb in the Anglo-Saxon 'Nine Herbs Charm'. In Europe it was woven into garlands for Midsummer (St John's Eve). In China, Japan and Korea the related ai ye is used as moxa.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Antispasmodic, expectorant, stomachic, tonic, anthelmintic, antiseptic; for absent menstruation, hysteria, threatened miscarriage, measles in children, whooping cough, bleeding, dysentery, skin diseases.
Preparation and amount
Tea 14–28 ml; leaf powder 0.5–1 g; strong decoction against worms, weak decoction for children; a few drops of leaf juice; paste or powder on the skin.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Prophetic dreams, divination, relaxation, calm, protection, banishing, consecration, healing, strength, lust, fertility, protects travellers.
Home, kitchen and folk use
Attributed effects
Said to open the mind to divination.
Preparation and amount
Decoction of the leaves before divination.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionTinctureCompress, poultice and pastePowder and kitchen