Mugwort

Description

Artemisia vulgaris, or mugwort, is a hardy perennial with a tough reddish stem and large segmental leaves that appear white and furry underneath, but dark green above (Erichsen-Brown 1979). They have grayish flowers that bloom as stalks from the stem from July to September. Mugwort is an aggressive and invasive plant, often inhibiting the growth of nearby plants by means of roots secretions. Leaves, while aromatic, reportedly taste bitter regardless of being consumed raw or cooked (Phillips 1990).

History

Mugwort is a plant native to Eurasia and possibly arctic Canada, but has since naturalized south throughout the rest of Canada as well as the U.S. (Erichsen-Brown 1979). Traditionally, the plant has been used culinarily to flavor foods. Given the bitter flavor of the leaves, they have been added to flavor fatty foods, in addition to their incorporation into dishes such as mochi dumplings for its flavor and green coloring (Phillips 1990). Interestingly, in addition to using the leaves for tea, they were also used to flavor beer until hops came into favor (Grieve 1931).

Current Medicinal Uses

While mugwort’s more traditional medicinal properties were believed to be effective for everything from cancer and digestive complaints to “women’s ailments,” the modern medicinal use of mugwort is considerably less extensive (Erichsen-Brown 1979). It is however used in acupuncture during moxibustion as a part of the therapy or is prescribed by some herbalists as a fresh plant juice to counter the effects of poison ivy (Erichsen-Brown 1979). A recent study out of Japan has shown some promise for mugwort lotion to aid as an anti-histaminic or anti-allergenic agent in patients suffering irritating conditions associated with post-burn hypertrophic scars (Ogawa 2007).

Adverse effects

While various parts of the plant are considered edible if prepared correctly, it may be poisonous in large doses and has been known to cause contact sensitivity in some cases (Lust 1983).

Comments

The fresh or the dried plant repels insects, while the essential oil derived from the plant has been reported to actually kill insect larvae (Duke 1985).

Jae – the leaves are definitely aromatic, but it would be generous to describe the taste simply as being bitter. In my opinion, it is foul and we would do well to do as the insect do to avoid it.

References

Erichsen-Brown, Charlotte Medicinal and Other Uses of North American Plants: A Historical Survey with Special Reference to the Eastern Indian Tribes. Courier Dover Publications, 1989.

Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985.

Grieve M. A Modern Herbal. Tiger Books International, London, 1998 (first published in 1931 by Jonathan Cape Ltd).

Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983.

Ogawa, R., Hyakusoku, H, Ogawa, K., et al. Effectiveness of mugwort lotion for the treatment of post-burn hypertrophic scars. Journal of Plastic, Reconstructive & Aesthetic Surgery, Volume 61, Issue 2, Pages 210-212.

Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 

Disclaimer 

Information on this website is for educational purposes only. Many herbs historically used for medicine are considered too toxic to use today; some of these herbs have caused deaths. Do not ingest these herbs based on information on this website. We have not provided sufficient information for the safe medicinal use of any of these herbs, nor sufficient information for treatment of poisoning. All recreational use of these herbs is dangerous.