Mugwort
This plant was introduced to me as a dream plant. Upon further time spent with this plant, I began to learn that they were so much more than just a dream/sleep plant. I began to grow a relationship with this plant and to this day they remain one of my favorite plants and plant allies.
Some herbs get tag-lined with one healing property that gets a lot of buzz in the media. When that happens, herbs like mugwort get stuck with one defining healing role.
But mugwort is so much more than just a dream ally! This plant is extremely bitter making them an amazing digestive!
The leaves are high in volatile oils that help to relieve spasmodic conditions like wind and constriction in the gut, and even tension in body. They are warming and drying which helps to move stagnation, making them a lymphatic supporting plant.
Mugwort has been used in many traditions as a protector plant. Being hung outside of doors and doorways to protect a home. They are even burned in smudge wands for purification. Mugwort has been placed under pillows to protect individuals in sleep and in the dream world.
It is even said that mugwort was woven into belts people would wear during Midsummer festivals, tossing their belt into the fire at the end of the dance for protection for the year ahead.
In traditional Chinese medicine mugwort’s leaves are burned and put near affected areas to stimulate blood flow and reduce pain.
Ancient Roman soldiers placed mugwort leaves in their sandals to soothe aching feet.
The traditions and history goes on…
I have had my own, very unique experiences with this plant. I have worked with them in many forms and what I have learned is that a little goes a very long way. Especially if you are working with this plant internally.
I have found the effects of their medicine to be almost psychedelic in nature- if not careful with how much you consume. I usually use one leaf in a single, small pot of tea- they are THAT STRONG.
When I harvest mugwort I like to make internal medicine out of the leaves, and then use the left over stems and plant material in an oil infusion. I use this oil infusion topically to help with spasmodic muscles.
More specifically I use the mugwort oil infusion for womb massage during my late luteal and menstrual phase. This was one of those discoveries that felt like I was truly having a conversation with the plants.
I was out in the fields harvesting mugwort when I began to have cramps. I thought of what I knew about this plant. What came to mind was that they were warming. So I made an oil infusion that I would use about a month later in this exact situation. I rubbed the oil onto my uterus/womb area and was amazed at the relief I felt.
This mugwort oil has now become something I use during the more tender parts of my cycle and it has become a ritual of sorts. I even put a few drops of the oil in my bath. It’s divine.
When I am going through something tough and I need some tough yet tender love I call on mugwort. I usually make a tea with one leaf and drink this at night.
And before bed I will place some mugwort under my pillow and will say a prayer of some sort, bringing attention to whatever suffering I am feeling and what I am seeking.
The answers I’ve received from mugwort are always unexpected and take some uncovering.
I would love to hear about your experiences with mugwort if you have any! Talking about the plants helps us to continue passing on and sharing their wisdom for centuries to come!
So send me an email and tell me your story!
But first scroll down to see the herbal monographs for the native, artemisia douglasiana and the non native, artemisia vulgaris.
Artemisia douglasiana
Family: Asteraceae
Native habitat:Western United States, California, Oregon, Idaho, Nevada, Washington, Northwestern Baja California, Mexico
Parts Used:leaves, roots, flowering tops, stems
Notes:
Native to California
Prefers to be near water and in shade
Grows near creeks, riverbeds, ditches, and shaded forest
Can also be found in disturbed fields and on the side of trails.
Leaves are far less deeply lobed and instead are more toothed than the vulgaris variety.
Can often be smelt from far away before even seeing this plant.
Grows in groups and scatters through underground rhizomes, and seeds that self seed.
Can cause very vivid dreaming in some individuals.
In some individuals this stimulation of the mind during sleep can create poor rest.
While some may wake up feeling rejuvenated others may feel tired, from all of the brain stimulation during sleep.
Grows less aggressively than vulgaris especially in water restricted areas
Grows 3 to 8 ft tall.
Tastes:
Bitter, pungent
Identification:
Leaves:
dull green to grey green leaves with a silver/wooly underside
Strong sage like aroma
Resiginous feel if rubbed due to the high volatile content
Mostly toothed with 3-5 lobes per leaf
New leaves may lack lobes completely
Roots:
Underground rhizomes that spread
Stems:
Woody at the bottom
Long and mostly slender, more bendy at the top of the plant
Flowers:
blooms with elongated, branching panicles
yellow/greenish to cream disc flower heads
Herbal Energetics:
Warming, drying, relaxant/stimulating
Herbal Actions:
Nervine, digestive, emmenagogue, uterine tonic, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, Oneirogen (Dream Herb)
Tissue State Indications:
damp/stagnation
cold/depression
tension/constriction
Artemisia vulgaris
Family:Asteraceae
Native habitat: Eurasia, North Africa, Northwestern Alaska
Parts Used:leaves, roots, flowering tops, stems
Notes:
Not native to California but considered naturalized.
Very fragrant aroma most recognized as sage.
Spreads aggressively through its system of rhizomes.
Prefers open/disturbed fields.
Can thrive without much water and more sun, where as artemisia douglasiana needs more shade and moisture.
Can cause very vivid dreaming in some individuals.
In the same genus as wormwood (the plant used in making absinthe)
Tastes:
Bitter, pungent
Identification:
Leaves:
Deeply lobed dark green leaves with silver underside
Silvery underside has a wooly texture
Leaves alternate along the central stem
Stems:
Stem is woody at the base, often a reddish/brown
Flowers:
Small yellow/green to reddish flower heads arranged in a spike at the top of the plant
The flower heads lack petals
Herbal Energetics:
Warming, drying, relaxant/stimulating
Herbal Actions:
Nervine, digestive, emmenagogue, uterine tonic, antispasmodic, antimicrobial, antioxidant, Oneirogen (Dream Herb)
Tissue State Indications:
damp/stagnation
cold/depression
tension/constriction
Subtle body wisdom:
You don’t always get what you ask for.
Healing can come in ways you least expect.
A little goes along way.
Strong medicine can be subtle, and subtle medicine can be strong.
Spread roots to stand tall.
Be uniquely you.
Feel into the experience of being in your own skin.
Sometimes tough love is the medicine you need.
Please remember to always use at least 3 identification sources when wildcrafting. Also be mindful of where you are harvesting. For example, making sure the plants are not near roadways or somewhere they can become polluted by exhaust or pesticides.
Disclaimer: These articles are for educational purposes only, they are not a substitution for professional medical advice, and as the reader you are responsible for your own health decisions.
