Mugwort

Mugwort is a name shared by several aromatic herbs in the genus Artemisia, which also includes wormwood, sagebrush and tarragon. Its distinctive scent and bitter taste have made it familiar in herbal preparations, foods, aromatic baths and protective customs. European common mugwort and the native North American plants also called mugwort belong to the same genus, but have their own habitats and histories.

The plant and its habitat

Mugworts are generally upright perennial herbs with strongly scented leaves, small clustered flower heads and, in many species, spreading underground stems called rhizomes. The foliage is often green above and pale or softly hairy beneath. In western North America, Artemisia douglasiana (Douglas' or California mugwort) grows along riverbanks and other moist corridors, while A. ludoviciana (western mugwort) is familiar in drier grasslands and interior landscapes. A. vulgaris, the common European mugwort, is introduced and now widely naturalized in North America. [1, 2]

Herbal actions and traditional preparations

In European herbalism, mugwort has been described as a bitter tonic and carminative: an aromatic, bitter herb traditionally prepared to encourage appetite and ease digestive discomfort. It also has a history as an emmenagogue, a term for herbs associated with menstrual flow, and as a nervine in evening and sleep-related herbal traditions. [3, 4]

Mugwort also has a substantial history of external use. Ethnobotanical accounts of A. douglasiana document preparations made as washes, compresses and poultices for the skin and sore areas of the body. Its fragrant leaves have also been used in bathing and ceremonial washing, giving the plant a role that is both practical and cultural. [1]

Constituents and aroma

Much of mugwort's sharp, herbaceous, sometimes camphorlike fragrance comes from volatile terpenes. Studies of A. vulgaris have identified compounds including 1,8-cineole, camphor, borneol and, in some populations, thujone. The proportions can differ markedly between plants and species, which helps explain why mugwort aromas are not always alike. [4]

The herb also contains sesquiterpene lactones, associated with its bitterness, along with flavonoids and phenolic acids such as chlorogenic acid. Researchers have examined mugwort extracts for antioxidant and inflammation-related activity. Thujone is a biologically potent constituent of some Artemisia preparations and is particularly relevant when considering concentrated herbal extracts. [3, 4]

Food, ceremony and dream traditions

Mugwort has also traveled through kitchens and ceremonial life. In Japan, young shoots of related mugwort species, often called yomogi, are used in green rice cakes such as kusa-mochi. In Chinese medicine, the dried leaves of Artemisia argyi are processed for moxibustion, in which the herb is burned to provide heat in a traditional treatment. [5, 6]

In western North America, accounts of A. douglasiana include Indigenous California uses in cleansing and protective ceremonies; the USDA plant guide records Paiute use as a wash following ritual dances. European folk traditions likewise associate mugwort with midsummer, protection, and dream pillows. Its connection with dreams and sleep belongs to that rich body of cultural history, rather than to any established ability to induce particular dreams. [1, 3]

At Deschampsia

We gather different mugwort species in different Pacific Northwest habitats, including A. douglasiana in moister western landscapes and A. ludoviciana in the drier interior. We use the aromatic herb in botanical oil infusions for Dream Balm and Dreamy Rose Aromatic Body Oil, and distill it for Dreamy Mugwort & Lavender Hydrosol and Desert Rain Hydrosol. Mugwort also appears among the herbs in Desert Magic Balm and Desert Dreams Soap.

These preparations explore the plant's fragrant, green, camphoraceous character through both infused oils and distilled botanical waters.