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NAME: MUGWORT

SPECIES / FAMILY:  Artemisia Vulgaris / Asteraceae or Compositae

COMMON NAME(S): sagewort, wormwood

CONDITIONS:  sun, farm fields, urban areas

 

PARTS:	EDIBLE	TASTE	RAW/COOK	SEASON
All
Shoots		sage	RAW/COOK	Spring-Fall
Leaves		sage	RAW/COOK	Spring-Fall
Buds/Flowers		sage	RAW/COOK	Summer-Fall
Fruits
Roots
Seeds
Nuts
Pods
Stalk
Bark

PORTION: small, herb

COMMENT:  Used in stews, baked goods, teas, and alcoholic beverages. Especially suited for poultry dishes or whenever sage is used. Artemisia absinthium is the specific species of artemisia. // "METHOD OF PREPARATION: We will let Cornucopia II do that: “young shoots and leaves are an indispensable condiment for fatty poultry such as geese and duck as well as fat pork, mutton, and eel. In Japan they are boiled and eaten as a potherb, or used to give flavor and color to festival rice-cakes… Dried leaves and flowering tops are added to country beer, or seeped into tea. At one time in China the leaves were used for wrapping glutinous rice dumplings eaten during the Dragon Boat Festival.” (2)

CAUTION: Might be poisonous in large doses. Allergic reactions. Skin contact dermatitis in some people. Probably unsafe for pregnant women as it may stimulate the uterus to contract and induce abortion.(1)

NUTRITION/MEDICINAL:  Mugwort is also called wormwood due to its ability to rid people and animals of parasites. It also said to allow more lucid dreaming. // Anticonvulsant;  Antidepressant;  Antiemetic;  Antiseptic;  Antispasmodic;  Appetizer;  Carminative;  Cholagogue;  Diaphoretic;  Digestive;  Diuretic;  Emmenagogue;  Expectorant;  Foot care;  Haemostatic;  Nervine;  Purgative;  Stimulant;  Tonic;  Women's complaints. (1)

ALSO:
https://draxe.com/wormwood
https://www.webmd.com/vitamins/ai/ingredientmono-729/wormwood
https://www.organicfacts.net/health-benefits/herbs-and-spices/mugwort-tea.html 
https://herbs-treatandtaste.blogspot.com/2012/07/japanese-mugwort-yomogi-health-benefits.html

Look-A-Likes: Epazote and related to Sweet Annie

POISONOUS LOOK-A-LIKES: 

OTHER USES: insect repellent, fragrance, tinder for fires, food for moths & butterflies (1) Studied for use in reclamation and phytoremediation of contaminated soils and waters.-https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/26269111

SOURCE LINKS (may include nutritional and medicinal info, plus other uses):

1. https://pfaf.org/user/Plant.aspx?LatinName=Artemisia+vulgaris
2. http://www.eattheweeds.com/mugwort
3. https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_vulgaris
4. http://www.ediblewildfood.com/mugwort.aspx
5. https://www.herbrally.com/monographs/mugwort
6. https://thegrownetwork.com/for-the-love-of-mugwort-7-uses-for-mugwort
7. https://www.indigo-herbs.co.uk/natural-health-guide/benefits/mugwort
8. https://medium.com/@3LittleBears/mugwort-the-wild-edible-and-recipes-5b3e0f0bc0d0 (recipes)
9. https://gathervictoria.com/2017/10/25/foraging-cooking-with-coastal-mugwort-a-salt-honey-vinegar (recipes)
10. https://www.backyardforager.com/mugwort-soup-recipe-yes-really (recipes)
11. https://www.eatweeds.co.uk/mugwort-jelly-recipe (recipe)

COMPARISON OF DIFFERENT SPECIES OF ARTEMISIA:

https://www.sciencedirect.com/topics/agricultural-and-biological-sciences/artemisia-genus

Fig. 1. Leaves and synflorescences of four Artemisia species. (A) Artemisia absinthium. (B) Artemisia annua (Sweet Annie). (C) Artemisia dracunculus (French Tarragon). (D) (Mugwort) Artemisia vulgaris. For each species, the leaves placed in the upper or left side show the adaxial face and those placed in the lower or right side show the abaxial face. Photographs by P. Barnola, A. Mallol and L. Vilar (synflorescences of A. absinthium—detail—and A. dracunculus), G. Pié (synflorescence of A. annua) and J. Vallès (the rest).