Benefits of Mugwort

Mugwort whose botanical name is ‘Artemisia vulgaris’ is a tall, shrub-like plant that has dark green leaves, purple stems and small flowers with yellow or dark red petals. Some of the common names used to refer to the plant include wormwood, St. John’s plant, Chinese Moxa, common Artemisia, among others.

The Artemis Vulgaris herb is said to have been named after the famous Greek goddess ‘Artemis’ who was the female god of virginity, hunting, childbirth, and animals. Mugwort constitutes of volatile oils, flavonoids, tannins, thujone, artemisinin and triterpenes as its main constituents. Discussed below are the common benefits of the multi-purpose mugwort herb.

Mugwort Uses

The mugwort herb as been used as food by various cultures over the years. Its leaves are edible and can be boiled as a pot herb or used in various types of salads to add flavor to food. In order to be eaten, the buds and leaves are picked shortly before flowering.

Mugwort which is said to have a bitter taste can aid in digestion and was traditionally used as a bitter flavoring agent to season meat, fat and fish. The herb was also used to flavor beer due to its low toxic levels before the introduction of hops. The Chinese and Japanese are known to use the herbal plant in a variety of foods including natural juices and rice cakes.

Medical Benefits of Mugwort

The mugwort herb has been used for centuries as an alternative medicine. This traditional practice has undergone substantive scientific research and the findings have been conclusive that the herb possesses numerous medical benefits. Below are some of the health benefits associated with the herb.

Digestion

Mugwort Is an excellent digestive stimulant that can be used before and after consuming heavy meals in order to alleviate bloating and gas. (see,Mugwort Herbal Tea below) The essential oil found in the herb is quite effective in dealing with stubborn digestive disorders that may be caused by an abnormal flow of stomach digestive juices or due to microbial infections.

The herb has unique medical properties that facilitate digestion through regulating or stimulating the flow of digestive juices while inhibiting all manner of microbial infections detected in the stomach and intestines.

A combination of the mugwort herb’s leaves and flowering tops can be used to treat all matters concerning the digestive system and also increase stomach acid and bile production creating a favorable environment for digestion to take place. The herbal remedy can also lead to an increase in appetite and neutralize stomach acidity.

Dream herb

This is one of the most interesting traditional uses of the herb that is still being practiced in the modern world. The mugwort herb has hallucinogenic properties, making it ideal for people who wish to enhance remembrance of their dreams, both during trances and sleep while taking a glimpse of how the future will look like.

Mugwort is used as a major ingredient in sleep pillows aimed at bringing more lucid dreams to the person in question. A variety of people have reported experiencing prophetic dreams and astral travel on using the dream herb. The mild narcotic and sedative properties of the herbal remedy makes it ideal for promoting sleep in people with insomnia.

Diuretic

The diuretic property of the herb increases both the user’s urination frequency and quantity helping them remove excess water, fat, salts and harmful toxins like uric acid from the body. This property may be of great help to people suffering from chronic renal failure, renal calculi, obesity, hypertension, and other symptoms associated with toxin accumulation like gout, arthritis, and rheumatism.

The properties may also contribute greatly to the cleaning of the kidney and improving the overall health of the user.

Female reproductive system management

Mugwort has a proven affinity for the female reproductive system and is an effective uterine stimulant that can restart delayed menstruation and help restore the natural monthly cycle. The herb contains unique properties that can help in maintaining proper uterus discharge while stimulating the production of essential hormones responsible for aiding in the normal functioning of the uterus.

The herb can also effectively do away with all the other problems associated with monthly periods, including headaches, fatigue, nausea and abdominal pains making the process less painful and stressful. Women can also use mugwort to avoid untimely or early menopause. However, a great deal of caution should be taken when using the herbal remedy as it may induce miscarriages due to its ability to interfere with the menstrual cycle.

Epilepsy and hysteria treatment

The soothing and relaxing effects of mugwort especially on the nervous system and brain can play a major role in effectively calming down any hysteria and epileptic attacks. Long term use of the herbal remedy is likely to result in curing the stubborn medical conditions.

Nerve tonic

Mugwort can act a tonic for the nerves on various occasions as it has been proven to be highly effective in treating nervous disorders and afflictions as well as strengthening the nerve itself. Being a relaxant and stimulant, mugwort sedates the nerves’ afflictions while relaxing them in cases of shock or hyperactivity. It may also end up stimulating the nerves, making us more active and alert. The mild sedative is useful in calming frayed nerves or easing stress and tension, making it a good nervine.

Deworming

Mugwort is toxic in nature, making it an effective solution of getting rid of intestinal worms like roundworms, tapeworms, and threadworms. The herbal remedy should be administered in mild doses to children as they are likely to get ill after consuming large doses of the natural dewormer. Body worms are known to hinder normal growth and nutrient absorption resulting in a weak and unhealthy body. By getting rid of the intestinal worms, mugwort oil re-establishes a normal growth pattern bringing the much-needed strength back to the body.

Moxibustion

Mugwort leaves were traditionally used in moxibustion by being formed into sticks or cones about the shape of a cigar and then burned on or over an acupuncture point. This unique healing process has been practiced for more than 3,000 years in china. Moxibustion advocates claim that the healing process can warm and strengthen a person’s blood and life energy while treating stubborn medical conditions like inflammation and cancer.

Other claimed benefits of moxibustion include treating menstrual cramping and helping a fetus in the breech position turn¹ .

How To Take – Mugwort Herbal Tea

Mugwort herbal tea has a bitter taste but it’s still palatable. It can help you with digestion, relieving gas and bloating. To help with the taste you can add honey or mint. How to make the herbal tea: Use 1 teaspoon of dried mugwort herb per cup, add hot not boiling water and steep for 10 minutes. Drink after meals to help with digestion.

Precaution to take when using mugwort – Side Effects

Just like any other herbal product, it is crucial to consult a medical practitioner or herbal expert before starting to use mugwort. There are a variety of factors and mugwort side effects that you may not be aware of and ignoring them might lead to serious health repercussions.

Mugwort can be poisonous and irritating to some extent hence caution should be taken so as not to be a victim of your own medicine. Pregnant and breastfeeding women should avoid using the herb at all costs. According to the American Cancer Society, mugwort herb can cause allergic reactions leading to sneezing and sinus- related symptoms.