----------------------- MUGWORT  (Artemisia vulgaris) -----------------------



NAMES..Green ginger, Fat hen, Gall wood, Grey bulwand,
       Docko, Old uncle harry, Sailor's/poor man's
       tobacco, Smotherwood, many variations on muggert,
       and muggins. Felon herb...for infected nail beds.
Irish; Muggert kail..which suggests use as a vegetable.
European; St john's herb...it is one of the sacred
       midsummer herbs, Mother of herbs, Motherwort.

HISTORY; most medieval herbals call this herb Motherwort,
       ie. herb for the womb. Mugwort is a Saxon name,
       refering either to flavouring beer or keeping off
       midges or moths. Artemis herself gave her herbs to
       Chiron, the centaur, who gave it to Aescelpias.
       Artemis is Diana, the virgin moon goddess, the
       hunter. People went to the temples of Aeslcepius
       to dream their own cures.
       Anglo saxon treatment for flying venom...whatever
       that is. I expect it will be obvious when you come
       across it.

PLACES; Northern europe, possibly native in Canada and
        eastern USA.
        Wasteland, hedgerows and waysides on a variety
        of soils, but prefers it well drained and
        especially likes waysides.

CONSTITUENTS; bitter sesqueterpenes, ess oil inc thujone,
        resin, flavonoids, tannins, inulin in its roots.

QUALITIES; a gentle aromatic bitter, warm and dry.
        Culpeper gives hot in the first degree, dry in
        the second degree and assigns the herb to Venus.
        Gently clearing and restoring. Perhaps the most
        gentle of its tribe.

APPROPRIATIONS; the womb and neck, the liver to some
        degree

                         USES;

WOMB restorative, sends energy to the womb.
        Menstrual cramps when the womb has low enery,
        ie. in light, irregular periods. Infertility in
        the same cause. An adjunct to prescriptions given
        in the same cause, eg. with Motherwort (Leonurus)
        to facilitate a difficult menopause, with
        Echinacea in womb infections.
        Best avoided in pregnancy.

NERVINE restorative and gentle stimulant. Relieves brain
        congestion. Wearyness, especially in people of a
        weak constitution. Brilliant for flagging energy
        in the afternoon or at the weekend.
        Quaking of the sinews..local and internal.
        Wryneck.
        An old fashioned remedy for epilepsy...I have
        tried this but without clear results...also
        hysteria.

LIVER/DIGESTIVE congestion, including jaundice. Worms.
        Weak digestion, especially in beer. Rheumatism.

FEVERS, intermitant fevers with tremors in those with a
        weak or weakened constitution.

NIGHTMARES, especially from unseen evil and external
        evil. Sleepwalking. Disturbed sleep, especially
        from lack of clear direction.
        Use Mugwort to find direction in your life or to
        help you find your path or stay with your path.
      . NOTE might upset those who are too lost or
        disturbed, especially men... perhaps because they
        don't have a womb.

DOSAGE and PREPERATIONS; best taken freely as a tea or
        tincture, or simply eaten on your way home from
        work. Beer and vinegar for digestion. Dried and
        powdered, 3 or 4 gms.
        Compress, with eg. Chamomile, for painful lumps,
        tremors and spasms. Worn in your shoes for tired
        feet.
        Tobacco base and for moxa, smudge sticks and for
        smoking people. Burnt in the fire at the great
        festivals. Amulet worn or hung over your bed.
        Smoked over midsummer fires for extra virtue.
        A couple of largish sprigs under your pillow.
        As a steaming herb.

--
PERSONAL: I have a great feeling for Mugwort and its
        ability to reveal paths and to protect people
        already on their path. To me everything about the
        herb points to its association with paths and
        directions...from where it grows to how it has
        been used. But it needs to be accepted for its
        wholeness and the direction it reveals.
--
       The above represents my personal experience,
       using the herb for healing myself and for others.

Christopher Hedley, MNIMH