Mugwort

Artemisia was the sister and wife of the Greek/Persian king Mausolus and she governed after his death in 353 B.C. over Halicarnssus and the surroundings. To honour her they built a tremendous tomb, called Mausoleum, which is one of the seven world wonders.
Artemisia was also a famous plant expert and medical investigator. Two hundred, almost all aromatic plants, are of the Artemisia family and are named after her.

Culpeper recommended the herb for all stomach problems, to prevent nastiness after a meal and to increase the appetite, but as it too strong, it spoils the taste.

In the Middle Ages one thought that John the Baptist carried a wreath of Mugwort around his middle and therefore one also named the plant Saint-Johns root. The root of Mugwort was nailed against the wall of a house to banish the devil or other bad spirits. Also there were braided wreaths of Mugwort affirmed at a house or shed to protect it against fire and bolds of lightning.
Mugwort is used from way back to let recover tired travellers and to protect them against evil spirits and wild animals. Roman soldiers laid it in their sandals against painful feet, hence the name 'bij-voet" in Dutch. In 1656, William Cols wrote: "As an infantryman lays it in his shoes in the morning, before noon he can take off 40 miles without to get tired."
Mugwort became used by poor men as tobacco, separate or with other herbs. Also beer was seasoned with Mugwort.

Housekeeping / General.
Mugwort drives away insects, especially moths.
Mugwort under the cushion protects against nightmares.
In China by Mugwort, therapeutic bars (moxa bars) are made and are used in acupuncture.
The incense is used for ritual cleaning of people and places. To make incense yourself (all Artemisia kinds are suitable) you pick the buttons, just before they get into bloom. Make pieces of equal length (approximately 15 cm) and let them dry for approximately two days. Make a bundle of 2.5 cm diameter and bind them together with a cotton robe (use no artificial fibre). Light a from on side, close the flame and late the bars smoulder.


Medicinal.
For a description of Artemisia annua and its active compound artemisinin, click here.

As a medical herb, one uses the leaves and the in the flowering time collected plant.

Mugwort is used from way back as a means against worms and then must be taken during long time in a low quantity. Mugwort arouses the appetite, stimulates the digestion and helps also by the rise bring of the menstruation. The Chinese herb knowledge used the herb to heat mainly for the reproductions organs, the uterus, to stop bleedings or to slow down bleedings by a too long menstruation period.

Look during a long, tiring walk for Mugwort. Chew on a few leaves or flower tops and your tiredness will take off, because the bitter aromatic compounds clarify your mind and look.

Working and character.
Stimulating for the nervous system, menstruation arousing and regulating, sweat inducing, bile arousing.

External.
Compresses of Mugwort vinegar are good by bruising and lit joints.

Internal.
- By lowered or painful menstruation. By irregular menstruation with little blood loss.
- In beginning stages of colds and fevers.
- By indigestion with little appetite and stomach cramps.
- By nastiness with heavy headache.
- By depression with liver and bowels disturbances.
- Against nervousness with weakened men.
- Usefully by arthritis and gout.
- With bowels worms.

Quantity.
Of the tea, daily one or two cups, by fever each four hour half a cup.
Of the tincture three time daily 2 to 5 ml.
By tiredness chew slowly on three or four leaves.




Applications with ethereal oil.
It is a colourless to light yellow liquid with a bitter-sweet, camphor like smell. Because of the high thujon content is the oil poisonous and arranged therefore less for use in the aroma therapy.

Ethereal oil of Mugwort can be used o. a. by: disturbances in the menstruation, hiccups, tired feet, falling illness, cramps, flatulent and worm infections. Mugwort can irritate skin and mucous membranes.

Here some applications of the ethereal oil of Mugwort follow.

By tired feet
Mix 10 drops of Mugwort with a little bit milk, cream or honey. Add this mixture to a warm footbath and bathe with this for 15 minutes.

Evaporate
6 to 10 drops of Mugwort in the aroma lamp makes it easy to take decisions and are a support in the back by to undertake walk.

In the plant present compounds.
Ethereal oil (0.2%, main components cineool and thujon), Vulgarine (a sesquinterpene lactone), Flavonoids (quercitine-3-rhamnoglucoside and 5,3-dihydroxy-3,7,4- trimethoxyflavone), Coumarine derivatives (7,8-methylendioxy-9-methoxycoumarine), Triterpenoids (among other things 27,28-dionic acid, b-amyrin and b-sitosterol ) and bitters matter.


Active components in the Ethereal oil.
Cineool, thujon linlool, l,8-cineool, b-thujon, borneol, a- and b-pinene, nerol, neryl acetate, linalyl acetate, myrcene, vulgarool, a-, b- and g-cadinol, cadinenol, muurolol, spathulenols.

Use no Mugwort during the pregnancy and by the giving of breast-feeding.
Do not use it long in succession without the advice of a physician.
Because of the high thujon content is the ethereal oil poisonous and arranged therefore less for use in the aroma therapy

The leaves of Mugwort are used for stuffing’s. It can also be used in stew- and meat dish.

It come world-wide 200 Artemisia kinds for. These comparable applications vary only in strength. Mugwort is the most generous and safest for own use. They are often alone through connoisseurs from each other to hold.
In North America, Artemisia kinds are sometimes wrongly confused with sage.

Alsem (Artemisia absinthium) counts as the strongest kind. Small quantities alsem give vermouth and other aperitifs their taste.

Sweet Wormwood (Artemisia annua) is prescribed in China and Africa against malaria. Artemisia annua is already known for thousands of years in the Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM). The healing effect is attributed at the active component artemisinin (a sesquiterpenoid lactone endoperoxide). Besides the proven anti-malarial effect artemisinin is also described to have anti-cancer properties [ref].

According to the World Health Organization (WHO) is artemisinin, when correctly used in a artemisinin based combination therapy (ACT’s), the most effective (95%) and most reliable medicine to fight malaria [ref].


Figure: Structural formula of artemisinin ( (3R,5aS,6R,8aS,9R,12S,12aR)- octahydro-3,6,9-trimethyl-3,12- epoxy-12H-pyrano[4,3-j]- 1,2-benzodioxepin-10(3H)-on )

Literature

[1]. Britton, Jade & Kircher, Tamara; - Herbal Remedies - First edition; Marshall Editions (1998). ISBN 1840280719
[2]. Bremness, Lesley;- The Complete Book of Herbs: A Practical Guide to Growing and Using Herbs - Fifth edition; Studio (1994). ISBN 0140238026
[3]. Shaw, Non; - Herbalism: An Illustrated Guide - First edition; Element Books Ltd. (2000). ISBN 1862042241
[4]. Rüdt, U.; - Therapeutic and poisonous plants - First edition; Zutphen:
B. V. W. J. Thieme & Cie (1973). ISBN 90-03 94630 , 2



Sponsored Links