Across from the school, there was a long stretch of roadside flowing with mugwort. From a distance, it was easy to recognize its distinct tender stalks and silvery green leaves that bent and rose in a wild bramble. It was a medicine run— a few discreet clippings and I would be on my way. Immediately, a man in a truck comes to an sudden halt where I was crouched and hollers out the window, “Is that mugwort?!” Mugwort has a reputation.
Like the dandelion, some native herbs such as mugwort do not receive their due recognition. It is not a plant often grown in gardens, but seen along banks of rivers and streams in California. Spreading through rhizomes underground, most likely the species seen on stream hikes is the California mugwort or Artemisia douglasiana.
It’s cousins grow in many parts of the world with various known medicinal values. Many Native American tribes consider the plant sacred and not only use as medicine, but it is also burned or ingested for ceremonial rituals.
Looking into my brackish cup of tea, I was scolded, “Drink it! Come on! Everyone is waiting for you to finish up!” The elder was mad at me. Not a good sign. The mugwort tea was very strong and unbearably bitter. Everyone else somehow put it down, I would need to catch up. With great effort I forced myself to drink it and held back a grimace. If I hadn’t finished it, I would not have been permitted to enter the sweat lodge. That particular day was my fourth day of fasting; the mugwort was part of the physical and spiritual purification ceremony. A time of restoration.
Later that year, I learned to heal my liver and gallbladder by gladly drinking an occasional cup of that tea. After many gallbladder attacks, my diet changed to include many bitters, the avoidance of all meat, greasy foods and heavy oils. Many relatives had their gallbladders removed, but I was able to save mine. Between roasted dandelion root tea and mugwort, my digestion was better than it had ever been.
But the guy in the truck was not interested in digestive tonics, he was after the mystical properties of mugwort. Mugwort is known as a dream potentiator. Those that take a strong tea or take its tincture at evening time might notice vivid dreams and better dream recollection. The man in the truck eventually parked his car and decided to chat with me about this. A friend had given him dried mugwort to smoke and it affected his dreams that night. He wasn’t certain if he could identify the plant without help, but wanted guidance. My answer, “Only take what you need, but do you really need it?” Herbs are potent and can also cause harm without guidance. Not to mention the unnecessary removal of vegetation.
Consumers can purchase common mugwort, and dream teas that include mugwort from natural food stores. No need to raid the stream banks. You may even encounter traditional Japanese soba noodles made with mugwort at the grocery store. It is possible you have consumed a beer with a flavoring additive made from mugwort.
If you have ever received a traditional Asian medicine treatment, like moxibustion, you are familiar with the burning of mugwort on meridian points of the body. Chinese, Japanese, Korean, Vietnamese, and Mongolian medicine have historically used mugwort in various ways.
These traditions are still used today, however there is a variation of the mugwort species around the world.
California native mugworts include: Artemesia douglasiana, Artemesia suksdorfii, Artemisia ludoviciana ssp. albula, Artemisia norvegica, and Artemisia douglasiana ‘Silver Surfer’. Finding grown plants at local nurseries will prove difficult, but some species have viable seeds that are sold by native seed companies. California mugwort is fitting for restoration projects, erosion control, wild gardens, and natural habitat creation. The Painted Lady and American Lady butterflies are attracted to it, as well as moths and swallowtails. Birds feed on the seeds which become available in the fall from September to October.
Mugwort! Although they sound a bit witchy, Artemesias are natural herbs that can handle toxins in the earth and in the human body. Drought tolerate, their rhizomes also handle freezing temperatures. They can naturally appear at dump sites, roadsides, rivers, streams, woodlands, and chaparrals. Cultivating a mugwort patch in the backyard would be impressive, you might be one of the rare few that does.
The next time you go for a hike and you see a scraggly green gray plant…please, step away from the mugwort! It is doing a lot more than you realize.
