![]() In Europe it was used to flavor beer before the introduction of hops. Many cultures have used mugwort in teas and traditional foods. John’s Eve it gave protection against diseases and misfortunes. In Northern Europe it was believed that if you gathered mugwort on St. John the Baptist supposedly wore a girdle made of mugwort as protection in the wilderness. Native Americans used it because they believed that it kept ghosts away. Mugwort was also believed to have magical properties. It was an ingredient in the Medieval European Nine Herbs Charm which was used to treat poisoning. In Europe it was believed to prevent fatigue so travelers lined their shoes with the leaves. Mugwort has many uses in both traditional Chinese medicine and in Ayurvedic medicine. Common mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris, native to Europe and North America is best known here in the US. It was known by many names, such as felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor’s tobacco, naughty man, old man or St. Wormwood common name is in reference to the former European growth of this plant as a vermifuge (folk medicine remedy for expelling worms from the intestinal tract).Mugwort, the bane of many gardeners, was used for centuries as both a medicinal and culinary herb throughout its native habitat of Eurasia, North Africa and North American. Mugwort common name (mug means drinking vessel) comes from an historical use of this plant in Europe to flavor beer before the introduction of hops. Common name of felon herb comes from a prior herbal medicinal use of this plant in the treatment of felons, a painful pus-producing infection which typically occurs at the end of a finger or toe. Genus is named for Artemis, Greek goddess of the moon, wild animals and hunting. Aroma from fresh or dried plant leaves will repel insects. Leaves are technically edible, but bitter and toxic when consumed in quantity. This species has a long history of human use in Europe and Asia as an herbal medicine. Plants feature (a) angular reddish-brown stems, (b) aromatic, petiolate, deeply lobed and cut basal and middle leaves which grow to as much as 4” long, each leaf being deep green above and white tomentose beneath, (c) smaller and narrower cauline upper leaves which become linear in the flower panicles, (d) yellowish to reddish brown apetalous discoid flowers (to 1/8” across) which bloom late summer to early fall in dense leafy panicles, and (e) achenes which follow the flowers. It typically grows in loamy or sandy soils in forested areas, coastal strands and along roadsides. Plants have naturalized over time throughout southern Canada, the eastern and Midwestern United States (Maine to Minnesota south to Florida and Louisiana) and in the Pacific Northwest (Washington, Oregon, Idaho and western Montana). It was introduced as an herbal plant into a number of sites in North America, starting with the first European visits in the early 1600's. It can be weedy and invasive, particularly in disturbed sites. It is native to and widespread in Europe and throughout northern Asia from Russia to Japan and Korea. Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known by a large number of common names including mugwort, wild wormwood, and felon herb, is an upright rhizomatous herbaceous perennial which grows 2-4’ (less frequently to 6') tall but spreads in the landscape by rhizomes, often aggressively, to 6’ wide or more.
0 Comments
Leave a Reply. |
Details
AuthorWrite something about yourself. No need to be fancy, just an overview. ArchivesCategories |