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mucgwyrt
March 18th, 2004, 10:03 AM
I know its an 'M' and we're still on 'A' but Mugwort is one of my all time favourite herbs, and I just couldn't wait to do it!!
I hope that's ok!



~ Mugwort ~


CAUTIONS:
• Mugwort is toxic in large doses, causing somach cramps, vomiting, miscarriage and birth defects - DO NOT TAKE WHILST PREGNANT
• When ingested in men it has been know to cause 'manic' dreaming which may carry through to your waking state the next day.
• Many sources list Mugwort as having no medicinal properties whatsoever, and that ingesting it or using its armoatherapy-oil is not advisable or beneficial.
• It affects the uterus of women and has been known to cause misscarriage and/or disformities if consumed when pregnant. See below for more details.
(note: I personally have tried Mugwort-Tea to aid dreamwork with little luck, but also few side effects. The moral: I in no way recommend taking it due to the known side effects, so use or do not use at your own discretion :) )


Botanical name: Artemisia vulgaris


Common names: Mugwort, Moxa, Traveler’s Herb, Artemis Herb, Felon Herb, Muggons, Old Man, Sailor’s Tobacco. Cingulum Sancti Johannis aka St. John’s plant (NOT St. Johnswort).


Chemical Constituents: Thujone, cineole, Acrid resin and tannin.


Habitat and growing conditions: Grows almost everywhere around the world, particularly along roadsides. Can be intrusive in a garden and grows up to 8 feet tall.


Harvesting:
Cut stems with leaves early in the day; after the sun has burned the dew off but before the heat of the day.


Medicinal Properties:
• Body Systems affected: Spleen, kidney, liver.
• As Ive said, this is somewhat controversial from what I've read - most advise against its use and other sources list medicinal benefits as: "Chologogue, vermifuge, emmenagogue, hemostatic, antispasmodic, diaphoretic, mild narcotic, Epilepsy, petit mal, hysteria, over excitement and fright, sleepwalking, some types of dizziness. Irregular, painful or scanty menses. Prolapsed uterus. To prevent miscarriage with severe cramping.".
• It is used to "help those of us who are considered spacey to become more grounded" when taken as a tea.
• Is rumoured to help to regulate menstrual cycles in time with the Moon.
• Kills parasitic worms internally.
• Believed to increase fertility.
• Used for moxabustion in Chinese Medicine.
• Drink infusion before and/or after eating to promote digestion.
• Promotes sweating. Which can be a benefit when intentionally sweating out an illness; a very old healing technique when one first feels the effects of an illness.
• Add to massage oil and worked into the womb area to ease childbirth and menstrual problems.
(Note: Thought I've added this to complete the picture, its possibly not advisable given there are cases of miscarriage associated with its use, depending on who you speak to of course.)


Magical/Metaphysical:
• Take as a tea before bed to encourage clarity in dreams, prophetic/precognitive dreams, Shamanic Journeying and other 'trance work'.
• Take as a tea twice daily to enhance your psychic abilities.
• Mugwort can also be smoked for either medicinal or metaphysical purposes.
• Add Mugwort to incense at any time of the year for any ritual; it is considered a 'staple' incense.
• Mugwort is also used as a Warding herb (to repel/banish) negative energies, entities/spirits, wild beasts, weariness.
• Hang above, or burn near your bed before sleep for protection and dream enhancement (safely people :) ) or place under your pillow.
• A good herb for clearing negativity from the home.
• Mugwort in your shoes will help keep your strength up in long walks and generally protect you during a journey (hence the name Traveler’s herb).
• Store some Mugwort with your Dream/Shamanic/Scrying tools to infuse them with receptivity and clear unwanted energies.
• An infusion (as with tea) can be used to wash your Dream/Shamanic/Scrying tools when the need arises.
• Place over your door for protection against negative energies and to ward off negative entities.
• Toss into a fireplace to protect your home from lightening
• Wear a crown on the Summer Solstice, and when done throw it into a fire to protect yourself from sickness and danger in the coming year.
• Strong infusion can be used in a bath for an invigorating bath or one before Ritual or Dreaming.


Culinary: One of the first herbs to be used to brew beers. Dried leaves only. (Apparently fresh leaves make a horrible tasting beer.)


Dosage (for tea): One teaspoon per cup of boiling water. Leave to steep for 20-30 minutes and drink as required.


God/esses: Artemis, Diana
Planet: Venus
Element: Water
Alignment: Female


Myth:
Korean (I think) - "THE DANGUN MYTH" - A tiger and bear prayed to a magic sandalwood tree to become more human, and were given garlic and mugwort to eat. The bear did so, slept for 21 days and became a beautiful woman.
(I haven't come accross any others.)


Sources:
I'm afraid I dont have the sources for the above, as its a few months worth of notes taken from here n there in my BOS and regurgitated for your pleasure :)
Rest assured, there's a bounty of websites if you search Yahoo.com :)
Picture is from: http://www.heorot.dk/

mucgwyrt
March 19th, 2004, 04:16 AM
Perhaps the people who's voted that its great for medicinal uses could comment on how they've used it - ?
I'm just curious :)

spirit wind
March 19th, 2004, 05:34 AM
Thanks for that Macha!!!!

I have certainly learned something new today that's for sure.

SpiritWind

StarryDancer
March 19th, 2004, 01:01 PM
Yes, but beware -- Mugwort is related to ragweed, and pollinates at the same time. All these years I thought I had a ragweed pollen allergy, and it turns out I'm wicked allergic to mugwort, of all things!

Theres
March 19th, 2004, 02:00 PM
mugwort is actually related to sage, and is often called 'river sage'.

a twice daily tonic is NOT recommended, as thujone has an accumulative and damaging effect on the liver.

the best medicinal use i can think of is as a treatment for the itch of poison oak/ivy infection. make an infusion and wash the affected area.

i love this stuff! but only use it as a pre-ritual tea (nothing is better!), and in my purefication bath.
it grows near here and we go picking every July or August (and the variety that grows around here is 'the kind'! ;) ).

mothwench
March 19th, 2004, 05:29 PM
hehe, it seems to be a controversial one, to say the least. i've got different sources saying all kinds of different things, from unsafe, to good for stomach disorders and stuff.

here's cunningham's correspondences...
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth

feminine i can understand, cause of the association with artemis. venus, well i have no idea how one would correspond the herbs to the planets. anyone? :huh:
earth, hmmm. if it's used for astral projection, wouldn't air be better?

Calyx
March 19th, 2004, 07:40 PM
I have tried smoking mugwort, but not too much happened, I am sad to say. It does have a pleasant smoking taste, though. A bit spicy and exotic. :)

mucgwyrt
March 20th, 2004, 07:59 AM
hehe, it seems to be a controversial one, to say the least. i've got different sources saying all kinds of different things, from unsafe, to good for stomach disorders and stuff.

here's cunningham's correspondences...
Gender: Feminine
Planet: Venus
Element: Earth

feminine i can understand, cause of the association with artemis. venus, well i have no idea how one would correspond the herbs to the planets. anyone? :huh:
earth, hmmm. if it's used for astral projection, wouldn't air be better?

No idea, maybe to do with what astrological phase it blooms in or something? *clueless*

Paije
October 20th, 2004, 01:54 AM
I drink mugwort tea nightly to aid in dreams. I have never had any side effects from it, or at least I hven't yet. I don't get stomach aches or anything. I hope I dont get any soon :foopsies:

Isil Darkmoon
October 20th, 2004, 07:16 AM
I take mugwort tea medicianally for "those" kind of cramps every couple of months--only the really bad ones. It soothes cramps like nothing else, does a great job, but I usually try to avoid it unless I really need it, becasue I hate the taste.

mucgwyrt
October 20th, 2004, 10:33 AM
I take mugwort tea medicianally for "those" kind of cramps every couple of months--only the really bad ones. It soothes cramps like nothing else, does a great job, but I usually try to avoid it unless I really need it, becasue I hate the taste.
I think it tastes looovely, really earthy :D
I'll try it for cramps, next time they're bad!

Fang of Loki
January 3rd, 2005, 12:50 AM
Medicinally: 3 points

Magically: 2 points

Clockwork_Eros
January 21st, 2005, 11:25 AM
I have a question about mugwort, and I hope it isn't off topic...mrf.

One of my herb books, the RD Homes Handbook on Herbs, under the Artemisias section, has a little info about mugwort, where it describes the plant as being called the "mother of herbs" because it is in the first incantation for protection in the Lay of Nine Herbs. I've nerver heard of this Lay of nine Herbs, but the book gave me the first verse:

Have in mind, Mugwort, what you made known,
What you laid down, at the great denouncing.
Una your name is, oldest of herbs,
of might against thirty, and against three,
of might against venom and the onflying,
of might against the vile She
who fares through the land.

I have not been able to find any information about this. At all. I didn't know if perhaps you knew anything, and I figured if you didn't, here's a little more mugwort lore for you. (I wanted to send this as a PM, but your box is full...if it's offtopic, feel free to beat me in the head with a stick.)

HorseCrow
January 21st, 2005, 01:11 PM
Mugwort is my favorite herb- here is what I have about it in my herb section of my BoS :


Medicinal:
- Soothes menstrual cramps.
- Brings on/strengthens an unsteady/unbalanced menstruation.
- Burning mugwort (indirect moxa) on the bladder 67 point (outside of the little toe on both feet, right next to the nail), can turn a breech baby.
- Aids the birth of the placenta (as well as the birth of a dead foetus).
- Combats malaria (to a degree), without any of the side effects seen with kinin.
- Combats psoriasis (sp?).
- Put in sandals it keeps the soles of the feet fit.
- According to old welsh physicians, mugwort tied to the left thigh of a woman having trouble giving birth, will aid the birth.
A plaster of mugwort placed under the woman’s bellybutton was believed to bring on contractions or strengthen inadequate ones.
- Strengthens the production of gall.
- Strengthens and aids digestion and absorption of nutrients in the digestive canal.
- Combats flatulence and diarrhoea.
- Kills off intestinal worms.
- Antiseptic (cleansing of wounds, skin etc).


In the kitchen:
- fresh in salads, stews, veggie dishes etc (in small quantities) it adds a lovely flavour.
- good with lamb/sheep’s meat when finely chopped and sprinkled over the meat.
- adds good flavour to teas.
- very useful in bitters.

Magickal:
-The herb of Goddess Artemis, from which it got it's Latin name, Artemísia.
- It is considered feminine in gender and associated with the element of earth.
- its main powers concern; strength, psychic powers, protection, prophetic dreams, healing and astral projection/travel.
- stuffed in a pillow and slept on, it will produce prophetic dreams.
- burnt as incense and/or drunk as an infusion will aid scrying rituals.
- a mugwort infusion can be used to wash mirrors, crystal balls etc to aid psychic workings.
- leaves can be placed with crystal ball, tarot cards, mirrors etc to recharge and aid its powers.
- When carried on your person it: protects from harm by poison, wild beasts, sunstroke, increases lust and fertility, prevents backache and cures/prevents disease and madness.
- Hung in buildings it protects from evil spirits and bad luck.

Faerwolf
January 21st, 2005, 05:27 PM
i'm deathly allergic to mugwort, i hate that, i'd love to try to use it, for something.

Shatril
January 22nd, 2005, 09:09 AM
I found the complete Lay on the last one, however, the others gave some rather good interpretive info.

Lay of the Nine Herbs

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kjolly/nineherbs.htm

http://www2.hawaii.edu/~kjolly/unc.htm

http://fyrnsede.org/index.php?module=subjects&func=viewpage&pageid=17

http://www.arcanorum.org/downloads/Lay%20of%20the%20Nine%20Herbs%20and%20Lay%20of%20the%20Nine%20Twigs%20of%20Woden.doc




I have a question about mugwort, and I hope it isn't off topic...mrf.

One of my herb books, the RD Homes Handbook on Herbs, under the Artemisias section, has a little info about mugwort, where it describes the plant as being called the "mother of herbs" because it is in the first incantation for protection in the Lay of Nine Herbs. I've nerver heard of this Lay of nine Herbs, but the book gave me the first verse:

Have in mind, Mugwort, what you made known,
What you laid down, at the great denouncing.
Una your name is, oldest of herbs,
of might against thirty, and against three,
of might against venom and the onflying,
of might against the vile She
who fares through the land.

I have not been able to find any information about this. At all. I didn't know if perhaps you knew anything, and I figured if you didn't, here's a little more mugwort lore for you. (I wanted to send this as a PM, but your box is full...if it's offtopic, feel free to beat me in the head with a stick.)

2-G
January 22nd, 2005, 09:46 AM
Mugwort was my favorite herb... I loved working with it... until my Mom ramsacked all of my herbs... _violin_

djc114
February 23rd, 2005, 05:20 PM
Mugwort is one of my favorite herbs. I use it for magickal purposes.

I infuse it into a tea and add a little honey and drink it when I want to highten my psychic awareness.

I also make a tincture of mugwort, labradorite stones & herkimer diamonds infused with 100% vodka and place 2 drops under my tongue before entering into a ritual I need to highten my psychic awareness for.

I have a lot of respect for mugwort.
My dad & I also grow it in our garden. We grow it organically so I know there are no pesticides or anything bad used on it.

Flar's Freyja
July 20th, 2005, 07:51 PM
Medicinal Properties:
• It is used to "help those of us who are considered spacey to become more grounded" when taken as a tea.

Magical/Metaphysical:
• Take as a tea before bed to encourage clarity in dreams, prophetic/precognitive dreams, Shamanic Journeying and other 'trance work'.
• Take as a tea twice daily to enhance your psychic abilities.


LOL, don't those contradict each other?

I drink 2 cups every night to promote dreaming, and it works.

yavanna
September 24th, 2005, 03:34 PM
I love mugwort as a medicinal and magicakal herb. I've found infusions of it to be relaxing and I have used it to get a more regular cycle.

I don't like that its sooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooooo invasive, its will take over so badly if you plant it, so if you decide to grow it, try it in a pot and please please please, don't let it go to seed :bouncybob It can get into natural areas and completely take them over. Theres a huge patch of it at boot lake nature preserve near me, its pratcially impossible to get rid of. :flamer:

OK, sorry to rant but besides this small detail, its my favorite magical herb (I'm so torn! :wah: )

Akashic Brother
September 24th, 2005, 04:48 PM
Mugwort is one of favorite herbs. I love it for dreams, psychic awareness, and the astral. I know medinically it is used for depression and in moxibustion. I use it in tea alot, and in my pillow. I plan on growing a patch this spring so I'll keep it's invasive properties in mind!

brymble
October 13th, 2005, 09:24 PM
mugwort grows all over rochester. i used to pick it fresh, and use it in a hot bath for tired, sore muscles and menstrual cramps. feels so-o-o-o good when you're sore and tired.

Gypsy flower
October 13th, 2005, 09:29 PM
Mugwort is the zap and the pop for all my spells
I love it could not do without it!