Mugwort - Artemisia Vulgaris

[Ash Blue]

Last night I tried Mugwort for the first time. I picked it from a meadow and had some with my daily pasta. It gave me pretty interesting dreams!

I'm wondering how common this plant is in the north west and where it's most commonly found? I've only seen one of them growing.

 

[Toddy]

It grows wild here; it's a weed

It's not really an ingestion type of herb though, it's a hearth herb. It purifies (as in it kills bugs, cleans a house of disease, etc.,) and the smoke is white and not unpleasant to smell.
Very much 'contraindicated' nowadays but think of it like smudge and it's very useable. I use it in my firelighting mixes.
Gather from now onwards and hang in bunches to dry. I pull off the side shoots and flourish stems and when they're dry tie them into faggot bundles. Bigger leaves I pull and bunch and use as the tinder for a bowdrill coal.
It's used in Japan for burning incense too.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[Ash Blue]

After I noticed one of the common names is sailors tobacco, I looked further into it. So before I went to sleep last night I smoked a bit of it. Then after the dreams I had I found pages saying it's a dream aid too.

 

[Toddy]

Our society no longer has the common background knowledge to deal with some of the dreams safely though. It's like sleeping under Yew. Unless you know how to get all of yourself out of them, and how to critically see the shadows of them in the cold light of day, with a clear and non superstitious view, then they can leave folks in a morass.
Basically they're not a true reflection on reality.

As a hearth herb though, it's very, very good.

cheers,
Toddy

 

[xylaria]

I have used the related wormwood internally to remove worms. I have not noticed it increased dreams.

Mugwort is pretty common on abondoned land where the soil is dry and sandy. All things in moderation, medicines are medicines whether they are for the mind or the body.

 

[Toddy]

Did you make a tea or eat the leaves or florish ?
I grow both the mugwort and the tansy (another contraindicated one ) which is an old seasonal remedy for worms. They're both in flower just now, both with quite distinct scents. Then tansy smell clings as much as poppies do.

There's a point actually; I have a few notes on scent/efficacy of medicinals, but I wonder if in the past the 'bitters' were more known and explained by their scents than how they looked ?

I had heard that about the Mugwort too, but Lanarkshire is sodden wet, and the mugwort thrives. Mine's growing in a bit of very wet ground but in as full sun as my garden gets.

cheers,
M

 

[xylaria]

wormwood i get a half a teaspoon of dried leaves and mix with a tablespoon of honey, it is one of the most bitter things that I have ever eaten, culpepper mixed it honey, it still works it just tastes better. I have made apple tansies, it is an omellete with dried/old apple and fresh tansy leaves. Traditionally it was only eaten once a year, it also kills worms.

 

[xylaria]

I used to grow wormwood in a garden i had, it always got covered in black fly. But those black fly didnt half act wierd. They twitched constantly, thier nervious systems must of been really screwed.

They found a malaria drug in mugwort. I love the smell of it. Throwing even the smallest amount on a fire clears an area of bugs.

 

[Toddy]

I used the mugwort when I was demonstrating Iron Age firelighting stuff at Holyrood Park. It billows beautiful white smoke just before it blows up into flame I suddenly found myself surrounded by excited hippies and very confused tourists

Yeah, Tansy's like Feverfew; you only eat it when it's needed, I reckon

cheers,
M

 

[Ash Blue]

I went for a walk today and found about 6 Mugwort's growing Also about 500 Water Mint shoots in a small area. Success!

 

[uncleboob]

I have used the related wormwood internally to remove worms. I have not noticed it increased dreams.

Mugwort is pretty common on abondoned land where the soil is dry and sandy. All things in moderation, medicines are medicines whether they are for the mind or the body.

We seem to be awash with Mugwort locally but sadly no wormwood- resolved to trying to get a cutting from somewhere to grow some. Is Mugwort used for worms?...how does that work for dogs?

 

[Zingmo]

Last week I had the pleasure of walking behind a tracked machine as it crossed a field of mugwort. Fantastic aroma!
I made a reasonable bit of mugwort string as well.

Z

 

[xylaria]

We seem to be awash with Mugwort locally but sadly no wormwood- resolved to trying to get a cutting from somewhere to grow some. Is Mugwort used for worms?...how does that work for dogs?

You can buy the seeds on line or try the tow paths through foleshill (stab vest? ) . Mugwort can be used for worms, but pets I use the vet drops. I couldnt get a worming tablet into my cat, I risked getting serious injury from the psychopathic furball. There is no way I could get a bitter tasting herb into him. Quite a few of the vet worming drugs are based on what is found in worming plants anyway.