“Do you remember, Mugwort, What to make known,

What you degree, in solemn proclamation?

Una is your name, the oldest of herbs:

You have the power against three and against thirty,

You have the power against poison and against contagion,

From and 11th Century Anglo- Saxon nine herb blessing

Lady Mugwort has presence. This tall, slender, aromatic being with silvery flower spikes and dark pinnate leaves growing by the side of roads and rivers feels sacred, almost hallowed! She waves at us from the edges of Motorways, reminding us of her presence in the journeys of our lives and that she is the guardian of the places at the edge and of the boundary between the worlds.

This mother of all herbs is a powerful plant indeed, steeped in myth, magic, folklore, shamanic dreaming, healing and women’s mysteries. She is an ancient connection to millennia of wise ancestors, women healers, witches and the magical people that lived in these lands who offer us healing and deep knowledge. She is still here with us in our towns, cities and in the places that connect them. An ancient herb for modern times.

Mugwort is like a wise witch hidden in plain view, unseen by those who are not in the know. Her blooms are small, unassuming and inconspicuous. Like all magical beings and edge walkers, she likes the etiquette of a formal introduction and our respect. Then she demands our attention by waving her green silver spikes at us as we journey to remind us who she is.

She is “Bollan Bane”, the national flower of the Isle of Man, worn as a sprig by people at midsummer for protection against the fae folk; even Queen Elizabeth the Second has been photographed with her little sprig of Mugwort. She can protect those who ask of her power against malevolent spirits, harmful energy and the most mischievous of faery folk.

There is something magical about Mugwort. Una is her ancient name, and her presence is powerful, sacred and pure. He has the power to protect, purify, sanctify and bring personal empowerment.

The other names she is known by are Una, Motherwort, St. John’s Plant, Maiden Wort, Womb’s Wort, Power wort, Solstice Girdle, and “Old Woman”;

Una is strong and divine. She is the “Awakener” for these strange times we live in, connecting us to deep ancestral wisdom that is contained within our DNA. She is full of ancient knowing and can be a powerful teacher as she takes us to that most sacred part of ourselves to help us become more fully human.

Mugwort’s smoke is powerful and cleansing. Move the aromatic smoke from a bundle over your energy field, and you will feel her purifying and healing energy wash over you. There is power and strength in having a Mugwort healing smoke ritual.

Go into a deeper relationship with her, and she can take us through the veils of perception and into the heart of the mystery itself in what many people call a “Mugwort experience”. Mugwort is a sacred plant healer, ally and teacher. Those who develop an intimate, respectful relationship with her will know what this means.

We love to work with her in ceremony. You can read more about this in our other blog on substack

*Making Mugwort cacao at Anglezarke, West Pennine Moors*

Mugwort can be found all over the UK and she grows right in our midst. Loving lanes, roads, motorway, rivers wastelands and car parks.

She is one of the nine sacred Saxon herbs and has been used for thousands of years for her protective magic and healing.

An eleventh-century Anglo-Saxon herb blessing.

“The root, Worn as an amulet bestowed health and strength.

Artemesia is mighty among herbs!

If you fear magic, hang four bundles

In your room, and demons or other bad things will not harm you

Your children or the cattle...”

15th century manuscript - Fischer-Rizzi, S. (1996)

Standing next to a large silvery Mugwort plant, we offer a prayer of gratitude and ask for her blessing as we harvest the silvery green springs. Squeezing a bud between our finger and we breathe in the familiar aroma that is sometimes nice to smoke when dried. Her smoke is mellow and relaxing. Mugwort once called gypsy tobacco has been a smoking herb since ancient times or more recently a substitute for tobacco.

We’ve been working with Mugwort for many years now as herbalists, and even if we’re not harvesting her, we just love being in her presence.

We like to make Mugwort into teas, tinctures, oils, salves, smoking sticks or even use mugwort in food. Mugwort is rich in nutrition and is a common component of South East Asian cooking that it is here. Mugwort is a great flavouring in cookies, breads and crackers, and to use with fish.

Taste Mugwort tea and you will see that it’s very mildly bitter as well as being deliciously aromatic. It's good for stimulating and toning the digestive system, encouraging the secretion of digestive juices and improving liver function. Its aromatic oils are anti-spasmodic and it can help eliminate wind, and soothe griping pains. It has a history of being used to expel parasites and worms from the digestive tract

Mugwort is named after the Greek Goddess Artemis, who was a moon Goddess and patron Goddess of wild places, animals, women and childbirth. The Latin name is Artemisia vulgaris. To some women, she was called “Womb wort.”

“Womb wort lives up to her name and is a valuable and underused herb for women’s hormonal problems, helping to regulate and normalise menstrual flow, bringing on suppressed or delayed periods. It’s good for very heavy, cramping, painful periods and helpful for migraines associated with menstrual cycles and pre-menstrual syndrome, especially if its linked to stress.

Danielle has used Mugwort to great effect for her teenage daughter's premenstrual migraines and found it was the only thing that worked for her. Edwina sometimes gives patients a Mugwort salve to use externally over the womb area as an alternative to a tea. It can help calm period pains and reduce blood flow. Mugwort is very stimulating to the uterus, increasing blood supply to the pelvis and removing stagnant blood, which can be a helpful precursor to improving the health of the womb and as well as preparing the womb for pregnancy and improving fertility. Edwina knows a womb massage therapist who loves using Mugwort oil for massaging over the womb area and she's convinced that its has made a difference to the fertility of her clients.

This womb-stimulating action means it’s NOT to be used in pregnancy, although traditionally it’s been used to help clear and support the womb after childbirth.

Mugwort is a great herb for menopause, being good for regulating hormones and helpful with hot flushes and night sweats. It’s good for menopausal anxiety, bringing calm and balance as well as improving mental clarity. It’s also a herb to remind all menopausal women of the value of their years and the magic and power that awaits us in the wise woman phase of our lives as we stand in our own power, helping to heal past trauma, abuse and disempowerment..

Mugwort is also very calming for the nervous system and very helpful for depression, anxiety and stress, especially if associated with hormonal imbalances. It has an uplifting effect on the mood and can affect dreams.

Whilst being supportive of sleep and rest, its also worth bearing in mind that Mugwort is well known for helping with lucid dreaming, but this doesn't suit everyone. Dreaming can be really important in helping us to process things that are happening in our lives, challenges as well as helping us work out and clarify what we are doing as well as helping us with deep insights and healing. This is part of the Mugworts’ magic and healing.

Mugwort oil:

Harvest Mugwort on a dry day. Chop and place it in a heatproof bowl and cover with sunflower oil. Place the bowl on top of a pan of boiling water. Bring to the boil and simmer. Cover the oil with a pan lid to keep in the essential oils.

Simmer for 1-2 hours making sure the water doesn't boil dry. When the plant has given up all its medicine to the oil (it looks green and the plant material spent) strain composting the used plant material.

Re infuse fresh Mugwort into the oil and repeat the process.

When the process is complete, take the deep green aromatic infused oil and leave to settle overnight so that any water or debris sinks to the bottom. Decant into a clean dry, sterilised bottle, Take care in pouring it off to leave any sediment on the bottom.

To make a salve reheat and add 10 % beeswax or carnauba wax (if vegan). Put into sterilised jars allow to cool, and label. Use within a year

This is Great for aching, torn or pulled muscles, ligaments, and tendons, cramps, cuts, infections, bumps, bruises, contusions, insect, bites and nerve pain, period pains, heavy periods, womb massage and for aching feet.

If you want to work with us and learn more about Mugwort, we are facilitating a two-hour Mugwort Immersive Masterclass on Wednesday, 25th June between 7pm - 9pm. You can find out more here our website, weedsandwildmedicine.co.uk

Or you join the wild medicine tribe where this month we teach you how to do ceremony with Mugwort, make Mugwort cacao, take you on wild medicine walks, do tincture making and be part of all sorts of seasonal herbal shenanigans and herbalising.

Wild green blessings

Edwina and Danielle x

Photos by Peter Yankowski

Bibliography

Brooke, E (1998) A Woman’s Book of Herbs; The Women’s Press Ltd; London.
Fischer-Rizzi, S. (1996). Medicine of the Earth; Rudra Press; Portland.
Hedgerow Medicine (2008) – Julie Brutton-Seal and Matthew Seal; Merlin Unwin Books.
Herb mentor: - http://www.herbmentor
Wood, Matthew (2008). Earthwise Herbal; A Complete Guide to Old World Medicinal Plants. North Atlantic Books, California.

Magical Mugwort

The Old Ways - Ancient Healing for Challenging times