Artemisia vulgaris

''Artemisia vulgaris'', the common mugwort, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is one of several species in the genus ''Artemisia'' commonly known as mugwort, although ''Artemisia vulgaris'' is the species most often called mugwort. It is also occasionally known as riverside wormwood, felon herb, chrysanthemum weed, wild wormwood, old Uncle Henry, sailor's tobacco, naughty man, old man, or St. John's plant (not to be confused with St John's wort). Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.

Distribution

''A. vulgaris'' is native to temperate Europe, Asia, North Africa, and Alaska, and is naturalized in North America, where some consider it an invasive weed. It is a very common plant growing on nitrogenous soils, such as waste places, roadsides and other weedy and uncultivated areas.

Uses

Traditionally, it has been used as one of the flavoring and bittering agents of gruit ales, a type of unhopped, fermented grain beverage. In Vietnam, mugwort is used in cooking as an aromatic herb.

In China, the crunchy stalks of young shoots of ''A. vulgaris'', known as ''luhao'' (), are a seasonal vegetable often used in stir-fries.

In Nepal, the plant is also called ''titepati'' (''tite'' meaning bitter, ''pati'' meaning leaf) and is used as an offering to the gods, for cleansing the environment (by sweeping floors or hanging a bundle outside the home), as incense, and also as a medicinal plant.

The dried leaves are often smoked or drunk as a tea to promote lucid dreaming. This supposed oneirogenic effect is believed to be due to the thujone contained in the plant.

Description

''A. vulgaris'' is a tall, herbaceous, perennial plant growing (rarely ) tall, with an extensive rhizome system. Rather than depending on seed dispersal, it spreads through vegetative expansion and the anthropogenic dispersal of root rhizome fragments. The leaves are long, dark green, pinnate, and sessile, with dense, white, tomentose hairs on the underside. The erect stems are grooved and often have a red-purplish tinge. The Ukrainian name for Mugwort, чорнобиль (chernobyl) transliterates as "Black Stalk" , and it is from this plant that the Ukrainian city of Chernobyl gets its name. The rather small florets ( long) are radially symmetrical with many yellow or dark red petals. The narrow and numerous capitula (flower heads), all fertile, spread out in racemose panicles. It flowers from midsummer to early autumn.

A number of species of Lepidoptera (butterflies and moths) such as ''Ostrinia scapulalis'' feed on the leaves and flowers of the plant.

Pharmacological properties

Historically, ''A. vulgaris'' was referred to as the "mother of herbs" and has been widely utilised in the traditional Chinese, European, and Hindu medicine. It possesses a wide range of pharmacological properties including anticancer, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antispasmolytic, antinociceptive, antibacterial, antihypertensive, antihyperlipidemic and antifungal properties.

Phytochemical constituents

''A. vulgaris'' houses a variety of phytochemicals which are responsible for its pharmacological properties. The phytochemicals belong to classes including flavonoid, essential oils, phenolic acids, coumarins, sterols, carotenoids, vitamins and sesquiterpene lactones among many others. Examples of the phytochemicals include vulgarin, artemisinin, scopoletin, camphene, camphor, sabinene, and some derivatives of quercetin and kaempferol.

References

External links

Plants for a Future: ''Artemisia vulgaris''
by Culpeper
Mugwort 'A modern herbal'
by Mrs. Grieve

{{Taxonbar, from=Q26663

vulgaris
Herbs
Medicinal plants of Europe
Medicinal plants of Asia
Medicinal plants of Africa
Plants described in 1753
Taxa named by Carl Linnaeus
Oneirogens
Abortifacients