04/07/2025
**Plant Fact Friday is Back!**
Wormwood and Mugwort
This week I will be writing about Wormwood (Artemisia Absinthium) and its close (and almost identical) relative, Mugwort (Artemisia Vulgaris). These two herbal powerhouses (and relatives of the daisy) deserve a book of their own, but as always I shall do my best to sum up.
The Artemisia family, named after the Greek goddess Artemis, is enormous and encompasses Wormwood, Mugwort, the culinary herb Tarragon (Artemisia Dracunculus) and White Sage Brush (Artemisia Ludoviciana) which is sometimes smouldered for smudging and many, many more.
Mugwort and Wormwood are often mistaken for each other, so how do you tell them apart? The easiest way is by the leaves; Mugwort leaves are green on top and white underneath and have pointed tips and purple/reddish stems. Wormwood leaves are silvery on both the top and bottom and are rounded rather than pointy. The Wormwood plant also has more prominent, yellow flowers than its common cousin whose flowers can be white, yellow or red.
Wormwood is probably the celebrity of the pairing. A little bit of a rockstar in the herbal and magical world, it gives its name to the star that will fall to earth in Revelations, This bitter herb is known for its anti-parasitic and insecticidal properties (it is where the name 'Wormwood' comes from, it literally gets rid of intestinal worms). Its latin name of 'absinthium' comes from the latin 'absinthial' meaning 'bitter'. Wormwood is most famously known as an ingredient in the drink Absinthe, to which it lends its name. Absinthe was a favourite of artists and poets who favoured the drink for its mind altering effects but there is a reason why the Green Fairy lived in the bottle; Wormwood is rich in the chemical Thujone which can induce hallucinations and can be toxic in large quantities. Wormwood has also been used in the household to repel moths and fleas since at least Roman times
Mugwort also contains Thujone but in lesser quantities to Wormwood and has also been used as a culinary and medicinal herb for centuries. It has a taste that is a lot less bitter than wormwood and has a long history as a magical and medicinal plant. Used to induce lucid dreaming, Mugwort is believed to increase psychic power and has been used smouldered (the smoke smells almost sweet), in tea or in washes to amplify scrying and divination abilities and to purify negative energy.
Medicinally, mugwort has been used for digestive problems, high blood pressure and menstrual issues (Pliny said it was good for curing 'Women's diseases'), in addition to having sedative and laxitive properties.
John Gerard, the medieval herbalist says about Mugwort, "Many other fantastical devices invented by poets are to be seen in the works of the ancient writers, tending to witchcraft and sorcery, and the great dishonour of God; wherefore I do of purpose omit them, as things unworthy of my recording, or your reviewing." which is a shame as I would love to have read them!
Of the two, Mugwort is the more versatile and widely used yet Wormwood has the more dramatic name and gets the celebrity status.
Try and spot it next time you are out walking or in a traffic queue; this herbal and magical powerhouse is literally everywhere.
As always, please do not forage, use or consume wormwood or mugwort without appropriate advice from a qualified herbalist or physician.
