Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Unani
Indian Wormwood (Artemisia nilagirica), of the Asteraceae family. Aromatic perennial shrub-herb with finely divided, silvery-downy leaves; native range: hill regions of India, Sri Lanka and the Himalaya, including the Nilgiris. Globally recognized as nagadamani in Sanskrit, nagdauna in Hindi, nagdona in Urdu, and Indian wormwood, mugwort in English. The part used is leaves, tender shoots. Strongly aromatic and camphoraceous, bitter to taste, silvery-white beneath the leaf.
In this cross-tradition database, we analyze how this substance operates across world medicine systems — tracking its traditional tastes, temperatures, tissue affinities, post-digestive effects, and planetary correspondences across Ayurveda, Unani, and Western herbalism.
INDIAN WORMWOOD
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Indian Wormwood
- Scientific name
- Artemisia nilagirica (C.B.Clarke) Pamp.
- Family
- Asteraceae
Form
- Part used
- leaves, tender shoots
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter · pungent (tikta, katu)
- Unani
- bitter · aromatic
Temperature
- Ayurveda
- heating (ushna)
- Unani
- hot & dry (2nd degree)
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Unani
- stomach · brain · uterus
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- krimighna (anthelmintic), deepana-pachana (digestive stimulant), raktashodhaka (blood purifier), vedanasthapana (analgesic)
- Unani
- qatil-ud-dud (vermifuge), mudirr-hayd (emmenagogue), muqawwi-rahem (uterine tonic), dafi-tashannuj (antispasmodic)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy, on account of its emmenagogue and uterine-stimulant action
- Toxicity
- the essential oil in excess irritates the gut and, in overdose, can produce the neurotoxic (convulsant) effects typical of thujone-rich Artemisia oils
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