Witnessed by: Ayurveda · Western · Unani
Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris), of the Asteraceae (Compositae) family. Tall wayside perennial with reddish grooved stems and silver-backed cut leaves; native range: temperate Europe and Asia, naturalised widely on waysides and waste ground. Globally recognized as nagadamani in Sanskrit, nagdona in Hindi, baranjasif (برنجاسف) in Arabic, and felon herb, St John's plant, cronewort, sailor's tobacco in English. The part used is leaf and flowering top; root. Dark green above, silvery-downy beneath; a clean bitter-aromatic scent when bruised, faintly camphoraceous, the taste bitter and pungent.
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.
MUGWORT
IDENTITY
Name
- Common
- Mugwort
- Scientific name
- Artemisia vulgaris L.
- Family
- Asteraceae (Compositae)
Form
- Part used
- leaf and flowering top; root
PROPERTIES
Nature
Taste
how the plant declares itself on the tongue
- Ayurveda
- bitter (tikta) · pungent (katu)
- Western
- bitter · aromatic · acrid
- Unani
- bitter · aromatic
Temperature
Ayurveda: heating (ushna)
Western: warm
Unani: hot (2nd degree) & dry
convergence: all {witness_count} witnesses hold it a warm, opening, bitter emmenagogue
Affinity
where in the body it travels
Organs / channels
- Western
- uterus · nerves · digestion · liver
- Unani
- uterus · stomach · liver · nerves
PRACTICE
Virtue
Actions
- Ayurveda
- emmenagogue (raktasangrahaniya / artava-janana), krimighna (anthelmintic), dipana, a nervine for hysteria and fits
- Western
- emmenagogue, bitter digestive tonic, nervine, diaphoretic, cholagogue and anthelmintic
- Unani
- mudir-e-haiz (emmenagogue), mufattih-e-sudad (deobstruent), muhallil (resolvent) and daf-e-deedan (anthelmintic)
Cautions
- Contraindications
- pregnancy (an emmenagogue and uterine stimulant); allergy in those sensitive to the daisy family
- Toxicity
- large or prolonged doses of the volatile oil (thujone) are neurotoxic; ordinary teas are safe
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