MUGWORT
SPRING
SUMMER
EDIBLE
COMMON NAMES
Mugwort, sailors tobacco, wild wormwood.
BOTANICAL NAME
Artemisia vulgaris
PHYSICAL CHARACTERISTICS
Root – Generally 10-15cm long, light brown and woody, 2-5 cm thick.
Stems – They are erect, grooved and tend to have a red/purple tinge.
Leaves – Mugwort leaves are green on top and white underneath, they have pointed tips and purplish stems. They are deeply lobed and have an aromatic scent, similar to rosemary or sage.
Flowers – The flowers are numerous, grow in clusters and are red to yellow.
Seeds – Insignificant.
SCIENTIFIC CLASSIFICATION
Kingdom – Plantae
Order – Asterales
Family – Asteraceae
Genus – Artemisia
KNOWN HAZARDS
Contains the chemical thujone, which is said to promote lucid dreams.
The plant might be poisonous in large doses.
Skin contact can cause dermatitis in some people.
Probably unsafe for pregnant women as it may stimulate the uterus to contract and induce abortion.
COULD BE CONFUSED WITH
Wormwood but wormwood has silvery leaves top and bottom and has much more showy flowers.
RANGE AND DISTRIBUTION
Mugwort is native to Europe and Asia and has naturalized much of the world; it is fairly common throughout the UK.
HABITAT
Found growing along roads, ditches and fields. Preferring disturbed ground.
EDIBLE USES
The leaves and shoots are edible raw or cooked, they are very aromatic and slightly bitter. The flavour goes well with fatty meat and oily fish.
Leaves, flowers and shoots can be used to make a simple tea just by steeping them in hot water.
It can also be dried and smoked and is said to improve appetite.
It was used to flavour beers before hops were commonly available.