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Herb library · Herb · Artemisia vulgaris

Mugwort

A wormwood relative once called the "mother of herbs," sold today for anxiety, menstrual cramps, and sleep. Very little research has been done in people, its safety is unknown, and it should not be used in pregnancy.

Traditional use

Native to Europe and parts of Asia and Africa, now growing widely, including in North America. It was used in traditional Chinese, Hindu, and European medicine for digestive and gynecological problems, and in the Middle Ages it was known as the "mother of herbs." Today it is sold for anxiety, menstrual cramps, high blood pressure, and insomnia, and in skin products for raised scars.

Traditional energetics

What studies show

  • Insufficient

    Raised (hypertrophic) scars: one preliminary study found a lotion with mugwort and menthol relieved itching. Because it had more than one ingredient, it is unclear whether mugwort was responsible.

  • Insufficient

    Everything else: very little research has been done in people; there isn't enough evidence to say whether mugwort helps any other condition.

Be careful of

Cautions

  • PregnancyMugwort should not be used during pregnancy. Little is known about breastfeeding.
  • NoteThere isn't enough evidence to know whether mugwort is safe to take by mouth or to use on the skin.
  • InteractionIf you take any medicine, check with your clinician first; some herbs and medicines interact in harmful ways.
  • Ask a clinicianTalk with a clinician or pharmacist before using this if you take prescription medicines, are pregnant or breastfeeding, or are giving it to a child.

From the old books

What herbals and dispensaries of the past printed. History, in their words.

“Mugwort is with good success put among other herbs that are boiled for women to apply the hot decoction to draw down their courses, to help the delivery of the birth, and expel the after-birth.”
Nicholas Culpeper, Culpeper's Complete Herbal (1814), p. 123. See the page of Culpeper's Complete Herbal, p. 123 (opens in a new tab) · Read the full passage from Culpeper's Complete Herbal, p. 123

Sources

  1. Mugwort: Usefulness and Safety (opens in a new tab) · NCCIH · read September 25, 2026

Reviewed September 25, 2026.