Mugwort, also known as Artemisia argyi, possesses numerous benefits. Health enthusiasts often utilize it for moxibustion therapy, which helps alleviate chronic ailments and promote overall wellness. Below we explore mugwort's therapeutic properties and applications.
(1) Nutritional Value of Mugwort
Modern pharmacology reveals mugwort leaves contain high volatile oil content, primarily 1,8-cineole (over 50%), along with α-thujone, sesquiterpenols, and their esters.Dried leaves contain 10.13% minerals, 2.59% fat, 25.85% protein, and vitamins A, B1, B2, and C. For moxibustion, older mugwort is generally preferred, as evidenced by the saying: "For a seven-year illness, seek three-year-old mugwort" (Mencius).
Mugwort has a bitter, pungent, and warm nature, affecting the spleen, liver, and kidney meridians.The Compendium of Materia Medica records: "Mugwort leaves are used medicinally. They are warm in nature, bitter in taste, non-toxic, and possess pure yang properties. They penetrate all twelve meridians, restoring yang energy, regulating qi and blood, expelling dampness and cold, stopping bleeding, and securing pregnancy. They are also commonly used in acupuncture." Thus, it is also called "medicinal herb." The "herbal baths" currently popular in Taiwan mostly use mugwort.(II) Medicinal Effects of Mugwort
Mugwort's bitter, drying, pungent, and dispersing properties regulate qi and blood, warm meridians, expel cold and dampness, and alleviate cold pain, making it a key herb in gynecology. It treats abdominal cold pain, irregular menstruation due to cold, and infertility caused by uterine coldness, as seen in formulas like Ai Fu Nuangong Pills. When charred, it stops bleeding and treats excessive menstruation due to deficiency-cold, metrorrhagia, leukorrhea, and fetal leakage during pregnancy, as in Jiao Ai Decoction.When pounded into fluff and formed into moxa sticks or cones, it can be used externally for moxibustion to dispel cold, relieve pain, and warm the qi and blood. Decocted for external washing, it treats damp sores, scabies, and ringworm, eliminating dampness and relieving itching.
Regarding the properties of mugwort leaves, the Materia Medica records: "Mugwort leaves can treat a hundred diseases through moxibustion."The Revised Materia Medica states: "Artemisia leaves are bitter and pungent, warm when raw and hot when cooked. Their pure yang nature restores failing yang, penetrates all twelve meridians, traverses the three yin channels, regulates qi and blood, expels cold and dampness, and warms the uterus. When used in moxibustion, they penetrate all meridians to eliminate a hundred diseases." This indicates that using Artemisia leaves for moxibustion unblocks meridians, dispels yin cold, reduces swelling and disperses nodules, and restores yang to reverse collapse.
(III) The Effects of Mugwort
Mugwort leaves have been used for thousands of years to prevent epidemics. As a readily available herbal remedy, modern pharmacological research confirms mugwort possesses broad-spectrum antibacterial and antiviral properties. It inhibits and kills numerous viruses and bacteria, offering preventive and therapeutic benefits for respiratory diseases. Fumigation with mugwort smoke is a simple and effective epidemic prevention method.
Mugwort, also known as common mugwort or Artemisia argyi, contains volatile aromatic oils in its stems and leaves that emit a distinctive fragrance. This scent repels mosquitoes, flies, insects, and ants while purifying the air. In traditional Chinese medicine, mugwort is commonly used medicinally to regulate qi and blood, warm the uterus, and dispel cold and dampness.In acupuncture therapy, the moxibustion technique involves placing processed mugwort "wool" on acupoints and gently burning it to treat ailments.
Step 1: Treating various inflammations and chronic bronchitis.
Take 2 moxa oil capsules three times daily for a 10-day course. Up to 2-4 consecutive courses may be taken for effective relief of chronic bronchitis symptoms including coughing and wheezing. Alternatively, wash and chop 1000g fresh mugwort leaves, steep in 4000ml water for 4-6 hours, then decoct and filter until reduced to approximately 3000ml.Take 40ml three times daily. This effectively alleviates symptoms of chronic bronchitis including coughing with phlegm, wheezing, cold limbs, and pale tongue.
Step 2: Treating Irregular Menstruation with Prolonged Periods.
Combine 10g each of Atractylodes macrocephala, Angelica sinensis, Poria cocos, roasted Ziziphus jujuba seeds, longan aril, and cuttlefish bone; 6g each of Polygala tenuifolia, Glycyrrhiza uralensis, Aquilaria agallocha, charred Artemisia argyi, and charred palm kernel; 15g Astragalus membranaceus; 3g Panax ginseng; 3 slices ginger; and 4 jujube dates. Decoct in water and take orally. This formula is highly effective for prolonged menstruation due to qi deficiency.
Step 3: Treating infertility.
Combining mugwort with other herbs in medicinal cuisine effectively treats infertility caused by spleen-kidney yang deficiency. Method: Take 2 quails, remove feathers and innards. Prepare 15g each of donkey-hide gelatin, dodder seed, and deer antler gelatin; 10g each of ginseng and chuanxiong; 30g mugwort.First, decoct Cuscuta seeds, mugwort leaves, Ligusticum root, and ginseng in water. Strain to obtain 250ml of liquid. Place the quails and the decoction in a steaming bowl. Steam until tender. While hot, add the donkey-hide gelatin and deer antler gelatin. Consume the meat and soup.
Step 4: Acupuncture.
Mugwort is commonly used in acupuncture. For treating facial paralysis, roll dried mugwort leaves into pea-sized balls. Take 8 slices of ginger each about the size of a 2-fen coin, pierce several holes in the center of each slice with a needle, and place a mugwort cone on top. First moxibustion the Xiaguan acupoint, then repeatedly move the moxa from Xiaguan to the Jiache acupoint.Ensure the ginger slices remain in contact with the skin throughout movement. Each piece should receive three moxa cones. Continue until the skin feels warm and slightly reddened, within the patient's tolerance. Perform once daily for a 7-day course. (For facial paralysis with leftward deviation, moxa the right side; vice versa for left deviation.)
The efficacy and functions of mugwort should be well-known by now. It possesses numerous therapeutic benefits, capable of treating various physical ailments. Additionally, one of its functions is weight loss—a reason many people favor mugwort. With increasing numbers pursuing weight loss, traditional Chinese medicine approaches to slimming are now particularly popular.