The Magic & Medicine of Mugwort
Oh mugwort — also called crone’s wort among women’s circles (which is a very appropriate name, as you’ll see below).
Mugwort is a plant I love and grow in my own organic gardens. This year, I created mugwort flower essence, mugwort smoke bundles, mugwort hydrsosol, and even mugwort pigment! I also baked mugwort cookies and dried leaves to use for teas and dreaming throughout the year.
Mugwort—most commonly Artemisia vulgaris in Europe and A. argyi or A. princeps in East Asia—is a perennial herb with a long history as a healer, a companion for dreams, and a plant of ritual protection. It carries a herbaceous, slightly bitter, camphoraceous aroma and has been used across cultures for digestive support, moxibustion, divination, and as a smoke medicine for clearing and opening subtle pathways.
Botanical profile and lifecycle
Mugwort is a hardy, rhizomatous perennial that favors disturbed ground, roadsides, fields, and forest edges. Stems rise from creeping rootstocks and bear deeply lobed, grey-green leaves often paler beneath. Flower clusters are small, inconspicuous, and wind-pollinated; they appear late summer into fall. Mugwort spreads readily by rhizome and seed, which makes it resilient but also aggressive in some settings.
Key identifying notes:
Leaves: alternate, deeply lobed, often with a downy or silvery underside.
Flowers: small, clustered, usually yellowish-green or brownish.
Growth habit: erect stems from a creeping rootstock; can form colonies.
Harvesting and sustainability
In many places, mugwort grows freely and weedily :) Harvest aerial parts just before or at early flower for best aromatic character and in ways that do not encourage unwanted spread into sensitive habitats. Respect private and protected lands; gather only where legal and sustainable.
If you harvest your own mugwort, be sure to check out my free ethical foraging guide and free plant identification guides.
Traditional and ethnobotanical uses
Mugwort has a broad, cross-cultural profile, often carried as a talisman against intrusion and used in protective bundles and sleep pillows to encourage lucid or prophetic dreams.
In the Taoist traditions I study, as well as Classical and Traditional Chinese Medicine in general, the leaves of mugwort are dried and used for moxibustion—compressed into cones or sticks and burned over acupuncture points to apply warming, focused heat.
On the European continent, artemisia vulgaris appears in herbal and folk practices as a bitter for digestion, a menstrual aide, and as a component in dreamwork. The Greek lunar goddess Artemis gave her name to this family of feminine-aligned plants.
Diana (Artemis) the Huntress - (1870-1924) Guillaume Seignac
Aromatic & perfumery character
While I use mugwort in some spirit sprays and anointing oils, it’s green-herbaceous, slightly camphoraceous, bittersweet aroma can overwhelm perfumes. Though, I do of course have mugwort and other artemisia’s in my botanical perfume for Artemis ;)
Mugwort registers as an aromatic green with medicinal and almost resinous facets when warmed. In perfumery it functions as a green-middle note that can lend herbal depth and an aged, medicinal nuance to incense, chypres, and leather accords.
Making your own magical perfumes? Some tips:
Use sparingly. A little mugwort essential oil shifts a blend toward herbal depth without dominating, but it’s super easy to overdo.
Pairs well with: cedar, vetiver, bergamot (use a bergapten-free fraction if blending for skin), frankincense, lavender, and smoky resins.
Preparations and ritual applications
Simple anointing oil (external use only)
Infuse a 1:1 ratio of fresh mugwort in an oil of your choice (olive works well). I let the mugwort wilt a bit overnight first — this allows bugs to run free and releases excess moisture. Then, finely chop the leaves, infuse in a warm,indirect heat for 2-4 hours (I use a water bath in a crockpot and smell continuously to check doneness and prevent burning), strain, and bottle.
Use as an anointing oil for protective rituals or before dreamwork.
Dream pillow
My favorite combo is dried mugwort leaf with dried lavender and a pinch of hops. Sew into a small cotton sachet and place beneath your pillow. Write down your dreams and insights upon awaking.
Smudge or smoke bundle
Mugwort can be bundled alone or with other aromatic herbs. Burn outdoors or in a well-ventilated space, moving smoke gently through thresholds or around objects you wish to clear.
Medicinal notes and safety
Historical herbal uses include mugwort bitters for digestion and topical warming applications. Modern use of the Artemisia species in general do require some caution:
Some Artemisia contain thujone and other compounds that can be neuroactive at high doses. Do not ingest mugwort preparations without guidance from a qualified herbalist or healthcare practitioner.
Mugwort is traditionally associated with stimulating menstrual flow. Avoid internal use during pregnancy and when trying to conceive.
People with severe allergies to the Asteraceae family (ragweed, chrysanthemum, marigold) may react to mugwort. Test topical preparations on a small patch of skin first.
Moxa and smoke practices involve heat and combustion—practice with care to prevent burns and smoke inhalation.
Always treat herbal and aromatic work as complementary and not as a substitute for medical care. If you have chronic health issues, are pregnant, or take medications, consult a qualified practitioner before using mugwort in any therapeutic way.
Spirit and practice
Mugwort is a plant for threshold work. In many traditions it accompanies transition—between waking and dreaming, between one season and the next, between visible and subtle. Use mugwort to support dream incubation, to hold liminal space before divination, or as part of a protective cordon for ritual work. Keep offerings modest, and pair its use with grounding practices—pine, cedar, or a simple earth anointing—to integrate whatever arises.
If you would like to explore plant medicines and aromatic craft more deeply, join the waitlist for Nectar & Alchemy: The School of Sacred Aromatics.
Current classes include Angel Anointing, Becoming a Myrrhophore, and more — and I’ll be sharing a foundational anointing oil class in January 2026!
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Juniper Stokes is a certified coach, mythoanimist guide, alchemist & artist.