MUGWORT (moxa-ai ye)
Mugwort was used from the earliest times in Europe and Asia. Roman centurions reputedly placed mugwort in their sandals to keep the soles of their feet in good shape. The Greek physician Dioscorides (1st century AD) recounted that the goddess Artemis (who inspired the plant's genus name) was believed to give succor to women in childbirth. The 13th-century Welsh herbal The Physicians of Myddfai recommended: "If a woman be unable to give birth to her child let the mugwort be bound to her left thigh. Let it be instantly removed when she has been delivered, lest there should be haemorrhage." An 18th-century Spanish herbalist, Diego de Torres, recommended the application of a mugwort plaster below the navel as an effective method of inducing labour. In China, mugwort has been valued for millennia. It is the principal ingredient of moxa, used in moxibustion - in which heat from a burning, cigar-shaped roll of chopped leaves is applied to acupuncture points. PARTS USED Aerial parts, root. USES A digestive and tonic herb, mugwort has a wide variety of traditional uses. Milder in action than most other Artemisia species, it can be taken over the long term at a low dose to improve appetite, digestive function, and absorption of nutrients. In addition to encouraging the elimination of worms, mugwort increases bile flow and mildly induces the onset of menstruation. The European conception of mugwort as a uterine stimulant is contradicted by Chinese usage, in which it is prescribed to prevent miscarriage and to reduce or stop menstrual bleeding. Mugwort is also an antiseptic and has been used in the treatment of malaria.
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