I have found the topical uses for most plants are quite fragmented and, frankly, lacking a lot of the time. Even the most robust Materia Medica often has a maximum of about three sentences on the topical uses and preparations for a given plant, and the information is so baked into the content it can be almost impossible to tease it out enough to hold it on its own. So I’m embarking on an attempt to compile information from all my sources on some of our favorite plant allies’ topical uses on their own!
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
Plant Profile & Topical Uses of Mugwort
Common Names: Mugwort, Crone’s Wort, Felon Herb
Botanical Name: Artemisia vulgaris (Artemisia=”a gift from Artemis”, Vulgaris=”Common” or “Ordinary”)
Parts Used: Aerial Parts, especially Fresh Flowering Tops (top 4-6″)
Energetics:
- Oil extractions tend toward warming & drying
Primary Actions:
- Nervine – Relaxant/Sedative
- Antispasmodic
- Antiseptic
- Diaphoretic
- Emmenagogue
- Oneirogen
Affinities:
- Female Reproductive System
- Musculoskeletal System
- Digestive System
- Nervous System
- Spirit
Types of Topical Preparations:
“I like to keep an infused oil of mature cronewort leaves on hand for rubbing into the skin of any woman whose pelvic area is distressed due to any reproductive challenge.”
Herbal Rituals, Judith Berger, about Mugwort
How to use Mugwort Topically
🏵 Musculoskeletal Support 🏵
The relaxant nervine and antispasmodic properties of mugwort are helpful when applied through massage. The warming properties of an infused oil are beneficial for bringing an overall relaxation effect during full body massage when applied to large muscle groups such as the back, low back, quads, and calves. I regularly use mugwort combined with St. John’s Wort on my low back during my cycle for both muscle fatigue and sciatic pain.
Considered a “driver herb,” it may be combined with other herbs in formulation to help assist those other herbs in penetrating deeper into the tissues and improving their efficacy. For this reason this is one of my favorite herbs to blend with, and is featured in many of formulated products.
🏵 Lower Abdominal Stagnation 🏵
My primary use for mugwort is PMS support. I tend toward slugglish onset of my cycle, and this is one of my most reliable tools to support me during the phase where I know I will be starting any day because of digestive issues, cramps, and low back pain.
This example is somewhat of a blend between uses for mugwort, and even though it’s not exactly an example of mugworts affinity for the female reproductive system, I’m choosing to include it here because the physical trauma to my womb area in this accident was one of my primary considerations for utilizing mugwort to heal from this injury. A few years back I slipped and fell from the bumper of my Subaru, and on the way down I took a pretty substantial blow to the lower abdomen. The result was a deep bruise stretching from hip to hip for which I used mugwort daily to help increase circulation to the area. Mugwort is one of the herbs featured in my Trauma Oil blend, which I co-created with an herbalist friend who had just broken her ankle and have since used with myself and my family following falls resulting in bruising but no broken skin.
🏵 Spiritual 🏵
One of mugwort’s more famed uses is for dreamwork due to it’s properties as an oneirogen or dream enhancer. Some users find themselves rather sensitive to this effect and prefer to avoid the herb for this reason. I have found that my dream recall sees some improvement with use, and only once when I processed a large volume of infused oil did I ever experience overly intense dreams that were disruptive to my sleep (these weren’t nightmares, just disruptive to me since I don’t regularly have strong dream recall or heavy involvement.) Historically used to both protect against evil spirits or negative forces, as well as to sharpen intuition and deepen ones connection with the spiritual world.
🏵 Wound Healing 🏵
While there are other herbs that I am far more likely to use and recommend for wound healing in most circumstances, mugwort has become a favorite for me to specifically combat chafing in the heat of the south. I’ve found it superior to even lavender for minor skin irritation from sweat, although I frequently wind up combining the two anyway.
Contraindications
Mugwort’s emmenagogue properties make it contraindicated during pregnancy.
These statements are solely for informational purposes and have not been evaluated by the Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Any recommended products and the information provided on this website are not meant to diagnose‚ treat or cure any disease or medical condition. It is not medical advice and should not be treated as such. Please consult your doctor before starting any exercise or nutritional supplement program or before using these or any similar products.
Resources
Some of the links in this post are affiliate links. This means if you click on the link and purchase the item, I will receive an affiliate commission at no extra cost to you. All opinions remain my own.
- Popham, Sajah – Materia Medica Monthly Program
- Berger, Judith; Herbal Rituals, pp 5-25
- Handcrafted Healing Herbal Oils – Online Course with Kami McBride
- Tilgner, Dr. Sharol Marie; Herbal Medicine from the Heart of the Earth, pg. 158
- Ayales, Adriana; The Herbal Astrology Oracle; pg 36
