Mugwort Seed Pack

Mugwort has a long history of medicinal and magical use; nowadays it is most commonly used as a digestive stimulant and as a support to the female reproductive system, but for many centuries – even millenia – it was believed to have protective powers and was used to combat witchcraft and ward off evil. 

For a plant that is so often written off as a ‘weed’, mugwort holds a remarkably elevated position in herbal folklore; it is said to have been one of nine herbs that were sacred to anglo-saxon tribes, and its many healing properties gave it its ancient name Mater Herbarum, or ‘mother of all herbs’. Its use as a medicinal plant has declined in modern times, but there seems to have been a revival of its use as an esoteric herb, especially with those seeking to harness its visionary qualities and experience more lucid dreams. 

Mugwort is a tough perennial that is often found growing in wastelands throughout much of the Northern Hemisphere. It is an easy plant to grow, thriving in neglected parts of the garden where other plants may struggle. It can be grown in full sunshine or partial shade, and you will have plenty of leaves to harvest within a few months of sowing. 

Sowing and Growing 

Sow indoors anytime between late winter and early summer, or outdoors from mid-spring. Scatter the seed on the surface and gently press into the soil (do not bury). Keep the soil moist and they should germinate within a couple of weeks. 

Uses and Benefits 

Mugwort is a contradictory plant in that it is a warming bitter. Bitter plants tend to be more cooling and anti-inflammatory but mugwort is a warmer. It is rich in warming and invigorating essential oils, such as linalool and pinene, and bitter sesquiterpene lactones, and supports digestion by stimulating digestive secretions but also by soothing digestive spasms. As our brain and belly seems so intricately connected mugwort’s ability to lift stagnation in our digestion is mirrored in its effect to gently lift the spirits. It seems to have an invigorating effect on blood flow too, especially where there is cold in the lower back and abdomen, making it useful for painful periods and to ease menstrual flow. 

Mugwort is also used in moxa treatments in acupuncture. 

Harvesting and Preparation 

Harvest the aerial parts before flowering in the summer. 
Dry the leaves in a dehydrator at 35C for 12 hours. 
Use as a bitter tea by infusing 1 teaspoon in freshly boiled water for 15 minutes and sip before a meal. 
Don’t use more than a gram or two a day. 
Mugwort tinctures very well at a ratio of 1 part herb to 5 parts liquid at 25% strength alcohol. 

Minimum 100 seeds per pack.