From The Forest

Constituents: Sesquiterpenes, achillin, anthemidin, artedouglasia oxide, douglanine, ludovicin, tanaparthin-α-peroxide, and tanapartholide b; monoterpenes, borneol, camphor, chrysanthemol, transchrysanthenol, and α-pinene; flavonoids, butein, isoliquiritigenin, isorhamnetin, quercetin; coumarins, lacarol and scopoletin.

Anthelmintic – Western mugwort is effective against a number of intestinal parasites. Drink several cups of tea daily for treatment of traveler’s diarrhea, pinworm infections and other infestations effecting intestinal function. Take as a cold infused tea or 1 to 2 drops in warm water 3 times daily. Most Artemisia sp. contain artemisinin, a compound used in conventional medicine as an antimalarial drug. Even whole herb preparations have traditional use in intermittent fevers – one hallmark of malaria (Plasmodium falciparum) infection.

Liver aid – Western Mugwort has a number of effects on the liver. Overtly it increases bile synthesis and release. If prone to gallstone formation Western mugwort will thin bile enough to diminish stone formation. The herb has a cooling, antioxidant effect on hepatocyte function and tend to reduce elevated liver enzyme levels – all stress markers evident in viral and general hepatitis. In addition, the plant inhibits glutathione depletion within hepatocytes. Use 1 tsp. two times daily.

Stomach aid – Western Mugwort is a medicine for the gastrointestinal tract. The plant’s gastric stimulation can largely be determined by its bitterness. The more bitter the plant, the more stimulation it will provide. Underlying Western Mugwort's bitter tonic activity is its seemingly paradoxical cytoprotective effect on gastric and intestinal tissue. Western Mugwort, has the ability of stabilizing cellular membranes and ultimately protecting gastrointestinal tissues from an array of inflammatory conditions. These plants have been shown to provide cyclooxygenase inhibition, increased glycoprotein (mucus) synthesis, granulocyte degranulation inhibition, as well as transcription factor NF-κB inhibition. All of these activities protect gastrointestinal tract mucosa from the body’s own inflammatory responses. Use Western Mugwort as a daily tea or tincture (1 tsp. per cup of hot water) for ulcerative colitis, gastritis, or other inflammatory conditions affecting the area.