Mugwort, southernwood, and wormwood are all artemisias, with very bitter, inedible leaves, unlike another member of this family, French tarragon (A. dracunculus), which is one of the most prized and sought after culinary herbs, and has a chapter to itself. Mugwort has ragged-looking, broad-cut leaves, dull green above, gray-white and downy underneath. The small, pale yellow flowers cluster on long stems in late summer and autumn (fall). The plant, like wormwood, grows tall, about 4 feet (1.2 m) high. Southern-wood is a cottage-garden favorite. It has branching, feathery grayish green foliage with a piercing, lively aroma disliked by insects. The creamy-colored flowers are insignificant and rarely bloom; when flowers do appear it is in late summer to autumn (fall). When cut back early the plant becomes compact and bushy, growing to about 3 feet (90 cm). If not pruned it looks stunted and spindly. Wormwood has decorative, serrated silver-gray leaves, silky to touch, and grows to 4 feet (1.2 m). The tiny balls of lemon-green flowers are carried closely together vertically on long stalks in late summer and autumn (fall). The leaves have a very bitter taste and a warm yet acrid aroma. Another widely grown type is Russian wormwood, which has finely cut light green ferny foliage with a typically bitter taste and “dry” aroma. It too has small creamy flowers from late summer to autumn (fall) and grows to 4 feet (1.2 m). Some other wormwoods are sea wormwood (A. maritima), Roman wormwood (A. pontica), and dusty miller (A. stelleriana).
History and mythology
The botanical name for the artemisia family comes from Artemis, the Greek name for Diana, the goddess with bow and arrow, who is said to have found this genus. Mugwort had a reputation in early times as being a witch’s herb. In the middle ages it was used by crystal-gazers as its leaves habitually turned to the north, and were said to have a strong magnetic power. On a more everyday note, the leaves were also used to flavor and clarify beer. Southernwood was brought to England in the reign of Elizabeth I, and soon became popular in every garden. Sprigs went into fragrant country nosegays, thus earning its popular name of “lad’s love.” Another name for southernwood is “old man,” probably because the bush has a hoary, whiskery appearance. Wormwood was one of the plants hung in the doorways to keep away evil spirits in the Middle Ages. Once it was said to prevent drunkenness, yet the leaves are an ingredient in the highly intoxicating French liqueur absinthe. The leaves go into vermouth too, which has many other herbs in it as well.
Cultivation
As southernwood rarely flowers, the seed, as far as we know, is unobtainable. When growing mugwort and wormwood from seed, sow in spring (and in autumn fall in temperate climates) in a prepared seed box: keep moist. Thin out the seedlings when large enough to handle and plant out. Propagating mugwort, southernwood and wormwood from cuttings is done in late spring, taking leafy tips 4 inches (10 cm) and snipping them just below a node.
Insert cuttings into a pot of coarse river sand, leaving approximately 2 inches (5 cm) of the cuttings above the sand. Keep the cuttings watered, and by mid-summer the roots should have become established enough for planting out. A word of caution: mugwort can be invasive, and should be kept under control in the garden.
Harvesting and processing
The best time to harvest mugwort, southernwood and wormwood for drying is in warm weather when the oil content in their leaves is most abundant. If needed, they can be picked and dried at other times of the year, as their aroma is always strong, although the etheric oils will not be as ample. Cut leafy branches on a dry day before noon, then hang in bunches in a shady, airy place. When dry, strip leaves from the stalks and seal in airtight containers.
Various uses
Culinary
Mugwort, southernwood and wormwood are grouped with rue and tansy as historically bitter herbs. Some were eaten on Easter Day as a reminder of the bitter herbs eaten at the Feast of the Passover. Mugwort has practically no place in the kitchen, although it can be an ingredient in stuffings for fatty fish, goose, duck, or pork; its therapeutic qualities are valuable in herbal medicine. There are no records in our research of southernwood having ever been used in food; however, we were once told an interesting cooking story about this herb. Often such aromatic plants growing wild in remote places have regional culinary uses, and a visiting couple recalled with delight a memorable meal they had enjoyed in a far-off European mountain area where villagers had roasted a tender lamb (or kid) on a smouldering bed of freshly gathered southernwood branches. The special aroma of southernwood smoke permeated the meat and surrounding air deliciously: the meal was a gourmet one, reminiscent of today’s nouvelle cuisine. Wormwood, like its companions, has a limited culinary use, except for counteracting the fat in certain meat and is sometimes put into a stuffing for goose.
Medicinal
An old belief was that if travelers carried a sprig of mugwort, they would never tire. The dried, flowering shoots, leaves, and roots are used in herbal medicine as decoctions, or teas, to assist women’s problems, lack of appetite, and as an aid to digestion. The leaves may be used in tobacco. The whole of southernwood has medicinal properties; it has been used in tonics, antiseptics, expelling intestinal worms, and put into aromatic baths. Wormwood’s leaves, flowers, and roots have many uses in herbal medicine. It too is an excellent tonic, an aid to digestion, and also expels worms. Wormwood is of course a necessary ingredient in the making of absinthe; it was also sometimes employed by brewers instead of hops. It is not wise to overuse these three herbs as they can have adverse effects. Take only when prescribed by an expert in the knowledge of herbal medicine.
Cosmetic
Mugwort does not have a cosmetic use. Southernwood’s leaves can be made into an infusion as a wash to clean the skin, and it is also valuable, because of its antiseptic properties, to mix with chamomile and lemongrass for a facial steam where pimples and blackheads are present. Wormwood has some value in cosmetic therapy too: like southernwood, a leaf or two may be added with other herbs to a facial steam. It is also recommended to put a spray or two, with a few sprigs of fragrant lavender, into a cleansing bath.
Companion planting
Mugwort plants, or dried leaves, repel flies and moths. Southern¬ wood growing in the garden is a protection against cabbage moth caterpillars. Planted near fruit trees, it wards off fruit tree moths. The leaves dry well for potpourri and for putting in wardrobes and drawers as a moth repellent, hence its French name of garde robe. Wormwood, fresh or dried, is also an excellent moth preventive. Sometimes when planted too near other plants in the garden it inhibits their growth, because of a substance excreted by the root. Anise, fennel, sage, and caraway are especially vulnerable. A clump of wormwood bushes growing in the garden makes a restful silver-gray picture as well as being a natural, living enemy to the dreaded cabbage moth caterpillar. When leaves are brewed into a strong tea and sprayed onto the ground, they will repel slugs and snails. The tea is said to rid domestic pets of fleas when rubbed into their coats.
