Botany
Erect perennial herb; hairy, aromatic, often semiwoody, with leafy and branched stems, growing to a height of 1 meter. Leaves up to 14 centimeters long, lobed, hairy, gray beneath, with nearly smooth upper surface. Numerous flower heads are spikelike, ascending, branched inflorescences. Fruit is minute.

Distribution
Widely cultivated in the Philippines, around the houses, gardens and open places. Propagated by cuttings and layering.

Chemical constituents and characteristics
Plant yields a volatile oil consisting of cineol, thujone, paraffin and aldehyde.
Fragrant but bitter to taste.
Emmenagogue

Parts utilized
Leaves and flowers

Uses
Folkloric
- Decoction of fresh leaves and flowering tops, 50 g in a pint of water, 4-5 glasses daily as expectorant.
- Juice of leaves used as vulnerary, to heal wounds and cuts.
- As emmenagogue: A strong decoction of leaves, 6-7 glasses a day to induce menstruation; also, for post-partum abdominal cramps.
- Juice of leaves applied to head of young children during convulsions.
- For intestinal deworming, decoction of boiled leaves, followed by the juice of aloe or other purgative plants.
- Decoction of leaves used for abdominal colic pains.
- Leaf poultice for headache and skin diseases.
- Decoction of dried leaves used for asthma and dyspepsia.
- Juice used externally for scabies, eczema, herpes.
- With ginger: Pounded leaves, mixed with ginger are wrapped in banana leaves and heated over a fire, and applied to wounds and swollen and inflammed dermal afflictions.
- Stimulates appetite, young leaves used for anorexia.
Others
- Flowering tops of mugwort used by modern dyers in the production of green dye.
-Before tobacco, leaves smoked by old people.
- Young and tender, used as pot herb.
Studies
(1) A new sesquiterpene from Artemisia vulgaris http://www.springerlink.com/content/q47q3124w0t2x241/
(2) Estrogenic Flavonoids from Artemisia vulgaris L.
http://pubs.acs.org/cgi-bin/abstract.cgi/jafcau/1998/46/i08/abs/jf9801264.html
A study isolatedtwenty flavonoids, the most abundant were eriodictyol and luteolin. Two flavonoids, eriodictyol and apigenin,induced the transcription of the estrogen receptor gene in transgenic yeast.
(3) Major dicaffeoylquinic acids from Artemisia vulgaris
http://www.ingentaconnect.com/content/els/0367326x/2000/00000071/00000005/art00163

Availability
Wild-crafted.