Mugwort (Ai) Classified as a Medium-grade drug in the Supplementary Records

Explanation of Names

Moxibustion Grass from the Erya; Medical Grass from the Supplementary Records; Yellow Grass from the Piya; Mugwort-Artemisia Shizhen states: Wang Anshi’s Explanation of Characters says that Mugwort (Ai 艾) can govern or cure (yi 乂) diseases, and its quality improves with age, hence the character contains the component for "to govern." Lu Dian’s Piya notes that the Treatise on Curiosities claims if you carve ice into a round shape and hold it toward the sun, placing mugwort where the shadow falls will catch fire This describes a lens made of ice used to focus sunlight. Thus, it is also called "Ice Terrace." Doctors use it to cauterize a hundred diseases, so it is called Moxibustion Grass. One burning is called a "unit" (zhuang), modeled after the strength of a robust man.

Collected Explanations

The Supplementary Records state: Mugwort leaves grow in fields and wilderness. Collect them on the third day of the third lunar month and dry them in the sun. Tao Hongjing says: It is found everywhere; those from Fudao and Siming are superior. This variety is excellent for treating all diseases via moxibustion. When young, it spreads on the ground; the stalks resemble artemisia, and the leaf backs are white. Short seedlings are best. Collect on the third day of the third month or the fifth day of the fifth month. Dry in the sun; it must be aged before use. Li Shizhen states: The Classic of Materia Medica does not specify a local origin, only that it grows in fields. In the Song Dynasty, those from Tangyin and Fudao were best, and those from Siming were illustrated. Recently, the Tangyin variety is called "Northern Mugwort" and the Siming variety "Sea Mugwort." Since the Chenghua era (1465–1487), the variety from Qizhou has been considered superior and is called "Qi Mugwort." Legend says that while the heat of other mugwort cannot penetrate one's alcohol tolerance, a single moxibustion with Qi Mugwort penetrates directly through. This herb grows mostly on mountains and plains. In the second month, the perennial roots sprout seedlings in clumps. The stalks grow straight and white, four to five feet high. The leaves spread in four directions like artemisia, divided into five points, with smaller points at the tips. The surface is green, the back is white, downy, soft, and thick. In the seventh or eighth month, spikes emerge between the leaves like plantain spikes, with tiny flowers and abundant seeds. It withers after the frost. It is harvested on the fifth day of the fifth month, stalks and all. My late father, Yuechizi (whose taboo name was Yanwen), once wrote the Treatise on Qi Mugwort in one volume, praising it: "Produced on the sunny side of the mountains, harvested at the Dragon Boat Festival; its merit in curing disease and moxibustion is no small help." Zong Lin’s Record of Seasonal Splendor of Jing-Chu says: On the fifth day of the fifth month, before the cock crows, collect mugwort shaped like a human; these are very effective for moxibustion. On that day, mugwort is fashioned into human shapes and hung over doors to ward off toxic energy. The dried stalks can be soaked in sesame oil to lead fire for moxibustion, which moistens the sores until they heal. It can also be used as fuel or as a candle wick.

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Preparation of the Leaves

Kou Zongshi states: Grind dry mugwort leaves and remove the green residue to get the white fibers. Add a little powdered stone sulfur; this is called "Sulfur Mugwort," used by physicians. Add a little rice flour when grinding for internal medicine. Li Shizhen states: For all mugwort use, it must be aged. Process it until fine and soft; this is called "processed mugwort." Using fresh mugwort for fire will damage the muscles and meridians. Mencius said: "For a seven-year illness, seek three-year-old mugwort." Pick out dust and debris, select clean leaves, place in a stone mortar, and pound with a wooden pestle. Sieve out the dregs to get the white fibers, then pound again until soft as cotton. Dry it by heat before use so the fire is effective. For women’s pills or powders, use processed mugwort boiled with vinegar until dry, pound into cakes, dry by heat, and grind to powder. Using glutinous rice paste to make cakes or frying with wine is not ideal. Hong Mai’s Chatter from the Rong Garden says: Mugwort is hard to grind fine; if you put three or five pieces of Poria (Kuailing) into the mortar with it, it can be turned into fine powder instantly—a truly strange phenomenon.

Flavor and Nature

Bitter, slightly warm, non-toxic. Su Gong says: Raw it is cold, processed it is hot. Li Yuansu says: Bitter and warm, the "Yang within Yin." Shizhen says: Bitter and pungent; raw it is warm, processed it is hot.

Primary Indications

Moxibustion for a hundred diseases. Can be made into a decoction to stop vomiting of blood, dysentery, and sores of the lower parts, and uterine bleeding in women.
Benefits the "Yin energy," grows muscle, dispels wind and cold, and helps people conceive. When making a decoction, do not let it be exposed to wind. from Supplementary Records
Drink the expressed juice to stop bleeding from injuries and kill intestinal worms. Tao Hongjing
Mainly for nosebleeds, bloody dysentery; used in water decoctions or pills/powders. Su Gong
For heavy uterine bleeding (red or white), hemorrhoids, and blood in the stool.
Apply to metal wounds (cuts), stops abdominal pain, stabilizes pregnancy. A decoction made with bitter wine (vinegar) treats ringworm very well. Drink the juice to treat all "cold energy" or "ghostly energy" in the heart and abdomen. Zhen Quan
Treats vaginal discharge, stops cholera-like vomiting and cramps, and treats chills and fever after dysentery. Daming
Treats disorders of the Girdle Vessel where the abdomen feels full and the waist feels as if sitting in water. Wang Haogu
Warms the center, expels cold, and removes dampness. Shizhen

Discoveries

Meng Shen says: In spring, pick tender mugwort to eat as a vegetable, or mix with flour to make dumplings. Swallowing three to five the size of marbles followed by rice treats all "evil ghostly energy." Long-term use stops cold dysentery. Making dry cakes of tender mugwort and taking them with ginger decoction is excellent for diarrhea and postpartum blood in the stool. Su Song says: Recently, some people take mugwort alone, or mix it with steamed papaya for pills, or drink it as a soup on an empty stomach to supplement weakness. However, it can be toxic; if the "poison" breaks out, heat energy rushes upward, causing uncontrollable mania. During the Zhenghe era (1111–1117), there were cases of people losing their voices or bleeding; truly, it should not be taken recklessly. Zhu Zhenheng says: Infertility in women is often due to blood deficiency being unable to retain essence. Common doctors call the uterus "deficient and cold" and prescribe pungent, hot mugwort. They do not realize that mugwort’s nature is extremely hot. When used in moxibustion, the energy moves downward; when taken as medicine, the energy moves upward. The Materia Medica only says its nature is warm, not mentioning its heat...