The name “mugwort” in the US is a signifier for “invasive,” but when grown purposefully, the aromatic section of the Artemisia genus has much to recommend it. Some species are native in regions of the western United States and are much loved by ecological gardeners, while others are grown for their feathery or felty foliage. Southernwood or wormwood, sagebrush or artemisia (which is what it’s called in the UK), mugwort has many guises. Herbalist and gardener Naneh Israelyan of Pioneer Flora explains why it is one of her favorite plants to grow.

Photography by Valery Rizzo.

I first met Naneh when I wrote about Honey’s Bar, where she runs the rooftop garden alongside its owners. I was immediately intrigued by her admiration for the often maligned weed. “Artemisias have a long history of use in herbal medicine. Their applications in reproductive health span from ancient civilizations to indigenous cultures,” says Naneh, whose remedies specialize in women’s health. “I’m fascinated by the long history of Artemisia’s role in alleviating reproductive complications, and its influence on the development of traditional plant medicine.”

Artemisia is named after the classical goddess Artemis, whose wide-ranging résumé includes childbirth and childcare as well as hunting and the wilderness. And the moon. Artemisia is considered a lunar herb; mugwort and wormwood are associated with quality sleep and the optimal dreaming that comes with it. But moon lore also lends itself to hyperbole. “The origin of mugwort as a ‘dream herb’  has always been a bit murky to me,” says Naneh. “It might be a diluted interpretation of the medicinal application for pain during childbirth. North American Indigenous women have a long and well-documented history of using endemic and bioregional Artemisia to treat complications with menstruation and difficult labor.” This is the rub; it wasn’t an invasive herb for Indigenous people; California mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) is endemic to the western states, as well as white sagebrush, sand sagebrush, and big sagebrush.