Mugwort, Yomogi, Sook, Agenjo del Pais, Ambfe (Otomi), Artemisia, Epazote de Castilla, Green Wormwood, Hierba de San Juan, Xun, Zizim, Felon Herb, Sailor’s Tobacco, Gypsy Tobacco, Moxa Herb, Old Man, Muggons, Ai-Hao, Una, Pati

FAVORITE USE(S): For inducing mild relaxation and for increasing the intensity of dreams and dream recall

FAVORITE TIME(S): Any time of day, but especially just about an hour before going to sleep

Mugwort is a plant which has been used for hundreds of years as a tool for magic and dream work in many different countries.  In the Middle Ages in Europe, mugwort was used for protection, and was also placed in gardens as an insect repellant.  I first came across mugwort when I was studying European witchcraft traditions.  I found that it has long been used to induce lucid dreaming and to aid in astral projection.

Mugwort is also found in Korea and Japan, where it is used widely in various types of cuisine, and where it is also placed outside of homes and in ritual spaces in order to ward off evil spirits.  Some species of Korean mugwort are said to be so potent that individuals will experience psychoactive effects just through skin contact when gathering the plant leaves!  The Ainu tribe of northern Japan are reported to drink a tea made of mugwort for purposes of inducing divinatory states and for warding off evil spirits.

When I have smoked dried mugwort, or taken a tea made from the herbage, I have experienced mild and pleasant stimulation and euphoria, followed by relaxation and calm.  I almost always find that after taking mugwort, my dream recall is improved and I am also able to achieve lucidity more easily.  Mugwort contains thujone, just like the wormwood which is used to make absinthe, and this is said to account for many if its psychoactive properties.

Mugwort is well known for enhancing dreaming, both in sleep and in shamanic trance work. Mugwort is also reported to increase the color saturation of dreams.  It can also occasionally cause nightmares or restless dreams.  Mugwort seems to assist the individual in whatever state they are in at a particular time in their dream work.  If you are having a hard time remembering your dreams, mugwort will assist in recall.  If you are trying to attain lucid dreaming states, mugwort will help to make this process easier.  This herb has been used for thousands of years for dreaming, and I find it to be a most useful addition to my dreaming work.

HOW TO PREPARE/RECIPE: Mugwort is often used in cooking, and is also sometimes added to distilled spirits, such as tequila, in order to create a powerful extract.  My personal favorite way of taking mugwort is to smoke the dried herbage.  Artemisia vulgaris smoking is the simplest and most effective way that I have found of working with this plant.  If you want to know, ‘how much mugwort should I smoke?’, just 1-3 grams of smoked dried herbage will create a feeling of euphoria and will have an undeniable effect on the dream state if smoked just before bed.  Higher doses of mugwort can act as an abortifacient, so pregnant women should not take mugwort in any quantities under any circumstances.  Mugwort is also particularly pleasant when mixed in smoking blends with other herbs such as wormwood and wild lettuce.

3 grams of dried mugwort herbage can also be placed in 2 cups of boiling water to make a tea, although the taste is not particularly pleasant.  If you have access to fresh mugwort, it may be placed under the pillow before bed in order to produce beautiful, lucid dreams.  Mugwort essential oil can also be diffused in an oil burner just before bed to assist in dreaming.  The most powerful combination I have found is to consume a tea made of mugwort and then to smoke some of the herbage just before going to bed.  This will produce undeniably powerful effects that will be noticeable fairly quickly.