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Reference

Compendium

Ingredients for spellwork: their formal and folk names, categories, deities and forms, with the sources behind them.

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    313 ingredients

    313 ingredients

    NewCaution
    Botanical Name
    Artemisia vulgaris

    Mugwort

    Mugwort is an aromatic perennial that can reach about one and a half metres, with angular, purplish stems and deeply cut leaves that are dark green above and pale and woolly beneath. Small yellowish or reddish flower heads open from midsummer into early autumn. It is native to temperate Europe, Asia, North Africa and Alaska, has naturalised in North America, where some treat it as an invasive weed, and spreads chiefly through its creeping rhizomes. Before hops were adopted, it flavoured English beer and gruit ales, and it is still a cooking herb in Germany. Older writers credited it with keeping the traveller safe from fatigue, sunstroke and wild beasts, and traced the name of its genus to Artemis. In several European countries it was hung from the rafters against witches, lightning and plague, and at Midsummer it was worn, hung up or thrown on the bonfire for protection. In magical practice it belongs to dreams and seeing: it is stuffed into pillows for prophetic dreams, burned during scrying, drunk as a honeyed infusion before divination, and used to wash crystal balls and magic mirrors.

    Caution

    Not for use in pregnancy except under the supervision of a qualified healthcare practitioner: it has been reported as an abortifacient and is classed as an emmenagogue (AHPA safety class 2b). Its safety while nursing has not been established. Mugwort is a relatively common cause of contact dermatitis, and allergic reactions have been reported, including cross-reactivity in people allergic to pine nut or lettuce. It can be toxic if swallowed in large quantities.

    The Oil form carries its own caution; the ingredient's page shows it.

    Forms

    • Herb
    • Oil

    Correspondences

    Elements
    Earth, Air, Water
    Celestial Bodies
    Venus, Moon, Neptune
    Zodiac Signs
    Cancer, Gemini, Libra, Sagittarius, Taurus
    Deities
    Artemis (Greek), Diana (Roman), Hecate (Greek), Isis (Egyptian), Thor (Norse)

    Folk Names

    • Artemis Herb
    • Artemisia
    • Common Wormwood
    • Felon Herb
    • Motherwort
    • Muggert
    • Muggons
    • Naughty Man
    • Old Man
    • Old Uncle Henry
    • Sailor's Tobacco
    • Silver Leaf
    • St. John's Plant
    • Wild Wormwood

    Categories

    • Banishing
    • Divination
    • Dream Work
    • Fertility
    • Healing
    • Love
    • Lust
    • Peace
    • Protection
    • Psychic Work
    • Purification
    • Release
    • Strength
    See in Compendium