Welcome to the summary page for FabulousFusionFood's Wild Food guide to Mugwort along with all the Mugwort containing recipes presented on this site, with 4 recipes in total.

This is a continuation of an entire series of pages that will, I hope, allow my visitors to better navigate this site. As well as displaying recipes by name, country and region of origin I am now planning a whole series of pages where recipes can be located by meal type and main ingredient. This page gives a listing of all the Cornish recipes added to this site.

These recipes, all contain Mugwort as a major wild food ingredient.

Mugwort, Artemisia vulgaris, (also known as Cingulum Sancti Johannis, Artemis Herb, Artemisia, Chrysanthemum Weed, Common Mugwort, Common Wormwood, Felon Herb, Muggons, Naughty Man, Old Man, Old Uncle Henry, Sailor's Tobacco, St John's Plant, Beifuß and Wild Wormwood) is a tall, herbaceous perennial of the Asteraceae (daisy) family that's native to temperate Europe, Asia and northern Africa, but has been naturalized in North America where it is an invasive weed. It is a tall herbaceous perennial plant growing 1–2 m (rarely 2.5 m) tall, with a woody root. The leaves are 5–20 cm long, dark green, pinnate, with dense white tomentose hairs on the underside. The erect stem often has a red-purplish tinge. The rather small flowers (5 mm long) are radially symmetrical with many yellow or dark red petals. The narrow and numerous capitula (flower heads) spread out in racemose panicles. It flowers from July to September.

The species has a number of recorded historic uses in food, herbal medicine, and as a smoking herb. It is also used by many before sleeping, as it is thought that placing the herb inside the cover of a pillow and sleeping on the pillow can induce vivid dreams. The leaves and buds, best picked shortly before the plant flowers in July to September, were used as a bitter flavouring agent to season fat, meat and fish. In Germany, known as Beifuß, it is mainly used to season goose, especially the roast goose traditionally eaten for Christmas. In the Middle Ages Mugwort was used as part of a herbal mixture called gruit, used in the flavouring of beer before the widespread introduction of hops, where both the flowers and leaves were used. If is still used to make bitters and as a bittering agent to noyau even today. It has also been used as a bittering herb in German soups and can be used to add piquancy to spreads. Mugwort or yomogi is used in a number of Japanese dishes, including yōkan, a dessert, or kusa mochi, also known as yomogi mochi. Mugwort rice cakes, or kusa mochi are used for Japanese sweets called Daifuku.

Mugwort leaves can be eaten raw or cooked (raw leaves are best used when part of the young springtime shoots). They have an aromatic flavour with a bitter overtone. Traditionally, mugwort has been used in small quantities as an herb to flavour fatty foods. In Japan, the young leaves are used as a potherb. The dried leaves and flowering tops can also be steeped in boiling water to make a tea. Mugwort has, historically, been used as a flavouring for beer (though they fell into disuse with the introduction of hops).

It should be noted, however, that Mugwort contains thujone, which is toxic in large amounts or under prolonged intake. Thujone is also present in Thuja plicata (western red cedar), from which the name is derived. Pregnant women, in particular, should avoid consuming large amounts of mugwort. Also, mugwort pollen is one of main sources of hay fever and allergic asthma, in North Europe, North America and in parts of Asia.

It is common on hedgebanks and waysides, uncultivated and waste land.

References:

[1]. David Evans Notes from field observations, tastings and cookery experiments.
[2]. Huxley, A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992
[3]. Tanaka, T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World.
[4]. Lim T.K. Edible Medicinal And Non-Medicinal Plants, Vols 1–8.
[5]. Thomas, G. S. Perennial Garden Plants
[6]. Milner, E. Trees of Britain and Ireland
[7]. Rose, F. & O'Reilly, C. The Wild Flower Key (Revised Edition) – How to identify wild plants, trees and shrubs in Britain and Ireland
[8]. Streeter, D. & Garrard, I. The Wild Flowers of the British Isles
[9]. Clapham, A.R.; Tutin, T.G. & Moore, D.M. Flora of the British Isles
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[10]. Phillips, R. Mushrooms
[11]. Jordan, P. & Wheeler, S. The Complete Book of Mushrooms: An Illustrated Encyclopedia of Edible Mushrooms
[12]. Bunker, F.; Brodie, J.A.; Maggs, C.A. & Bunker, A. Seaweeds of Britain and Ireland.
[13]. Facciola, S. Cornucopia — A Source Book of Edible Plants