Good Lifestyle

Mugwort may seem like a J.K. Invention crawling in the Kingdom of Harry Potter, but it's actually an older super-bias. Here we decompose what Mugwort is, the health benefits it can provide, and it should be incorporated or not in your well-being routine.

What is Mugwort?

Cultivated in Europe, North America and Asia, you have probably seen Mugwort and erroneous the leafy plant for a weed. According to Jonathan Valdez, R.D.N., owner ofNutrition Genki and spokesperson for theAcademy of Nutrition and Dietetics of New YorkThe leaves and stems of the plant can be used in cooking, or dried and transformed into herbal supplements.

You can find Mugwort in specialized sanitary food stores like a liquid extract, tea, dyeing or capsule, although it can be labeled as a felon grass, a st. John's Herb grass, a Weed chrysanthemum, Or Artemisia instead.

What are the health benefits of Mugwort?

Kerry Boyle MS, Lake, Acupuncturist approved withAcupuncture in Vermont, says that Mugwort is mainly used in a technique called Moxibustion. "The moxibustion is to burn the grass on a specific part of the body to help nourish and bring heat or drought to the body," she says.

In traditional Chinese medicine, Mugwort Moxibustion was used for 3,000 years to help babies of the cylinder head. "The thought is that it helps the baby to relax enough to turn around the desired positions during birth," she says. A 2012 review published in theCochrane database of systematic reviews Suggests that when combined with acupuncture, this can be effective.

Mugwort can also be soaked in tea and taken to support digestive and breeding systems. Depending on ValdeD, it is believed that the grass helped to relax the uterus and thus induce a late menstrual cycle and relieve cramps. And "because the grass tastes bitter, it is believed to stimulate gastric juice and the secretion of bile, which is why the herbalists sometimes use it to treat gas, diarrhea, constipation and vomiting," explain-T -he.

Mugwort has also been used in combination with other herbs for psychological concerns such as depression, insomnia and anxiety, declares the registered aromatherapist and the approved massage therapistKathy Sadowski, MRS. But it should be noted that the research on the subject is limited and a magazine 2018 on the best plant-based medicines for depression and anxiety published inPhytotherapy research did not evaluate the benefits of Mugwort's mental health.

How to use mugwort

As the above suggests, there are many ways to take Mugwort, so how do you take it depends on why you take it, says Boyle. "Some can use it as a moxibustion, some can take it as tea, rub it on their body or use it in cooking as a substitute for other strong aromatics such as Cilantro or Parsley," she says.

No general recommendation on the dosage, as Vasez says, "there is not enough scientific evidence to determine an appropriate range of doses". This is why Him and Boyle recommend working with a herbalist, a naturopath or traditional medicine of Chinese medicine to determine the best dose and the best for you.

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Potential side effects of Mugwort

Valdez warns that no one should take Mugwort without the supervision of a health care provider, especially pregnant persons. He says that the same mechanism that can make the grass beneficial for cylinder head babies can be detrimental to women earlier in their pregnancy. "Mugwort could cause miscarriage because we think of encouraging menstruation."

Mugwort is also a common allergen. Allergic people to other family members of asteraceate / composite facilities, such as lice grass, chrysanthemums, worries, daisies and many other herbs and people allergic to birch, celery or carrot Wild can experience allergic reactions to Mugwort, says Valdez. The same goes for those who are allergic to things such as white mustard, honey, royal jelly, hazelnut, olive, latex, fishing, kiwi and sage. So, if you are allergic to one of the plants listed above or if you often have negative immune responses to new foods, Mugwort is probably not for you.

"If you take Mugwort and experiment with wheezing, coughing, the vertigo that will not disappear, swelling or constricting the throat, nor difficulty breathing, it is a sign of an allergic reaction, and you should look for Immediate emergency medical care, "says Valdez.

Ultimately: Should you take Mugwort?

The well-being experts agree: Without the directive of a herbalist, acupuncturist or health expert, you should not take Mugwort. As Sadowski says, "There are many other herbs that have been shown to therapeutic benefits in scientific studies and also have fewer potential side effects than Mugwort". It notes that these other herbs include adaptogens as Ashwagandha , maca root , and Rhodiola Rosea .

If you get the green light to try Mugwort, Boyle recommends opting for an organic product or a product certified by a reliable third party.