Japanese Mugwort
Japanese Mugwort
Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii
“The herb of the spring fields”
| Species | Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii |
|---|---|
| Family | Asteraceae |
| Part used | Leaf (the crude drug gaiyo is the leaf and twig) |
| Aroma | Green and clean, led by cineole |
What is yomogi?
Yomogi (Artemisia indica var. maximowiczii) is a perennial in the daisy family, native to Honshu, Shikoku, Kyushu and the Ogasawara Islands, and introduced to Hokkaido. The dense white down on the underside of the leaf is the way to tell it apart. It appears in the Japanese Pharmacopoeia as the crude drug gaiyo (Artemisiae Folium, from Artemisia princeps or A. montana). The Tokyo Crude Drugs Association describes gaiyo as a component of kampo formulas such as kyuki-kyogai-to, and Toho University's medicinal plant garden lists its folk uses as staunching bleeding, treating cuts, and — notably — as a bathing herb.
Mochigusa, moxa, and the Boys' Festival
Because the young spring shoots are folded into rice cakes, it is also called mochigusa, "the rice-cake herb." The down from the underside of the leaf, once refined, is the moxa used in moxibustion; "Goshu Ibuki moxa" of the Genroku era was the byword for a fine grade. At the Boys' Festival in early May, many regions still hang yomogi under the eaves together with sweet flag. The Heibonsha World Encyclopedia explains that mugwort and sweet flag were believed to drive off malign spirits through their scent. The sixth-century Chinese Jingchu Suishiji likewise records of the third-day-of-the-third-month herb cake that “eating it wards off malign influence.”
One of the standards of Japan's yakuso saunas. Dried leaves are simmered into steam, added to the löyly water, or tied into bundles and hung in the sauna room. Many venues also offer "yomogi-mushi," where the steam of simmered mugwort rises from below. What Okinawa calls "fuchiba" is the close relative <strong>nishi-yomogi</strong> (<em>Artemisia indica</em>), which facilities sometimes list alongside yomogi.
Young spring shoots are picked for kusa-mochi and yomogi dango; dried leaves are brewed as yomogi tea. Toho University's medicinal plant garden lists “bathing herb” among its uses, reflecting a long-standing custom of putting it in the bath.
Note: this page introduces the traditions and culture around the plant. It does not guarantee any effect.