week0

Mugwort: Palo Alto, CA

What are some native plants you will see in the San Francisco Bay Area?
-Ms. Cameron's 2nd grade class, Selby Lane Elementary, Atherton, CA

Hi, class! Mugwort is a useful native plant to know.

Isn't mugwort a funny sounding name for a plant?! I think it is funny too, but the plant itself is quite amazing. I want to share what I know about mugwort (Artemisia douglasiana) because it is a common plant found in the San Francisco Bay Area and because it has some wonderful uses.

Here is a picture of many mugwort plants growing next to the bike path by the Palo Alto Baylands:

back to top

About Mugwart

The feature that allows me to identify mugwort is the structure of the leaf. It is very distinctive. It looks like a hand with pointy fingers!

How many "fingers" does this leaf have?

Yes, it has five "fingers." Sometimes the leaves only have three "fingers" and sometimes none. They feel soft to the touch and they are also aromatic. Aromatic means that you can smell them. Mugwort smells like mint. Not all plants have much of a smell. You can test if a plant has a smell without hurting the plant by rubbing a leaf gently in your fingers and then putting your fingers up to your nose. back to top

Mugwort to the Rescue

Mugwort is a remedy for encounters with poison oak and stinging nettle. Poison oak and one type of stinging nettle are also native to this area. If your skin comes in contact with poison oak you may get a major rash from the oils it produces and if you touch stinging nettle it can sting you with a small amount of a chemical (formic acid) which it keeps in its tiny hairs. I have touched both of these plants by accident and they have produced these results. If I had known about mugwort I may have been able to avoid these problems.

If you do get stung by stinging nettle or brush up against poison oak, take a few mugwort leaves and rub them on your skin where you touched the other plant. It will ease the stinging from the nettle and reduce, if not eliminate, the poison oak rash that would otherwise develop.

back to top

A Mugwort Poultice

Mugwort can also be used as a poultice on insect bites or other rashes. A poultice is moist mixture of plant material that is put on a wound.

My friend Rich had an itchy rash on his leg and used mugwort to help ease the pain. He chewed up some mugwort in his mouth and then placed the mushy material over the itchy area. He said it was really soothing and helped the swelling go down too!

Mugwort often grows in the same habitat as poison oak and stinging nettle. I have most often found mugwort in sunny areas of oak woodlands. Oak woodlands are commonly found in the foothills surrounding the Bay Area.

Questions for You!

Do you think you could identify mugwort if you saw it growing?

Why might mugwort ease pain from rashes and stings?

Do you think I will find mugwort in other states during my journey?

back to top
Click here or on my email address below to send me a question or comment. Please include your name, grade level, city and state. I look forward to hearing from you! Mike@Kahncious.Net

Environmental Volunteers
3921 E. Bayshore Rd., Palo Alto, CA 94303
(650) 961-0545, (650) 961-0548 fax
www.EVols.org, info@EVols.org
Copyright © 2000 - 2009, Kahncious Multimedia. All rights reserved.