Mugwort

Today I learned that some witches are afraid of mugwort tea. They seem to be under the impression that a cup of mugwort tea will cause all sorts of health issues if you have any medical problems, or that a cup of mugwort tea will get you high.

So let's talk about mugwort for a second. Mugwort has been a commonly used herb through the centuries. People have been making mugwort tea, and using mugwort for culinary purposes for a very, very long time. Most people are not going to drop dead from using a little mugwort.

The idea that mugwort is a hallucinogen... Look, mugwort contains thujone, that's true, but it's my understanding that it contains less (or about the same?) thujone than rosemary or sage, two other very commonly used herbs in cuisine and witchcraft. No one is running around warning about the dangers of those herbs, so why has mugwort drawn such negative attention to it? It's very odd to me.

Of course it is absolutely true that you really need to do your research, consider your health problems, what medications you're on, if you're pregnant, etc, before you start up drinking and strange herbs or whatever. I'm not at all going to discount that. Mugwort in particular is not something pregnant people should be consuming, since it can induce periods. That said, the idea that anyone who has any mental health issues, is taking any sort of medication, has heart problems, that those people need to stay away form mugwort completely? It's just not true. They need to watch how much they ingest, yes, of course - too much mugwort isn't good for anyone. (But remember, too much nutmeg is toxic, as well...)

Full disclosure here, I have high blood pressure. I have struggled with anxiety and depression most of my life. I am on medications for both. But I've been using mugwort in tea, mead, and in incense incense in honor of Artemis for quite a while, and have never had an issue. A mug of mugwort tea has no effect on my blood pressure, it does not interact with the type of medication I take to help manage my blood pressure, it does not affect me mentally. I just do not use it in the quantity needed to reach any sort of high. I doubt most people making the occasional cup of tea from the herb ever will. I did my research first, very carefully, and I recommend anyone else do the same - don't take my word for any of this, go research for yourself when it comes to your own health - but at the same time, don't be completely scared off because some exaggerate the possible dangers. If you're interested in mugwort, go read about it, check out it's long use in history, and make your own informed decision.