Mugwort, a perennial erect herb, can reach up to 120 cm in height. The base becomes woody, with opposite, ovate to elongate ovate leaves, both sides covered in stiff hairs, especially dense on the veins below. Spikes of flowers are terminal or axillary, with blue-purple flowers, sessile, calyx membranous and tubular, corolla slightly bilabiate, and filaments extremely short. The ovary is hairless, and the fruits are enclosed within the calyx, forming small nutlets. Flowering and fruiting period is from June to October. Mugwort predominantly grows in wildlands; it is native to Europe and is distributed in most areas of eastern, southern, and southwestern China. The entire plant is cool in nature, slightly bitter in taste, and has the effects of cooling blood, dispersing blood stasis, promoting circulation, clearing heat, detoxifying, relieving itching, expelling worms, and reducing bloating.
