Herb Profile

Mugwort

Artemisia vulgaris

Mugwort (Artemisia vulgaris) carries a Grade C rating — limited evidence.

Last reviewed: 3 sources citedReport a correctionProfile-wide ·C Limited

Use extra caution Culinary or tea use is usually lower risk, but concentrated oils/extracts can irritate GI or mucosal tissue. Details

Evidence
Limited Evidence
Typical onset
Varies by prep
Safety rating
High caution
Best for
Digestive
Avoid / review if
Pregnancy, Seizure Disorder, Asteraceae Allergy
Mugwort monograph visual
Generated profile category visual

At a glance

From this profile's structured data
Evidence
Grade C
Safety
Culinary or tea use is usually lower risk, but concentrated oils/extracts can irritate GI or mucosal tissue.
Profile context
digestive
Next steps

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Safety

Safety & Cautions

Culinary or tea use is usually lower risk, but concentrated oils/extracts can irritate GI or mucosal tissue. Avoid pregnancy dose escalation and use caution with reflux/allergy.

High caution

Caution level: High. Multiple caution categories apply, or the record uses avoid/contraindication language.

Detailed safety fields

Pregnancy, breastfeeding, and contraindications

  • Pregnancy
  • Seizure Disorder
  • Asteraceae Allergy
  • Internal Essential Oil Use
  • Caution With Anticonvulsants
  • Sedatives
  • And Drugs Affected By Seizure Threshold.

Full safety note

  • Culinary or tea use is usually lower risk, but concentrated oils/extracts can irritate GI or mucosal tissue. Avoid pregnancy dose escalation and use caution with reflux/allergy.

Evidence-based safety

Caution when combined

Severity and certainty are shown separately. A high-priority caution can still be theoretical: these pairings are screened from shared contraindication mechanisms and are not automatically documented clinical interactions. Provenance identifies the source fields that produced each flag; it does not upgrade the certainty of the pairwise claim.

Evidence

Evidence Summary

Evidence lens

Read as directional context, not settled clinical proof.

LimitedLimited Evidence

Human clinical evidence: Not the primary signal

Mechanistic / preclinical: Mechanism mappedDigestive Support · Traditional Cycle Support

Research maturity: Theoretical / mechanistic researchMechanistic or unresolved evidence is kept separate from established human outcomes.

Safety boundary: Safety note availableCulinary or tea use is usually lower risk, but concentrated oils/extracts can irritate GI or mucosal tissue.

This profile cites 3 human studies.

Study design details
Evidence Grade

Grade C: Limited Evidence

Evaluation of methodological rigor, population reach, and evidence alignment.

Design Match
Narrative review
Risk of Bias
High
Consistency
Not assessed
Strongest recorded design is a narrative review, drawn from 2 recorded studies, none of which measured an outcome in people.
How evidence grades work

Each grade reflects the strength and consistency of published human evidence — not marketing claims. Grades are based on study count, design quality, effect size, consistency, and recency.

Strong
Multiple RCTs, consistent direction, adequate effect size
Moderate
Some RCTs or consistent observational data in humans
Preliminary / Mixed
Animal or in-vitro only, or conflicting human data
Traditional / Theoretical
Traditional use only; no controlled human trials
Clinical Study Summaries (4)0 human evidence sources · 0 human trials · Participant totals not consistently reported · Consistency not yet classifiable

Filter by study class

Showing 4 of 4 studies.

What the evidence actually shows

This table contains 4 structured sources, including 0 human evidence sources; 0 are human trials. A reliable participant total cannot be calculated because sample size is not consistently structured in the cited sources. Source-to-conclusion relationships are not classified in this structured set, so consistency is not yet classifiable.

Profile-wide evidence grade: see the profile grade above · Confidence: not separately assigned

What would change our conclusion?

Larger, well-controlled human trials using comparable populations, doses, preparations, and clinically meaningful outcomes could materially strengthen or weaken this conclusion. Replication in a different population or a high-quality synthesis resolving current disagreement could also materially change confidence.

StudyDesignNDoseDurationPopulationOutcomeResult & magnitudeSource

Spice allergy

Chen JL et al. · Ann Allergy Asthma Immunol · 2011

Background
Narrative review

Summarizes selected literature without the full prespecified search and selection methods of a systematic review.

PubMed

The skin prick test - European standards

Heinzerling L et al. · Clin Transl Allergy · 2013

Background
Other / unclear

The study design is not yet classified clearly enough to infer its place in the evidence hierarchy.

PubMed

Sunflower seed allergy

Ukleja-Sokołowska N et al. · Int J Immunopathol Pharmacol · 2016

Background
Other / unclear

The study design is not yet classified clearly enough to infer its place in the evidence hierarchy.

PubMed

Clinical allergy literature documents severe mugwort-associated cross-reactivity with celery, carrot, and spices, including serious reactions in sensitized individuals. This is a more specific safety signal than a generic 'allergy possible' warning.

Background
Other / unclear

The study design is not yet classified clearly enough to infer its place in the evidence hierarchy.

Clinical allergy literature documents severe mugwort-associated cross-reactivity with celery, carrot, and spices, including serious reactions in sensitized individuals. This is a more specific safety signal than a generic 'allergy possible' warning.PubMed

Dosing & Timing

No standardized dose
Preparation specific; use standardized product label for Leaf tea/tincture and require source backed dosage review before therapeutic claims.
How Mugwort works

Simplified mechanism pathway based on preclinical and pharmacological evidence. Does not confirm clinical efficacy.

Mechanism Pathway — How Mugwort Works

How Mugwort WorksMugwort acts on biological target pathways via digestive support, leading to digestive.MugwortBiological TargetBiological pathwayDigestive SupportDigestiveObservable outcome
CompoundTarget / ReceptorMechanismEffect / Outcome
Mechanisms & biological pathways

Preclinical pathways. Proposed mechanisms from in vitro and animal research; these do not confirm clinical outcomes in humans.

  • Digestive Support
  • Traditional Cycle Support

Active Compounds

Key constituents studied in Mugwort, with full pharmacology and safety profiles.

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Safety first · Harm reduction

This information is educational and not medical advice. Start low, avoid risky combinations, and consult a licensed clinician before making health decisions—especially if you use medications, have diagnosed conditions, or are pregnant/breastfeeding.

Learn how we evaluate confidence, safety, and intensity on the methodology page.

Editorial Review

Checked against primary sources, cited evidence, and contraindication language before publication. Evidence claims, safety language, and affiliate modules are reviewed independently. Not personal medical advice.

Editorial Standards →

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Botanical profile context

How to interpret Mugwort

Mugwort herb profile with evidence context, key research topics, source notes, safety context, and references presented in an evidence-first format. Use this herb profile as a starting point for evidence review, not as a recommendation to start a new supplement. Botanical products can vary by plant part, extract ratio, standardization, dose, and contaminant testing, so two labels with the same common name may not behave the same way.

When reviewing Mugwort, compare the traditional-use context against the human evidence, mechanism notes, and safety cautions. Pay special attention to pregnancy, breastfeeding, liver or kidney disease, blood-pressure effects, sedation, stimulation, anticoagulant use, antidepressants, and any prescription medication overlap.

For product decisions, prefer transparent labels, named extracts, clear serving sizes, and third-party quality testing. Avoid treating a long list of possible mechanisms as proof that an herb will solve a specific condition.