NACHARAL's Medicine Cabinet - Mugwort Edition

This time, in NACHARAL's medicine cabinet, we introduce mugwort.
Mugwort is native to all parts of Japan and is perhaps the most familiar medicinal herb to Japanese people, as it is used in traditional Japanese dishes such as kusamochi and kusa-dango.

There is a poem in the Hyakunin Isshu that goes like this:

Kaku to dani
E ya wa Ibuki no sashimogusa
Sashimo shiraji na
Moyuru omoi o
Sashimogusa is another name for mugwort,
and refers to moxa used in moxibustion.
The meaning is something like, "You probably don't know how strong my burning feelings are, like the sashimogusa of Mount Ibuki."
(How passionate!)
Even today, mugwort cultivated around Mount Ibuki, on the border between Shiga and Gifu prefectures, is used as a raw material for moxibustion, and it is surprising to learn that cultivation had already begun around the Heian period.
It is said that the Ainu people used mugwort as an herb for warding off evil spirits.
According to the theory of the Five Elements and Yin-Yang, mugwort is considered warm in nature, and is believed to have the effect of improving blood circulation and warming the body.
I also incorporate it into my daily life by using it as a tea or bath additive when I want to warm my body, or by adding a generous amount to herbal balls.

*The content presented is based on information from multiple books and other sources, but it does not indicate the efficacy or effects of products sold.