Actually, as you can see on the photo, I should have harvested the thyme a little bit earlier - but I just could not cut down the flowers yet... The mugwort will be bundled up later to create smudge sticks. Gail Edwards in her book 'Opening our Wild Hearts to the Healing Herbs' (see my book list) states that mugwort has an ancient history as a sacred and protective herb with special healing qualities. The down on its leaves makes moxa, used by Chinese herbalists and acupuncturists to stimulate stagnant energy. American Indians used mugwort to relieve headache and backache, rheumatism, and parasite infestations. It grows quite tall and I think it is quite beautiful!
