Mugwort

:& Lag = triple posts

 

To the best of my knowledge, there shouldnt be many dangerous plants that mimic mugwort in north america at least. It was brought here for use as a pot herb and medicinal from europe, and is an invasive weed. Other species of artemisia, such as southernwood and wormwood will look similar; however mugwort is rather distinct. Nonetheless, a botanical key is highly recommended anyway. Better safe than sorry.

An excellent, beginner-level book for those interested in wild plants is A City Herbal by Maida Silverman. Mugwort is included in this book, along with other good plants to know. Those who are interested in learning about herbal plants for their effects on the consciousness might want to start with The Magical and Ritual Use of Herbs by Richard Alan Miller, however, if you intend to wildcraft these plants, since some of them can be dangerous if misused, you should have a good herbal and/or wild plant key and some knowledge of herbalism.

Many of the "wild" plants that we study today for food and medicinals are actually naturalized plants that were brought to this country by early settlers for food and medicine. Nonetheless, messing around with wild plants is not something you should do without a certain amount of education. Positive identification is important, even if the plant doesn't have any poisonous mimics. You could still be wrong altogether, after all. Make sure you educate yourself before gathering wild plants, and wildcraft responsibly: stick with invasive species like mugwort, and leave the native plants alone, or at least if they are abundant and not a protected species, never take more than 25% of a supply growing wild.