Damong-maria
Artemisia vulgaris · Mugwort
- Names in the book
- Ka-María, Santa María, Tinisas, Tag.; Indian Wormwood, Indo-Eng.
- Colours
- floweryellow, brown
- Native range
- Temperate Europe, Asia and North Africa
- In the Philippines, per the book
- Grows throughout the islands and is well known.
- Family
- Asteraceae, filed in the book under Compositæ
- Printed as
- Artemisia vulgaris, L. (A. Indica, Willd.)
- Sources
- Page 153 on Project Gutenberg · Wikipedia
The plant today
Artemisia vulgaris, commonly known as mugwort, common mugwort, or wormwood, is a species of flowering plant in the daisy family Asteraceae. It is one of several species in the genus Artemisia commonly known as mugwort, although Artemisia vulgaris is the species most often called mugwort. Mugworts have been used medicinally and as culinary herbs.
Excerpt from “Artemisia vulgaris” on Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Sa Tagalog
Ang Artemisia vulgaris (Ingles: St. John's plant, "halaman ni San Juan", mugwort, common wormwood o karaniwang damong-maria, Cingulum Sancti Johannis, St. John's wort [natatawag ding ganito pero may kamalian sapagkat may tunay na St. John's wort na mababasa sa teksto sa ibaba], felon herb) ay isa sa ilang mga uring nasa saring Artemisia (mga artemisya) na tinatawag na mga damong-maria.
Sipi mula sa “Artemisia vulgaris” sa Tagalog Wikipedia, CC BY-SA 4.0.
Recorded in the Philippines
GBIF holds 199 records of this plant from the Philippines. The ones with map coordinates fall in 30 provinces, most often Zamboanga del Norte (70), Agusan del Sur (14), Bataan (8), Zamboanga del Sur (8), Guimaras (7), Cavite (5), Iloilo (5), Leyte (4), and 22 more.
Counts from GBIF occurrence records, October 2026. They include planted trees and garden plants, and a province with no records may only lack collectors.
What the 1901 book says
A historical record, quoted as printed. Doses and remedies here are not medical advice.
Uses
The native women use the infusion of its aromatic leaves to induce menstruation. It is also used as an abortifacient, but is too mild a uterine stimulant to be reliable for that purpose. Its stomachic and tonic properties are common knowledge in the Philippines. The Hindoos use it for those effects and as an antispasmodic in amenorrhœa and hysteria. Dr. Wight states that the leaves and tops are useful in nervous troubles resulting from debility and that a decoction of them makes a good fomentation for phagedenic ulcers.
The infusion is prepared in the proportion of 10–30 grams of leaves to 1 liter of water and the powdered leaves are given in doses of 4–8 grams; the aqueous extract 30–40 grams a day. For amenorrhœa the drug is given daily for a week preceding the menstrual date.
Botanical description
A plant 3° high, stem straight, woody, square toward ends of branches. Leaves alternate, tomentose, decurrent, divided in several places, medium lanceolate. Flowers straw-colored, in axillary and terminal, 1-ranked spikes. Common calyx cylindrical, 2 circles of oval, scarious leaflets around its border, 11 hermaphrodite disk-flowers and about 5 pistillate ray-flowers. Hermaphrodite: Corolla bell-shaped, 5 obtuse teeth; stigmas 2, bent to the sides. Pistillate: Corolla diminutive, 5 toothlets; anther none; stigmas 2. Seeds of both small and quadrate, smaller in the latter. Receptacle nude.
Recent research
The most cited papers since 2022 that name this plant in the title, pulled from Europe PMC in October 2026. Titles are the authors' own and the findings have not been reviewed here.
- A study on the antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and xanthine oxidase inhibitory activity of the Artemisia vulgaris L. extract and its fractions
- Antiviral activities of Artemisia vulgaris L. extract against herpes simplex virus
- A recombinant Artemisia vulgaris pollen adjuvanted Art v 1 protein-based vaccine treats allergic rhinitis and bronchial asthma using pre- and co-seasonal ultrashort immunotherapy regimens in sensitized mice