Common Names
Coastal Mugwort, Coastal Sagewort, Sagewort

Botanical Name
Artemisia suksdorfii

Plant Family
Asteraceae (Daisy Family)

Native Range
PNW of Canada and US

Life Cycle
Perennial

Hardiness Zone
6-10

Habit
Sagewort plants can grow to 3 or 4ft tall in bloom, and form dense clumps that can be just as wide but 2ft is more common. The flowers are light green and inconspicuous much like most flowers in the Artemisia genus. The plants are intensely aromatic.

Sun/Soil
Full sun, well-drained soil. You can find Coastal Sagewort in the Pacific North West growing in their native habitat along dry sunny open areas, like sandy seasides, and occasionally roadsides.

Germination/Sowing
Seeds germinate easily and can be direct sown in fall or spring, or started in flats in the spring and then transplanted out. 

Growing/Care
Little care needed. Drought tolerant. Can be cut back after flowering or in fall time.

Harvesting
The leafy stems and flowers of Sagewort are best harvested at their peak of potency when the plants are in early bud. In the PNW this is in July and August. 

Culinary Uses
None known.

Medicinal Uses
Sagewort has a myriad of uses ~ the leaves are antiseptic, analgesic, anti-inflammatory, anti-parasitic, digestive stimulant, carminative, expectorant, antimicrobial, antioxidant, anti-cancer, emenagogue, nervine, antidepressant, diaphoretic, antispasmodic, astringent ~ whoa that's a potent medicine!

I have a few favourite uses for Sagewort, and many of them relate to the power of the plant to warm, move, and clear stuck energy. The aromatic scent is clarifying to the mind and spirit, in a similar way to other smudging sages. Sagewort grounds, calms, and helps to instil in me a deep sense of peace and clarity ~ a sense that everything is going to be alright.

The leafy stems can be bundled and dried to make smudging wands to cleanse unwanted energies from the body and home. The leaves can be infused into oil and made into a salve. The salve is lovely for topical pain relief and sore muscles, especially due to tension and stuck emotions in the body. It is a wonderful antiseptic for wound healing, as well as an incredible antifungal.

The tincture can be used as a bitter to aid in digestion, and increase 'digestive fire'. It is also a great emmenagogue, useful when there is bloating and sluggishness and irritability. A tea made from the leaves can be inhaled as a steam to help as an decongestant and expectorant during colds and flus.

Like many of the other Artemisias, Sagewort has a connection to the dreamtime and can be used to enhance visioning and lucid dreaming. The infused honey is just beautiful for this purpose, and I am going to use it in a blend ~ with passionflower and others ~ just for that.

Themes
Native Plant Garden, Apothecary Garden, Low Maintenance, Drought Tolerant, Deer Resistant, Attracts Pollinators, Container Garden.