🌿 Folk Prescriptions

Foods made from mugwort such as rice cakes, dumplings, and buns are widely loved.
Recently, a trend of eating mugwort has spread from rural areas to Guangzhou. Traditional village delicacies like mugwort rice cakes, mugwort fried eggs, and mugwort meatballs have entered several restaurants, gaining popularity among diners. Health-conscious homemakers are also proactive, purchasing mugwort to prepare therapeutic dishes for their families to achieve goals such as strengthening the stomach, eliminating dampness, and killing bacteria.
Mugwort, also known as fragrant mugwort, Qi mugwort, or common mugwort, has a bitter, pungent, and warm nature, entering the spleen, liver, and kidney meridians. It disperses cold, removes dampness, warms the meridians, and stops bleeding. It effectively treats cold-induced bleeding and abdominal pain. Particularly effective for women with cold-type menstrual disorders, abdominal pain, and menorrhagia—it is a renowned gynecological remedy. Now is the perfect time for mugwort to be available. It can be used to make mugwort rice cakes, processed into various dishes, and incorporated into medicinal cuisine.
Chicken Mugwort Soup
Method: 1 whole old hen, 15 g mugwort. Wash and cut the hen into pieces, boil together with mugwort. Consume in 2–3 portions. Take consecutively for 2–3 doses during menstruation.
Effect: Tonifies qi and consolidates blood, strengthens the spleen and calms the heart. Suitable for those with weak qi unable to control blood flow causing excessive menstruation, palpitations, restlessness, insomnia, and cold pain in the lower abdomen.
Mugwort Sweet Soup
Method: 15 g mugwort, 20 g rock sugar, boil into soup and drink.
Effect: Irritability during menstruation, burning sensation during urination, dry mouth and bitter taste, preference for cold drinks, constipation, red tongue with yellow coating, weak rapid pulse. Indicated for clearing heat and dampness, activating blood circulation and resolving stasis.
Mugwort Pancakes
Method: Pound May mugwort into pulp, mix with glutinous rice flour to form small pancakes. The texture carries a strong, fragrant mugwort aroma with a slight bitterness. After eating, the mouth retains a lingering fragrance.
Effect: Beautifying properties. A staple snack for Hakka women during postpartum recovery. Also treats colds.
Mugwort Donkey-hide Gelatin Porridge
Method: 20 g donkey-hide gelatin, 10 g dried mugwort, 1 large spoon of rock sugar. First, boil dried mugwort with 3 bowls of water for 20 minutes, strain out the liquid. Crush the donkey-hide gelatin, add to the liquid, stir and cook until completely dissolved (stir continuously). Add rock sugar and mix well. Take during menstruation if flow is excessive. Twice daily.
Effect: Mugwort warms meridians and stops bleeding, dispels cold and relieves pain. Suitable for regulating dysmenorrhea and cold pain in the lower abdomen. In traditional Chinese medicine, mugwort is used as a hemostatic agent, shortening bleeding and clotting time. Drinking mugwort juice improves excessive menstruation or prolonged periods. Donkey-hide gelatin contains gelatinous protein that aids blood coagulation, thus having hemostatic effects. It also accelerates cell and hemoglobin regeneration, providing blood-nourishing benefits. Donkey-hide gelatin nourishes yin, tonifies deficiency, and benefits the lungs, commonly used for dysfunctional uterine bleeding and blood deficiency. Suitable for blood-deficient constitution. Note: Overconsumption may cause diarrhea or bloating.
Mugwort Fried Eggs
Method: Wash and chop mugwort finely, mix with eggs, add salt and pepper. Heat oil in a pan, fry until cooked.
Effect: Stimulates appetite.
Mugwort Meatballs
Method: Chop meat and mugwort separately, mix with salt, ginger, monosodium glutamate, peanut oil, starch, and eggs. Then process into meatballs or meat patties using conventional methods. Can be boiled, fried, or steamed.
Effect: Warms the stomach.
Mugwort Rice Cake
Method: Use appropriate amounts of mugwort, sticky rice, glutinous rice, and rock sugar. Dry mugwort in shade, then soak with sticky or glutinous rice for 2 hours. Grind into rice paste using a blender. Dissolve rock sugar in water, mix with rice paste to form a paste, pour into a copper basin, steam for 60 minutes, cool, then cut into pieces.
Mugwort Garlic Soup
Method: 50 g garlic, 20 g fresh lotus leaf, 20 g fresh mugwort, 20 g fresh side-bell leaf, 20 g fresh rehmannia root. Combine all ingredients, mash into a paste, decoct in water and drink. Helps calm rebellious qi and stop bleeding.
Mugwort Brown Sugar Water
Method: 5 slices of ginger, 5 jujubes, 15 g mugwort, appropriate amount of brown sugar, decoct in water and drink.
Effect: Used for dysmenorrhea.
Ginger-Mugwort Eggs
Method: 15 g ginger, 10 g mugwort, 2 eggs. Add appropriate water, boil until cooked. Remove eggshells and return to the pot to simmer further. Drink the broth and eat the eggs.
Effect: Used for excessive menstruation.
Steamed Mugwort with Flour
Method: 1. Remove tough stems and dry leaves from fresh mugwort, rinse thoroughly to remove dirt. Mix 1 kg mugwort with 250 g flour proportionally, blend evenly so every piece of mugwort is coated with flour. 2. Spread in a steamer and steam for 30–40 minutes until done. The steamed mugwort turns grayish-white, losing its strong herbal aroma. 3. Place in a bowl, mix with dressing made from sesame oil, chili powder, chopped green onions, and garlic paste.
Effect: Stimulates appetite and warms the stomach.
Mugwort Dumplings
Method: 1. 300 g mugwort, finely chopped; finely chop scallions, bean sprouts, and tofu. 2. Mix all ingredients, season with salt and monosodium glutamate to make filling. 3. Wrap filling in dough wrappers, shape into dumplings, then steam or boil until cooked.
Effect: Enhances appetite.
Mugwort Vegetable Balls
Method: Finely chop mugwort, add appropriate flour, mix with water and salt to form a dough. Shape into medium-sized balls and steam until cooked.
Effect: Promotes blood and qi circulation, removes cold and dampness, stops bleeding, and stabilizes pregnancy. Especially during the period around the Dragon Boat Festival, fresh and tender mugwort is highly palatable and flavorful, helping to stimulate appetite and strengthen the spleen.