Field sagewort

Artemisia campestris

Family: Asteraceae Genus: Artemisia Species: campestris

Synonyms: Artemisia campestris subsp. typica, Artemisia campestris var. adscendens, Oligosporus campestris, Artemisia campestris var. prostrata, Draconia campestris

Field sagewort (en)

Western Herbalism Properties

Actions:

antimicrobialtonicbitter

Gallery

Botanical Description

Artemisia campestris (field sagewort, field wormwood) is a strongly aromatic herbaceous biennial or short-lived perennial of the daisy family (Asteraceae), forming a low woody-based clump from which arise erect to ascending, much-branched, ridged, often reddish-purple stems up to about 150 cm tall. The lower leaves are bi- to tripinnately divided into very narrow, almost thread-like, dark green segments with sparse silky hairs that often become glabrous and resinous with age, while the smaller upper stem leaves are simpler and more linear. From late summer into autumn the plant produces large, narrow, panicle-like inflorescences of numerous small, drooping, ovoid flower heads only 2–3 mm long; each head bears glabrous greenish-yellow involucral bracts with broad chaffy margins and contains a few yellowish disc florets and a ring of inconspicuous female ray florets, the whole giving the plant a slender wand-like appearance. The fruit is a tiny smooth achene without pappus. Widely distributed across temperate Eurasia and North America, it grows on dry sandy and gravelly soils in open steppes, prairies, sand dunes, rocky slopes, riverbanks, and disturbed waste places.

Native Region: Alaska, Albania, Alberta, Algeria, Altay, Amur, Arizona, Arkansas, Austria, Baltic States, Belarus, Belgium, British Columbia, Bulgaria, Buryatiya, California, Central European Rus, China North-Central, Chita, Colorado, Connecticut, Czechoslovakia, Denmark, East European Russia, Finland, Florida, France, Germany, Great Britain, Greece, Greenland, Hungary, Idaho, Illinois, Indiana, Iowa, Iran, Iraq, Italy, Kamchatka, Kansas, Khabarovsk, Krasnoyarsk, Krym, Kuril Is., Labrador, Libya, Magadan, Maine, Manitoba, Masachusettes, Mexico Northeast, Michigan, Minnesota, Mississippi, Missouri, Mongolia, Montana, Morocco, Nansei-shoto, Nebraska, Netherlands, Nevada, New Brunswick, New Hampshire, New Jersey, New Mexico, New York, Newfoundland, North Carolina, North Caucasus, North Dakota, North European Russi, Northwest European R, Northwest Territorie, Nunavut, Ohio, Oklahoma, Ontario, Oregon, Pennsylvania, Poland, Portugal, Primorye, Québec, Rhode I., Romania, Sakhalin, Sardegna, Saskatchewan, Sicilia, South Carolina, South Dakota, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, Texas, Transcaucasus, Tunisia, Turkey, Turkey-in-Europe, Ukraine, Utah, Vermont, Washington, West Siberia, Wisconsin, Wyoming, Xinjiang, Yakutskiya, Yugoslavia, Yukon

Cultural & Historical Context

Traditional American Uses

Documented Native American uses include:

Blackfoot: Used very extensively as a drug for many indications: as an abortifacient, external antirheumatic, cough medicine, dermatological aid (multiple references), eye medicine, gastrointestinal aid, oral aid, pediatric aid, and veterinary aid. Also used in hide preparation and as a soap (Hellson, 1974).

Lakota: Employed as a diuretic, gastrointestinal aid, gynecological aid, and sedative; also used as incense and fragrance (Rogers, 1980).

Shuswap: Used as a cold remedy, cough medicine, dermatological aid, panacea, and tuberculosis remedy (Palmer, 1975).

Menominee: Used as an abortifacient (Smith, 1923).

Meskwaki: Used as a burn dressing (Smith, 1928).

Okanagon: Used as an antidiarrheal and gynecological aid (Perry, 1952).

Thompson: Used as an antidiarrheal and as a gynecological aid; also for unspecified medicinal purposes (Steedman, 1928; Perry, 1952).

Havasupai: Used as an unspecified drug (Weber & Seaman, 1985).

Kayenta Navajo: Used as a ceremonial medicine and as a disinfectant, and consumed as an unspecified food (Wyman & Harris, 1951).

Ramah Navajo: Used as ceremonial items (Vestal, 1952).

Tewa: Used as an antiemetic and febrifuge (Robbins, Harrington & Freire-Marreco, 1916).

Chemistry & External Identifiers

Trefle ID

16863

Important Disclaimer

This information is for educational purposes only and is not intended to replace professional medical advice. Always consult a qualified healthcare provider before using any herbal remedy, especially if you are pregnant, nursing, or taking medications.

Back to Herb Database