Abstract
Artemisia vulgaris L. (common mugwort) is a species with great importance in the history of medicine and was called the “mother of herbs” in the Middle Ages. It is a common herbaceous plant that exhibits high morphological and phytochemical variability depending on the location where it occurs. This species is well known almost all over the world. Its herb—Artemisiae vulgaris herba—is used as a raw material due to the presence of essential oil, flavonoids, and sesquiterpenoids lactones and their associated biological activities. The European Pharmacopoeia has listed this species as a potential homeopathic raw material. Moreover, this species has been used in traditional Chinese, Hindu, and European medicine to regulate the functioning of the gastrointestinal system and treat various gynecological diseases. The general aim of this review was to analyze the progress of phytochemical and pharmacological as well as professional scientific studies focusing on A. vulgaris. Thus far, numerous authors have confirmed the beneficial properties of A. vulgaris herb extracts, including their antioxidant, hepatoprotective, antispasmolytic, antinociceptive, estrogenic, cytotoxic, antibacterial, and antifungal effects. In addition, several works have reviewed the use of this species in the production of cosmetics and its role as a valuable spice in the food industry. Furthermore, biotechnological micropropagation of A. vulgaris has been analyzed.
Highlights
In 2015, the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of artemisinin, a compound of plant origin found in Artemisia annua, inspired the researchers to study the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of other species of the genus Artemisia.Recently, this species has been taken under consideration to be active toward the virus SARS-CoV-2 and disease COVID-19 [1,2].Molecules 2020, 25, 4415; doi:10.3390/molecules25194415 www.mdpi.com/journal/moleculesArtemisia vulgaris L. is one of the best-known species of this genus, which has a widespread distribution in the natural habitats worldwide (Europe, Asia, North and South America, and Africa)
The aerial parts of A. vulgaris—Artemisiae vulgaris herba—are usually used as a pharmaceutical raw material [31], while the roots—Artemisiae vulgaris radix—harvested in early winter, are less frequently used [18]. Both these raw materials do not have their monographs in the latest editions of pharmacopoeias; A. vulgaris herba had a monograph in the German Pharmacopoeia published in 1988 [51]
A species which played a significant role in the history of European medicine, was referred to in the Middle Ages as the “mother of herbs,” and used inter alia in treating gynecological and urological ailments and gastrointestinal tract diseases, is not a pharmacopoeial species today in the global allopathic medicine
Summary
In 2015, the awarding of the Nobel Prize in Medicine for the discovery of artemisinin, a compound of plant origin found in Artemisia annua (annual mugwort), inspired the researchers to study the phytochemical and pharmacological properties of other species of the genus Artemisia. The presence of essential oil in A. vulgaris contributes to the significance of this species as a culinary spice in the food industry in various regions of the world This species is increasingly used in the production of cosmetics in Europe as well as in Asia and North America [14,18,19,20]. The present review provides classical information about the importance of A. vulgaris in therapeutics and the food industry from the European point of view and discusses the possible new applications of this plant species in phytotherapy as a hepatoprotective, broncholytic, anthelmintic, and cytotoxic agent and in the cosmetics industry as a raw material in Europe, East Asia (especially in Korea), and North America
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