Artemisia argyi: the plant behind moxa

Short answer: Chinese moxa is usually made from the dried leaves of Artemisia argyi H.Lév. & Vaniot, called ai ye (艾叶, “mugwort leaf”) in Chinese ^[1]^[2]. Known in East Asia as “longevity grass”, it has been used for medicine, food, bathing, moxibustion and fumigation for over two thousand years ^[3].

Names

Language	Name for the plant	Name for moxibustion	Source
Chinese	艾 ài, 艾草 àicǎo; leaf 艾叶 ài yè	灸 jiǔ, 灸术 jiǔshù	^[4]
Japanese	蓬 yomogi; moxa もぐさ mogusa	灸 kyū, 灸術 kyūjutsu	^[4]
Korean	—	뜸 tteum	^[4]
English	Chinese mugwort; moxa (the material)	moxibustion	^[4]
Arabic	الشيح الصيني (Chinese shīḥ); الموكسا	الكي بالموكسا	^[5]^[6]

Arabic caution. الشيح (shīḥ) on its own usually means Artemisia herba-alba, the white wormwood of Mediterranean steppes ^[7]. It is a different species from the plant used for Chinese moxa.

Species	Where used	Note
Artemisia argyi	China	Main moxa species in Chinese sources ^[1]^[2]
Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort)	Named in many English and Korean sources	Studied in moxa comparisons, including against charcoal moxa ^[8]^[9]
Artemisia princeps (yomogi)	Japan, Korea	Essential oil reviewed alongside A. argyi ^[10]
Artemisia herba-alba	Middle East and North Africa (الشيح)	Not the moxa plant ^[7]

Where it grows

A. argyi is cultivated across China and also in Japan. According to one review, Nanyang (Henan) accounts for about 85% of China’s raw material output ^[2]. Qichun (Hubei) mugwort, known as qi ai, is a renowned “geo-authentic” variety ^[11]^[12]. See Mugwort production regions.

Chemistry

A 2024 review counted 136 compounds identified in A. argyi leaf, including 23 new terpenoids and two new flavonoids ^[1].
The essential oil is regarded as an important medicinal fraction. Its composition varies with extraction method, origin, harvest and storage ^[3].
Specific compounds include guaianolide sesquiterpenoids, one of which (argyin A) inhibited nitric oxide production in a cell model ^[13].
Storage and refinement change the amounts but not the types of compounds in moxa wool ^[12].

What research says about biological activity

Laboratory and animal studies report anti-inflammatory, anti-tumour, antioxidant and antibacterial activities of A. argyi extracts and essential oil ^[1]^[3]. A 2025 review notes that most of this evidence comes from animals, with few human trials, and that the oil has low bioavailability ^[14]. These findings concern extracts and oils, not the effects of burning moxa near the skin. See Mechanism research.

Allergy

Mugwort pollen is a major allergen, and mugwort can cause contact dermatitis. See Mugwort allergy.

FAQ: related questions

What plant is moxa made from?

Chinese moxa is usually made from the leaves of Artemisia argyi (Chinese mugwort, ai ye). Some sources name Artemisia vulgaris (common mugwort); Japanese moxa traditionally uses yomogi (Artemisia princeps).

Is moxa the same as wormwood?

Moxa comes from mugwort species in the Artemisia genus, which also includes wormwoods. The Arabic word shih (الشيح) usually means Artemisia herba-alba, a different species from the Chinese moxa plant.

What chemicals are in Artemisia argyi?

Reviews report 136 identified compounds in Artemisia argyi leaf, including terpenoids and flavonoids, with an essential oil whose composition varies by origin, harvest and storage.

Sources for this page

Wang et al. A review of the research progress on Artemisia argyi Folium: botany, phytochemistry, pharmacological activities, and clinical application. Naunyn Schmiedebergs Arch Pharmacol 2024. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/38775853/
The current understanding of Artemisia argyi (Springer 2025). link.springer.com/article/10.1007/s44403-025-00026-z
Liu et al. From longevity grass to contemporary soft gold: Explore the chemical constituents, pharmacology, and toxicology of Artemisia argyi H.Lév. & vaniot essential oil. J Ethnopharmacol 2021. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34246739/
Moxibustion (Wikipedia). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Moxibustion
علاج بالكي (Arabic Wikipedia). ar.wikipedia.org/wiki/%D8%B9%D9%84%D8%A7%D8%AC_%D8%A8%D8%A7%
Moxa Sourcing analysis of public search data (Google 'People also ask', autocomplete, AI Overviews; US, UK, AU and Arabic markets) and marketplace listings, November 2026.
Artemisia herba-alba (Wikipedia). en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Artemisia_herba-alba
Go et al. Comparative effects of artemisia vulgaris and charcoal moxa stimulating Zhongwan (CV 12) on body temperature in healthy participants: a cross-over single-blind randomized study. J Tradit Chin Med 2015. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/26591685/
The Case for Moxibustion for Painful Syndromes: History; principles and rationale (PMC9491495). pmc.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/articles/PMC9491495/
Yu et al. Review of the Chemical Composition and Biological Activities of Essential Oils from Artemisia Argyi, Artemisia Princeps, and Artemisia Montana. Curr Top Med Chem 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37638613/
Artemisiae Argyi Folium and its geo-authentic crude drug qi ai (J Tradit Chin Med Sci 2017). www.sciopen.com/article/10.1016/j.jtcms.2017.08.006
Jin et al. [Analysis on chemical compositions of Artemisia Argyi from Qichun of different years and moxa wool refined in different proportions]. Zhongguo Zhen Jiu 2010. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/20518175/
Zhang et al. Chemical constituents and biological activities of Artemisia argyi H.Lév. & vaniot. Nat Prod Res 2023. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/34847785/
Gao et al. Pharmacological and bioactive properties of Artemisia argyi H. Lév. & Vaniot essential oil: a review. Front Pharmacol 2025. pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/41573729/

Last reviewed: 2026-11-08. Editorial note: this guide re-edits published sources; it does not provide medical advice or new research.

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