Mugwort works its magic

Herb used in TCM is making a difference in impoverished county in Hubei province.

When Wang Xingjian arrived in Qichun, Hubei province, 12 years ago to buy mugwort from local farmers, he was surprised to find there was none available in the county, traditionally famous for producing the herb.

"Farmers only grew a few mugwort plants around their houses for their own use, and never thought of growing more for sale," Wang, a businessman from Qingdao, Shandong province, said. "For two years I could not get any mugwort, despite visiting the whole county."

Wild mugwort used to grow all over the mountains in Qichun, but the use of pesticides and weed killers by farmers to improve grain yields had killed off a lot of the mugwort, Wang said.

Unable to find enough mugwort, Wang started to breed mugwort seeds three years later and employ farmers to grow the plant. He now has a 20-hectare mugwort plantation and his company uses the herb in various moxibustion products, including a cigar-like stick.

Moxibustion is a traditional Chinese medicine practice, believed to increase blood circulation, in which dried mugwort leaves are burned to heat pressure points. The smoke from the burning mugwort also has medicinal effects.