Artemisia argyi. A. vulgaris 艾 叶 Ài yè   Mugwort   Family: Asteraceae  
Dried leaf is used for moxabustion. During the Dragon festival in China (fifth day of the fifth moon) Armemisia is hung up to ward off noxious influences.
艾 叶 Ài yè   Leaves     
Nature- warm    FLAVOR: Bitter, pungent, fragrant, acrid   CHANNELS: Spleen, Liver, Kidney    TOXICITY: Slightly Toxic  
FUNCTIONS
GROUP: Regulating Blood- Styptic
1. Disperse Cold.[1,2,3] Dispels gas.[1] Relieve pain.[2] Warm channels and stop bleeding.[3] Reduce Damp.[3] Strengthen Stomach.[3]
2. Quiet the fetus.[1,3]
INDICATIONS
INTERNALLY- mainly used for weak deficient conditions.
1. Common herb for gynaecological bleeding and calms the fetus-[1,2] if the mother is very Hot. If the mother is bleeding during pregnancy (threatened miscarriage) with lower abdominal pain.[3] Post-partum abdominal cramps.[1]
2. Hematemesis.[1]
3. Irregular menstruation.[1] Continuous spotting.[1] Period pain.[2] Vaginal bleeding.[2]
4. Cold pain in the epigastric area.[1] Cold abdominal pain, itching. Abdominal pain due to cold.[3] Nausea and vomiting.[4]
5. Skin conditions.[1] Pain in arthritis.[3]
EXTERNALLY - see below
1. The dried and ground leaves of Artemisia vulgaris and A. argyi are used to remove blood stagnation and improve circulation, by burning the herb near the skin or burning small rolled pellets on the skin. The energy released from the herb has similar characteristics to the normal preparation, though much more locally. This procedure is called Moxabustion.
COMPARISON: Ai ye with Rou gui- Both for abdominal pain due to Cold
Rou Gui- For Cold Deficient Yin, coldness in 4 limbs, Regulating the Blood( not styptic or calm fetus as it increases the Yang).[3]
Ai ye- Disense cold pain in abdomen due to Cold and Damp, Deficient Heat conditions, stop bleeding, calm fetus and regulate bleeding.[3]
PREPARATIONS: Dried leaf - 3-6 g.[2] Decoction. Dried leaf  9-15 g.[1,3] Or a suitable amount may be cooked for bathing external parts.[1] Dried fried or roasted is used for bleeding due to Deficient conditions.[3]
Moxibustion 灸 Jiǔ   The burning of the ground dried leaves- Moxa punk called 艾绒 Ài róng  above the skin of Ai ye to warm the skin in order to stimulate circulation.
See Moxibustion

艾 叶 油 Ài yè yóu- Mugwort leaf oil  Essential oil     
FUNCTIONS
1. Calm down bronchitis, relieve cough, expel sputum.[2]
2. Heal inflammation.[2]
INDICATIONS
1. Chronic bronchitis, pulmonary abscess, bronchial asthma.[2]
HABITAT: Cultivated in gardens and along roadsides.
DESCRIPTION: Perennial herb. The whole plant emits fragrance. Stem; erect, attaining height of 1 meter, covered slightly by fine greyish hairs. Leaves; alternate, ovate-rounded, pinnately compound, lobes elliptical-rounded, lanceolate or linear, apexes acute, margins intact or dentate, both surfaces covered by fine grey hairs. Flowers; in autumn, lightly yellow small flowers appearing terminally, forming capitulum inflorescence, that group to form a panicle inflorescence. Fruit; an achene.
References
Inner Path can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.
Research
Artemisiae argyi Water Extract Alleviates Obesity-Induced Metabolic Disorder pdf

Antimalarial properties of Artemisia vulgaris L. ethanolic leaf extract in a Plasmodium berghei murine malaria model.
Bamunuarachchi GS, Ratnasooriya WD, Premakumara S, Udagama PV1.
Abstract
BACKGROUND & OBJECTIVES:
Artemisinin isolated from Artemisia annua is the most potent antimalarial drug against chloroquine-resistant Plasmodium falciparum malaria. Artemisia vulgaris, an invasive weed, is the only Artemisia species available in Sri Lanka. A pilot study was undertaken to investigate the antiparasitic activity of an A. vulgaris ethanolic leaf extract (AVELE) in a P. berghei ANKA murine malaria model that elicits pathogenesis similar to falciparum malaria.
METHODS:
A 4-day suppressive and the curative assays determined the antiparasitic activity of AVELE using four doses (250, 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg), Coartem® as the positive control and 5% ethanol as the negative control in male ICR mice infected with P. berghei.
RESULTS:
The 500, 750 and 1000 mg/kg doses of AVELE significantly (p ≤ 0.01) inhibited parasitaemia by 79.3, 79.6 and 87.3% respectively, in the 4-day suppressive assay, but not in the curative assay. Chronic administration of the high dose of AVELE ruled out overt signs of toxicity and stress as well as hepatotoxicity, renotoxicity and haematotoxicity.
INTERPRETATION & CONCLUSION:
The oral administration of a crude ethonolic leaf extract of A. vulgaris is non-toxic and possesses potent antimalarial properties in terms of antiparasitic activity.
J Vector Borne Dis. 2013 Dec;50(4):278-84. ncbi.nlm.nih.gov