Mugwort
Artemisia vulgaris
Mugwort, the first plant mentioned in the Anglo-Saxon Nine Herb Charm, was seen as a general cure all. Gathered on Midsummer Eve and placed in a grain bin, it was thought to keep mice away. Wreathes of mugwort defended against thunder and thieves. If made into a girdle, mugwort was thought to protect one from witches, ghosts, and general misfortune.
For medicinal purposes used as a leaf tea diuretic, it induces sweating, regulates erratic menstruation, brings on delayed periods, expels afterbirth, and helps with menopausal symptoms.
A pillow stuffed with mugwort and slept upon will produce prophetic dreams. Mugwort is burned during scrying rituals, and a mugwort-and-honey infusion is drunk before divination. Mugwort is the herb that is most often burned as recels, the Old English word for incense; pronounced ray-kels. The act of burning it is referred to as recaning, which can be pronounced various ways, but the most graceful seems to be reek-en-ing. It also has a clearing effect on the mind.