Dragon Boat Festival: How did the ancients use mugwort to prevent disease?

During the Dragon Boat Festival, the ancients used mugwort in several ways to prevent disease.

Mugwort is hung on the door of a resident's home during Duanwu Festival, also known as Dragon Boat Festival, on the fifth day of the fifth month of the Chinese lunar calendar. [Photo provided to China Daily]

Hanging: They hung mugwort branches and leaves on the door. The strong aroma of mugwort can repel mosquitoes, flies and other insects, reducing the chance of diseases spread by them.

Bathing: Mugwort was boiled to make water for bathing, which gave it antibacterial and anti-inflammatory properties. Bathing in mugwort water was believed to help clean the skin, remove toxins from the body and prevent skin diseases, especially during the hot and humid season around the festival.

Burning: The burning of mugwort produces a distinctive-smelling smoke. In ancient times, people often burned mugwort leaves to purify the air and prevent the spread of epidemics.

（China Daily）