"Planting of mugwort in Qichun has increased rapidly since 2014, the year when the county government started to call on farmers to grow the herb," Wang said.

"Now my mugwort and its products are sold across China, and even to other countries such as Russia and the United States. A TCM researcher from Germany also bought mugwort seeds from me for breeding research."

Xia Chenjie, a Qichun native, said that like many other people in the county, he has used mugwort since he was a child.

"When I was child my mother would always prepare bath water with mugwort on the Dragon Boat Festival, as it is said to be able to ward off evil," he said.

"And I would also drink mugwort leaf water or chew the leaves when I got conditions such as fever or diarrhea, and they proved effective."

Although Western medicine is widely available, many people in rural parts of the county still hang mugwort on their doors to drive away evil spirits, he said.