许多东亚国家早在近2000年前就开始广泛使用艾草(Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Van.)、川艾(Artemisia princeps Pamp.)和山艾(Artemisia montana Pamp.)。它们的主要化学成分是精油，具有多种生物活性。本综述主要关注艾草精油(AAEO)、川艾精油(APEO)和山艾精油(AMEO)的化学成分和生物活性，重点研究它们的共同和特殊特性。此外，还总结了艾草、川艾和山艾的传统用途、分布和植物学特征。此外，文中还涉及了AAEO的药代动力学。我们通过在线和离线数据库收集了以下关键词的文献:艾草、苦艾、艾草、川艾、山艾、精油和挥发油。我们的搜索没有语言限制。艾草、川艾和山艾在亚洲的传统药物、食品和保健品中广泛使用。它们分布广泛，几乎遍布中国、韩国和日本的大部分地区。AAEO、 APEO和AMEO由单萜烯、倍半萜烯及其衍生物、烷烃、烯烃等组成。AAEO的大部分特异化合物是单萜类化合物，APEO的大约一半的特异化合物是脂肪烃，而倍半萜烯是AMEO的典型特异化合物。艾草精油显示出多种生物活性，如抗微生物、抗炎、抗氧化、抗肿瘤、抗凝血、镇静和杀虫等。本综述提供了AAEO、APEO和AMEO的化学成分和生物活性的洞察。全面的文献显示它们在各个领域具有广阔的应用前景。然而，对它们应进行更深入的研究。应该阐明其潜在的生物活性机制，并确定其毒性和质量控制。 版权所有©伯特汉姆科学出版社；有关任何问题，请发送电子邮件至epub@benthamscience.net。

Artemisia argyi Lévl. et Van., Artemisia princeps Pamp., and Artemisia montana Pamp., which are the sources of mugwort, have been popular across East Asian countries for nearly 2000 years now. Essential oils are the major chemical component obtained from them, exhibiting a variety of biological activities.This review mainly focuses on the chemical composition and biological activities of A. argyi essential oil (AAEO), A. princeps essential oil (APEO), and A. montana essential oil (AMEO), with a special focus on their common and specific characteristics. The traditional use, distribution, and botany of A. argyi, A. princeps, and A. montana have also been summarized. In addition, the pharmacokinetics of AAEO was involved.We collected literature from online and offline databases by entering the following keywords: mugwort, wormwood, A. argyi, A. princeps, A. montana, essential oil, and volatile oil. No language limitation was present in our search.A. argyi, A. princeps, and A. montana were used as traditional medicine, food, and health care products for a long time in Asia. They are widely distributed in most parts of China, Korea, and Japan. AAEO, APEO, and AMEO composed of monoterpenes, sesquiterpenes and their derivatives, alkanes, olefins, etc. Most of the specific compounds of AAEO were monoterpenoids, nearly half of the specific compounds of APEO were aliphatic hydrocarbons, and the sesquiterpenes were the typical specific compounds of AMEO. The mugwort essential oil showed multiple biological activities, such as anti-microbial, anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, antitumor, anticoagulation, sedative, and insecticide.The present review provided insight into the chemical composition and biological activity of AAEO, APEO, and AMEO. The comprehensive literature showed that they possessed wide application prospects in various fields. However, they should be studied in more depth. The underlying bioactive mechanisms should be elucidated and their toxicity and quality control should be determined.Copyright© Bentham Science Publishers; For any queries, please email at epub@benthamscience.net.