Artemisia argyi ( A. argyi ), a traditional Chinese medicinal plant, has been widely applied in moxibustion therapy and daily health care products. Conventional A. argyi products primarily utilize aged leaves, while other plant parts such as stems and roots remain underutilized, limiting the full exploitation of its bioactive potential. In this study, fresh whole-plant A. argyi extract was incorporated into viscose fibers via a wet spinning process to produce natural antibacterial fibers, promoting comprehensive utilization of A. argyi resources. The modified fibers exhibited sustained-release properties, and their antibacterial activity was significantly enhanced compared with that of the unmodified viscose fibers. The antibacterial rates against Escherichia coli and Staphylococcus aureus reached 97% and 96.9%, respectively. Furthermore, the fibers were fabricated into knitted socks to evaluate their practical performance. The A. argyi /viscose socks demonstrated excellent mechanical properties and wearability while maintaining strong antibacterial efficacy. This work presents an effective strategy for developing plant-based antimicrobial textiles and provides a promising approach for the high-value utilization of whole A. argyi plants in functional textile applications. • Fresh whole-plant Artemisia argyi resources were effectively utilized. • Artemisia argyi exhibited sustained release in functional viscose fibers and antibacterial activity. • Functional antibacterial socks were successfully fabricated. • The strategy promotes high-value utilization of mugwort resources.
Shi et al. (Fri,) studied this question.