The antimutagenic activity of the extract of Artemisia capillaris THUNB on the mutagenicity induced by benzo(a)pyrene [B(a)P] in the presense of S9 mixture was studied using bacterial mutagenic assay system. Samples harvested in summer and autumn were extracted using ethanol and hot water. Among these extracts the water extract of summer sample had the strongest inhibitory effect against the mutagenenicity of B(a)P, The water extract of Artemisia capillaris THUNB was separated again into ethanol soluble and insoluble parts. The ethanol insoluble part(El) of water extract exhibited higher inhibition effects than the ethanol soluble part against the mutagenic activity of B(a)P. El showed dose-dependent activity on the mutagenicity of B(a)P in SOS Chromotest and Ames test. The 50% inbibition concentraction $(IC_{50}$ of El were $200{mu}g/assay$ $600{mu}g/plate$ and $800{mu}b/plate$ in E. coil PQ37 S. typhimurium TA100 and TA98 respectively. El were showed desmutagenic effect but had no effect on the DNA repair system for B(a)P-induced mutagenesis. HPLC analysis showed that the formation of aflatoxin M1 by cytochrome P-450 1A1 known as playing an impotant role on B(a) P-induced mutagenicity was highly inhibited by El. Therefore we encluded that B(a)P-induced mutagencity can be reduced possible due to the interference of el with cytochrome P-450 1A1-dependent bioactivation.