194 A COMPENDIUM OF 
HERBA.—HERBS. 
THESE are important and efficient remedies 
they include all the mint family or order, be- 
sides many other plants quite as interesting 
which belong to other natural orders. 
The herbs consist of stems, leaves, flowering 
tops and seed. These plants contain an active 
principle in the shape of an etherial essence, 
_ which is the volatile oil of the stores. 
In general outlines, the herbs are miniature 
trees and closely resemble the giants of the 
forests. The herbs have peculiar characteris- 
tics, which will be treated of, separately and 
under their respective heads, 
Absinthium, Wormwood, Artemisia Absin- 
thium.—Natural order Composite. This plant 
is a native of Europe and northern Asia, and 
ts perennial root sends up new stems each year 
one or two feet in height, which are adorned 
With hoary and lanceolate-shaped leaves; 
those leaves arising from the root (radical) 
are tri-pinnatifid lanceolate in shape, obtuse 
and dentate in form, and finely pubes- 
cent. Flowers small, yellow in color, nodding 
and in racemes with tubular florets; the odor 
of wormwood is somewhat aromatic, taste in- 
tensely bitter. It contains tannin, resin, salts 
