388 COMPOSITE. 



Artemisia which he calls A. Gina. It was obtained in Turkestan by 

 Pro^. Petzholdt, who received it from the people gathering the dru<r. 

 The specimen kindly communicated to us by Prof. Willkomm h£ 

 floAverheads which do not entirely resemble the wormseed of trade, ia 

 that they have fewer scales, but their number may be somewhat 



varying. 



History — Several species of Absinthium are mentioned byDiosco- 

 rides, one of which called 'Ayp-[p6iov daXda-a-iov or ZepK^ou, having very 

 small seeds (capitules), and growing in Cappadocia, he states to be taken 

 in honey as a remedy for ascarides and lumbrici : one can hardly doubt 

 but that this is the modern wormseed. Another species is described 

 by the same author as being called Zavroviov, from its growing in the 

 country of the Santones in Gaul (the modern Saintonge) ; he asserts it 

 to resemble a-epi<pov in its properties. 



In an epistle on intestinal worms attributed to Alexander Tralli- 

 anus/ who practised medicine with great success at Rome in the 6tli 

 century, the use is recommended of a decoction of Absinthium marinum 

 {Oa\aa-<Tia ayJ/lvBri) ^s a cm'c for ascarides and round worms. 



bejnen sanctum vel Alexandnnum is mentioned as a vermifuge for 

 children by Saladinus about a.d. 1450, and by Ruellius, Dodonreus, the 

 i^aiihms, and other naturalists of the IGth century. Tragus ^ mentions 

 that It IS imported by way of Genoa Its ancient reputation has been 

 tully mamtamed in modern times, and in the form partly of Santonin, 

 the drug IS stiU extensively employed. 



Description— Good samples of the drug consist almost exclusively 

 pt entire, unopened flowerheads or capitules, which are so minute that 

 It requires about 90 to make up the weight of one grain. In samples 

 ess pure, there is an admixture of stalks, and portions of a small pinnate 

 leat 1 he flowerheads are of an elliptic or oblong form, about ^ of an 

 men long, greenish yellow when new, brown if long kept ; they grow 

 singly, less frequently in pairs, on short stalks, and are formed of about 

 la Oblong, obtuse, concave scales, closely imbricated. This involucre is 

 much narrowed at the base in consequence of the lowermost scales 

 «.3 f J'^^.^;;a% shorter than the fest. The capitule is sometimes 

 nZZ T^^ ^fi^ ^^ *^« "PPer leaves of the stem, which are short, 

 sorj^Tl-ri^- Notwithstanding its compactness, the capitule i 



^ZZ r^f^ ^^^ angular,' from the involuclar scales having a 

 co.3:^ ""^A"^^ .''''^' ^' ^^^1- The middle portion of each scale is 

 tmZlr^ "''^^*^' y^^^^^^ ^e^^si^e glands, which are wanting on the 

 strLl n? • '"^'T^ "^g^- The latter is marked with extremely fine 

 wooTlv^l"' ?"'^? glabrous; in the young state the keel bears a few 

 Id np 'f 1 I'' ^^r^ ^"^ ^t maturity the whole flowerhead is shmmg 

 Se\"'d^t.^?Ir!•_ The florets number from 3 to 5 ; they have ^ 



ovary 



pappus. 



shows 

 not 



1 Contain 1 • i^^l^l^^o. 



Mercurialis entitlLT'" • ^^ HieronjTnus natural sliape of the flowerheads, 



lif»^ Qmtu<;rYenei l^n^^'T ^^^'^""'"'"t that this shrunken, angular form is 



mann's editionof iL^«]; '/ ^ '"^ ^"^*='^- ^o^"*^ »» the growing plant. .j 



1- 238. 240. ^'*«^««^«'-(seeAppenclix), * Yet too mueh stress must not be Imd 



J'InBrunfels{Z)e«^ra7..v; *his character, for as Besser remar ■• 



Ar-entorati, 1531 m'""*"''^"*''''^''^)' "j>ericUnn squam<r m mo loco toinen') oj^^^^ 



' Maceration in water «-)• 1 . i^^"-'* -minmve came, in alus niia"', 



"'*'^' '^ '"«^li restores the mf!drr>." 



