FAMILY HERBAL. 365 



tinctures of the shops, but it docs very well alone ; 

 boiling water poured upon it, and suffered to 

 stand till it is cold then strained off, is an excel- 

 lent medicine to cause an appetite. Put into white 

 wine, it also gives a pleasant bitter flavour, with 

 the same virtues. 



Roman Wormwood. Absyntlxium Romanum. , 



A VERY delicate plant of the wormwood kind, 

 native of the warmer parts of Europe, but kept 

 in our gardens. It is two fttct and a half high ; 

 the stalk is round, smooth, hard, upright, of 

 a browish colour, and somewhat woody. The 

 leaves stand irregularly on it, and they are small 

 and divided into very fine segments : they are 

 more like the leaves of the common southern- 

 wood in figure, than those of either of the other 

 wormwoods. The flowers are little and brown, 

 like those of common wormwood, but vastly 

 smaller ; they are very numerous, and stand at 

 the tops of the stalks in a kind of long and thick 

 spikes. The root is creeping and spreading, and 

 composed of fibres. The whole plant has a bitter 

 taste, but not at all like that of wormwood, ex- 

 tremely aromatic and pleasing. The flowers are 

 very bitter, and have little of this aromatic fla- 

 vour. 



The fresh tops are used, and the whole plant 

 dried. It is excellent to strengthen the stomach; 

 hut that is not ail its virtue. The juice of the fresh 

 tops is good against obstructions of the liver 

 and spleen, and has been known singly to cure the 

 jaundice. 



