412 CULTIVATED VEGETABLES. 



Wormwood very powerfully resists putre- 

 faction, and was often made a principal ingre- 

 dient in antiseptic fomentations. It is a mo- 

 derately warm stomachic and corroborant. 



The roots of this plant, says Dr. Lewis, 

 promise to be applicable to some useful pur- 

 poses : their virtue resides chiefly in the cor- 

 tical part ; and rectified spirit extracts their 

 flavour more perfectly than w r atery liquors. 

 The ashes of wormwood afford a more pure 

 alkaline salt than most other vegetables, ex- 

 cepting bean-stalks, broom, and the larger 

 trees. 



Linnaeus mentions two cases in which an 

 essence, prepared from this plant, and taken 

 for a considerable time, prevented the forma- 

 tion of stones in the kidneys or bladder ; the 

 patient forbearing the use of wine and acids. 

 Wormwood was in great use before the 

 hop had acquired so much celebrity in the 

 composition of beer. When properly ma- 

 naged, wormwood has been found to give a 

 flavour to malt liquor, that many have pre- 

 ferred to that given in the common way by 

 hops. For this purpose the plant should be 

 gathered when fully ripe, and the seeds upon 

 it, and in this state hung up in small bunches 

 to dry. When thoroughly dried, a certain 



