176.  Arnica montana.  Mountain Arnica.  The whole Plant.  E. D.—­The odour of the fresh plant is rather unpleasant, and the taste acrid, herbaceous, and astringent; and the powdered leaves act as a strong sternutatory.

This plant, according to Bergius, is an emetic, errhine, diuretic, diaphoretic, emmenagogue; and from its supposed power of attenuating the blood, it has been esteemed so peculiarly efficacious in obviating the bad consequences occasioned by falls and bruises, that it obtained the appellation of Panacea Lapsorum.—­Woodville’s Med.  Bot. p. 43.

177.  Artemisia Absinthium.  Wormwood, The Herb.  L.—­Wormwood is a strong bitter; and was formerly much used as such against weakness of the stomach, and the like, in medicated wines and ales.  At present it is rarely employed in these intentions, on account of the ill relish and offensive smell which it is accompanied with.  These it may be in part freed from by keeping, and totally by long coction, the bitter remaining entire.  An extract made by boiling the leaves in a large quantity of water, and evaporating the liquor with a strong fire, proves a bitter sufficiently grateful, without any disgustful flavour.

178.  Artemisia Abrotanum.  Southernwood.  Leaves.  D.—­Southernwood has a strong, not very disagreeable smell; and a nauseous, pungent, bitter taste; which is totally extracted by rectified spirit, less perfectly by watery liquors.  It is recommended as an anthelmintic; and in cold lencophlegmatic habits, as a stimulant, detergent, aperient, and sudorific.  The present practice has almost entirely confined its use to external applications.  The leaves are frequently employed in discutient and antiseptic fomentations; and have been recommended also in lotions and unguents for cutaneous eruptions, and the falling off of the hair.

179.  Artemisia maritima.  Sea wormwood.  Tops.  D.—­In taste and smell, it is weaker and less unpleasant than the common worm-wood.  The virutes of both are supposed to be of the same kind, and to differ only in strength.

The tops used to enter three of our distilled waters, and give name to a conserve.  They are an ingredient also in the common fomentation and green oil.

180.  Artemisia Santonica.  Roman wormwood.  Seeds.  E. D.—­It is a native of the warmer countries, and at present difficultly procurable in this, though as hardy and as easily raised as any of the other sorts.  Sea wormwood has long supplied its place in the markets, and been in general mistaken for it.

Roman wormwood is less ungrateful than either of the others:  its smell is tolerably pleasant:  the taste, though manifestly bitter, scarcely disagreeable.  It appears to be the most eligible of the three as a stomachic; and is likewise recommended by some in dropsies.