WORMWOOD
Wermut
Artemisia absinthium
Wormwood
Planet: Mars
Energie: leicht warm und leicht trocken
| Galle | Choller |
| Geschlechtsverkehr | Venery |
| provoziert Urin | Provokes Urine |
| Hilft bei Übersättigung | Helps Surfets |
| Schwellungen | Swellings |
| Appetitlosigkeit | Appetite lost |
| Gelbsucht | Yelloow Jaundice |
| Schützt die Gesundheit | Preserve Health |
| Provoziert die Menstruation | Terms provokes |
| Bisse von Ratten und Mäusen | Biting of Rats & Mice |
| Pilze Nesselsucht | Mushroms wheals |
| Pickel und Beulen | Pushes |
| Schwarze und blaue Flecken | Black & blew Spots |
| Peritonsillarabszess | Quinsie |
| Augen | Eyes |
| Bisse oder Stiche von giftigen Tieren | Biting or stinging by Venemous Beasts |
| Milz | Spleen |
| Syphilis | French Pox |
| Übersättigung | Surfet |
| Mundgeruch | Stinking Breath |
| Getrübtes Gehirn | Dull Brain |
| Schwach Sehvermögen | Weak Sight |
Sea Wormwood hath gotten as many Names as vertues (and perhaps one more) Seriphion, Santonicon, Belgicum, Narbonense, Xantomicum, Misnense, and a matter of twenry more, which I will not blot Paper withal: A Papist got the Toy by the end, and he called it Holy Wormwood; and in truth I am of Opinion, Their giving so much holiness to Herbs is the Reason there remains so little in themselves.
The Seed of this Wormwood is that which usually Women give their Children for the Worms: Of all Wormwoods that grow here, this is the weakest; I but Doctors commend it, and Apothecaries sell it, the one must keep his Credit, and the other get Money, and that's the key of the work. The Herb is good for somthing, because God made nothing in vain; Will you give me leave to weigh things in the Ballance of Reason; Then thus, The Seeds of the common Wormwood are far more prevalent than the Seed of this, to expell Worms in Children, or People of ripe age: Of both, some are weak, some are strong. The Seriphian Wormseed is the weakest, & happily may prove to be fittest for weakest Bodies (for it is weak enough in all conscience) Let such as are strong take the common Wormseed, for the other will do but little good. Again, neer the Sea many people live, and Seriphium grows neer them, and therfore is more fitting for their Bodies because nourished by the same Air; and this I had from Dr. Reason. In whose Body Dr. Reason dwels not, dwels Dr. Madness, and he brings in his Brethren, Dr. Ignorance, Dr. Folly, and Dr. Sickness, and these together make way for Dr. Death, and the latter end of that man is worse than the beginning. Pride was the cause of Adam's Fall, Pride begate a Daughter, I do not know the Father of it unless the Divil, but she christned it, and call'd it Appetite, and sent her Daughter to tast these Wormwoods, who finding this the least bitter, made the sqeamish Wench extol it to the Skies, though the Vertues of it never reached to the middle Region of the Air. Its due praise is this; It is weakest, therefore fitter for weak Bodies, and fitter for those Bodies that dwel neer it than those that live far from it: my reason, is The Sea (as those that live far from it know when they comt neer it) casteth not such a smel as the Land doth: The tender Mercies of God being over all his Works, hath by his eternal Providence planted Seriphium by the Sea side, as a fit Medicine for the Bodies of those that live neer it. Lastly, It is known to all that know any thing in the Course of Nature, That the Liver delights in sweet things; if so, it abhors bitter, then if your Liver be weak, it is none of the wisest courses to plague it with an Enemy: if the Liver be weak a Consumption follows; Would you know the Reason? 'tis this, A mans Flesh is repaired by Blood, by a third concoction which transmutes Blood into Flesh ('tis well I said [Conction] for if I had said [Boyling] every Cook would have understood me.) The Liver makes Blood, and if it be weakned that it makes not enough the Flesh wasteth, and why must Flesh alwaies be renewed? Because the eternal God when he made the Creation, made one part of it in continual dependency upon another: And why did he so? Because Himself is only Permanent, to reach us, That we should not fix our affections upon what is transitory, but upon what endures for ever. The result of all is this, If the Liver be weak and cannot make Blood enonough (I would have said [Sanguifie] if I had written only to Schollers) The Seriphian which is the weakest of Wormwoods is better than the best. I have been Critical enonough (if not too much.
It starts up out of the earth with many round woody hoary Stalks from one Root, its height is four foot high, or three at the least. The Leaves in Longitude are long, in Latitude narrow, in Colour white, in Foam hoary, in Similitude like Southernwood, only broader and longer, in Tast, rather salt than bitter, because it grows so neer the Salt Water: At the joynts with the Leaves toward the tops it bears little yellow Flowers. The Root lies deep and is woody.
Common Wormwood I shall not describe, for every Boy that can eat an Eg knows it.
Romane Wormwood; And why Romane, seeing it grows familiarly in England? It may be it was so called because 'tis special good for a stinking Breath, which the Romans cannot be very free from maintaining so many Baudy Houses by Authority of his Holiness.
The Stalks are slenderer and shorter than the common Wormwood by one foot at least; the Leaves are more finely cut and devided than they are but somthing smaller; both Leaves and Stalks are hoary; the Flowers of a pale yellow colour, it is altogether like the common Wormwood, save only in bigness, for 'tis smaller; in tast, for 'tis not so bitter, in smell, for it is spicy. Place. It groweth upon the tops of the Mountains (it seems 'tis aspiring) there 'tis Natural; but usually nursed up in Gardens for the use of the Apothecaries in London.
Faelix qui potuit vevum cognoscere causas
Inque domus superum scanasre cura fuit.
O happy he that can the Knowledg gain,
To know th' eternal God made nought in vain.
To this I add,
I know the reason causeth such a Dearth
Of Knowledg, 'tis, becaus men love the Earth.
The other day Mars told me he met with Venus, and he asked her what the Reason was that she accused him for abusing Women, he never gave them the Pox, in the Dispute they fell out, and in anger parted, and Mars told me that his brother Saturn told him, that an Antivenerial Medicine was the best against the Pox. Once a Month he meets with the Moon, Mars is quick enough of speech, and the Moon not much behind hand (neither are most Women) The Moon looks much after Children, and Children are much troubled with the Worms, she desired a Medicine of him, he bad her take his own Herb Wormwood: He had no sooner parted with the Moon but he met with Venus, and she was as drunk as a Bitch, Alas poor Venus quoth he, What, thou a Fortune and be drunk? I'le give thee an Antipathetical Cure, take my Herb Wormwood, thou shalt never get a Surfet by drinking. A poor silly Countryman hath got an Ague and cannot go about his business, he wishes he had it not, and so do I, but I'le tell him a Remedy whereby he may prevent it. Take the Herb of Mars Wormwood, and if Infortunes will do good what will Fortunes do? Some say the Lungs are under Jupiter, and if the Lungs, then the breath, and yet a man somtimes gets a stinking breath, and yet Jupiter is a Fortune forsooth; up comes Mars to him, Come Brother Jupiter, thou knowest I sent thee a couple of Trines to thy Houses last night, the one from Aries, and other from Scorpio, give me thy leave by Sympathy to cure the poor man by drinking a draught of Wormwood Beer every morning. The Moon was weak the other day, and she gave a man to terrible mischiefs, a dull Brain, and a weak sight, Mars laies by his Sword and comes to her, Sister Moon saith he This man hath anger'd thee, but I beseech thee take notice he is but a Fool, prithee be patient, I will with my Herb Wormwood cure him of both Infirmities by Antipathy, for thou knowest, thou and I cannot agree; with that the Moon began to quarrel; Mars (not delighting much in Womens Tongues) went away, and did it whether she would or no.
He that reades this and understands what he reades, he hath a Jewel more worth then a Diamond: He that understands it not, is as little fit to give Physick. There lies a Key in these words, which will unlock (if it be turned by a wise hand) the Cabbinet of Physick: I have delivered it so plainly as I durst; 'tis not upon Wormwood only that I wrote, but upon all Plants, Trees, and Herbs: He that understands it not, is unfit (in my Opinion) to give Physick. This shall live when I am dead; and thus I leave it to the World, not caring a Halfpenny whether they like or dislike it. The Grave equals all men, and therefore shall equal me with the Princes, until which time the Eternal Providence is over me; then the ill tongue of a pratling Priest, or of one who hath more Tongue than Wit, or more Pride than Honesty, shall never trouble me. Wisdom is justified of her Children; and so much for Wormwood.