Wormwood, or Artemisia Maritima, is a low maintenance plant that is easy to grow. This plant is great for beginning herbologists. In the wild, sea wormwood grows along the seashore in Europe and Asia. Wormwood is a hardy plant that can tolerate drought, maritime exposures and temperatures as low as -15C. It has a sweet lavender-like smell but is very bitter to the taste. It is easy to identify from a distance by its silver-gray colour. It is a flowering plant, growing close to two metres high. The leaves are narrow, covered with silver velvety fur. It has small yellow oblong flowers, containing three to six florets, in August and September. They are hermaphrodite and are pollinated by the wind. In the following, I shall demonstrate my knowledge and ability to care for wormwood
Wormwood is an anthelmintic (de-wormer), antipyretic (fever reducer), antiseptic, antispasmodic, carminative (gas reliever), emmenagoque (blood flow stimulator), stimulant (mental and physical acuity), stomachic (digestion and appetite stimulator), tonic, and hallucinogenic. Its' taste is very bitter so I add sugar in the ratio of 3:1 to make it palatable. The bitterness comes from the excretion of salty water from the leaves.
For my purposes, I would use wormwood as a medicinal potion for intermittent fevers and as a de-wormer for both the wizarding community and magical creatures. In potions, I would add brandy and use it as a stomachic infusion, emmenagoque and a stimulant. Long term use of this potion may help cure hysteric complaints and hypochondriasis. Even though I know that pure wormwood oil is extremely poisonous, wormwood potions are edible if one takes three to five milligram (mg) daily or as a herb at two to three mg daily. Essent...
... middle of paper ...
...in bunches, spreading the leaves out like a fan so it can be air dried evenly. The best place to hang them is in a shady open air space. The drying temperature should be consistently around 21C. On average, I find that each plant yields about 0.35% of semi-dried herb. After they finish drying, I store them immediately in airtight glass jars and place them in my storage room.
Even though this plant is relatively easy to grow, one must still ensure that it has adequate amounts of sunlight and moisture as well as the right type of soil. Wormwood will spread so one must keep a close eye on this and stop it from taking over the garden. Due to its highly toxic nature, one must ensure that both the plant and living creatures are protected. As long as one is aware of the possible problems that this plant may cause, they should be very successful at growing wormwood.
My grandmother grew up in Americus, GA, a rural town over 100 miles south of Atlanta. Her parents were of Cherokee descent, so I asked her about any herbal remedies passed down to her. She told me of several, but the one that she remembered with the most clarity was rabbit tobacco.
Two years ago I went to an exhibition in Milan titled: “Artemisia: storia di una passione” (“Artemisia: history of a passion”). The exhibition was sponsored by the Assessorato alla Cultura of the Comune of Milano and curated by Roberto Contini and Francesco Solinas, with the scenographic and theatrical work of Emma Dante.
Native Americans used the creosote bush for a variety of things. The extracts have been used a antiseptics and treatments for arthritis and rattlesnake bites.
Medieval medicine was made from herbs, spices, and resins. It was applied in drinks, pills, rubs, baths, washes, ointments, purges, and poultices. Head pains were treated with sweet-smelling herbs. Mixtures of henbane and hemlock were applied to aching joints. Coriander was used to reduce fever. Stomach pains were treated with wormwood, mint, and balm. Lung illnesses were given medical treatment of a medicine which was made up of liquorice and comfrey. Horehound cough syrups and drinks were used for head-colds, cough, and chest congestion. Wounds were cleaned with vinegar as it was bel...
The delightful treat humans eat during the fall and winter are surprisingly effective at treating worms in dogs. Pumpkin seeds contain amino acids, which paralyze worms in the digestive track. Once paralyzed, the worms are expelled through bowel
Ultima, an elderly curandera, teaches a young boy about herbal remedies by gathering plants growing in the llano to cure the sick. She uses herbs like juniper, yerba del manso, oregano, manzanilla, and osha. Juniper can be used for nausea, headaches, and even some bug bites. It is also used for ceremonial fires. “Of all the plants we gathered none was endowed with so much magic as the yerba del manso” (Anya 39). Yerba del manso could cure burns, sores, piles, colic in babies, bleeding dysentery, and even rheumatism. Oregano can be used for coughs, fever, asthma, and bronchitis. “We wandered on and found some oregano, and we gathered plenty because this was not only a cure for coughs and fever but a spice my mother used for beans and meat" (Anya 40). Ultima also gathers an herb called manzanilla. Manzanilla is used to calm anxiety and settle stomachs. It also eases heartburn, nausea, and vomiting. Ultima uses it to cure a man’s mollera illness. “We were also lucky to find some osha, because this plant grows better in the mountains . It is like yerba del manso, a cure for everything” (Anya 40). Osha helps with coughs, colds, cuts, bruises, stomach troubles and rheumatism. It can also keep poisonous snakes
To identify truly dangerous plants in Emmet county Northern Michigan, the list of poisonous plants in the ACHS Herb 101 textbook were compared to plants in Emmet county using the Field Manual of Michigan Flora. From the emerging list, eliminations were made based on established medicinal or traditional use, and toxic, allergenic or photo-sensitizing abilities. Finally, by taking into consideration the highest probability of mis-identification or improper preparation; the list of poisonous flora growing in Northern Michigan was narrowed to a legitimate five. From those five, three extremely dangerous plants were chosen: Anticlea elegans (Death Camas), Conium maculatum (Poison Hemlock), and Daphne mezereum (Mezereon).
Comedy in literary works is not used merely as a form of entertainment. Oftentimes, authors employ the use of comedy to present social criticisms in a particular society during a given timeframe. This is proven true in The Mandrake Root or La Mandragola, a satirical play written by Italian philosopher Niccoló Machiavelli. In this comedy, the playwright relates his views on certain ideas to a seemingly ordinary life: Callimaco, a young man, is attracted to whom he deems the most beautiful young woman he has ever laid his eyes on, Lucrezia, who is married to an older man named Nicia. Due to his growing lust, Callimaco agrees to carry out a plan devised by Ligurio, a Machiavellian figure, to access Lucrezia. Through his use of humor, wit, and
Herbal remedies have been used throughout the world for thousands of years and recently their use has become popularized in America. People tend to view herbal remedies as being safer then prescription drugs because they are believed not to contain chemicals or cause side effects. St. John’s Wort is an herbal remedy, which prevents the destruction of seratonin, a natural anti-depressant, is often used to treat depression. Due to the increasing interest it St John’s wort, as well as in other herbal remedies, there has been a great deal of research done recently in the effectiveness and safety of this herb in regards to depression.
Artemisia Gentileschi is considered to be one of the great painters of the Baroque era, and is especially venerated for her mastery of the Caravaggesque style. Her power as an artist comes not only from her technical and creative capabilities, but also from her acute understanding of and involvement in theoretical discourse on painting and the genius of the artist. Known for her vigorous depictions of powerful Biblical heroines that do not conform to typical images of femininity and through the intensity of the Caravaggesque style, Gentileschi’s work can be considered quintessentially Baroque.
Herbal medicine is the extraction of herbs or plants which have a medicinal value in treating illnesses and diseases (Brody 1). A herb is known as a plant that does not have a woody stem and usually dies back at the end of each growing season. It is also known as a "natural" drug because they are derived from nature. This is unlike pharmaceutical drugs, which are synthesized from chemicals.
Chamomile is one of the most ancient medicinal herbs used today. It is a member of the Asteraceae/Compositae family and comes in two different forms- German Chamomile and Roman Chamomile. Historically, the origin of the name Chamomile can from the Greeks who first noted that the smell resembled that of apples and therefore named it “ground apples.” What gives Chamomile its medicinal properties are its dried flowers, which contain terpenoids and flavonoids (lipids and pigment of the plant). In addition, oils of Chamomile are also used in cosmetics and aromatherapy with a distinct smell. Some traditional uses of Chamomile include: anti-spasmodic and sedative use for gastric disturbances and rheumatoid arthritis, treating parasitic worm infections, a skin wash for ulcers or any skin conditions, and lastly having anti-inflammatory and antiseptic properties to treat certain health conditions such as colic, cystitis, fever, flatulence and vomiting.
Peppermint is said to believe to have many benefits regarding health of the human body. Although many people relate peppermint to the extract we put in foods to give it flavor around the holidays, peppermint oil is used in aroma therapy. Some of its usage is for helping irritable bowel syndrome, indigestion, relieves headaches, and improves mental focus. Due to the many health advantages of peppermint oil, it has become a common essential oil used in modern day aroma therapy.
In recent years, the exposure of pill-peddling pharmaceutical companies and the dangers- such as the various toxins and the risk of dependence- that their manufactured drugs pose on the body has turned more and more people of the western world back to basics for their health care. Richard L. Nahin from the National Institutes of Health's National Center for Complementary and Alternative Medicine states that according to the institute’s latest research, "It's clear that millions of Americans every year are turning to complementary and alternative medicine."