89 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
89 lines
4.7 KiB
Plaintext
WORMWOOD (Artemisia Absinthium)
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VIA Ellen Evert Hopman, PO Box 219 Amherst, MA 01004
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Reprinted from: Keltria, PO BOx 33284, Minneapolis, MN 55433
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Wormwood is a classic herb for the Samhain season. In October the
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wheel of the year stops for a magical 3 day interlude before the feast
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of Samhain, which ushers in the death and rebirth of the seasonal
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wheel of the year.
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At Samhain we place gifts of food on our altars, and out-of-doors,
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extending hospitality to the disembodied ancestors who are surely
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amoung us. We light dark candles and call our dear departed, especially
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those most recently dead.
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Wormwood, when added to herbal incense, is an aid in opening the
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psychic centers. When these centers are open and receptive, we may better
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communicate with those who have "passed over". Its been written that
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wormwood and sandlewood (an herb of purification and high spiritual
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energy) burned together near a gravesite will summon the spirit of the
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departed.
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Wormwood is a banishing herb, used to rid a person or an area of
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anger and negativity.
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In ancient Mexico, women enacted a ritual dance in honor of the
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Goddess of Salt where they wore garlands of wormwood in their hair.
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To divine the face of your future lover, take dried majoram, thyme,
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and wormwood, grind them to a powder and cook them gently with honey
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and vinegar to make a paste. Anoit your third eye center with the mix
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and ask three times that a vision of your lover's face be granted to
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you in your sleep. Wear the mixture to bed.
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Wormwood is strewn behind furniture, under pillows and in corners
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to repel fleas. It is laid amoung woolens and furs to repel moths.
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On Samhain strew it in your ritual fire as a protection against
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malevolent spirits.
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HERBAL USES
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Wormwod tea is used as a liver rememdy to dispel the symptoms of
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jaundice and to remove depression and melancholy.
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A light infusion of the flowers and fresh leaves promotes digestion,
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increases the appetite, and strengthens the stomache - if nausea
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results, the dose ahs been too strong.
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Wormwood was once used in the production of Absinthe, a liqueur, and
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some home brewers still add it to mead (honey wine). Used occasionally
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it will soothe the nerves and balance the mind. CAUTION: as with all
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mind altering substances it can easily be abused. Persons who become
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addicted to absinthe experience giddiness and even convulsions.
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The flowers and buds are the best part for medicinal use. One ounce
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of the flowers can be tinctured in a pint of brandy for six weeks,
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strained, and used for the relief of gravel and gout. The dose is
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one tablespoon twice a day. One ounce of the flowers and buds can be
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covered with a pint and a half of boiling water and steeped for 12
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hours. The dose is two tablespoons three times a day for a week, then
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followed by a daily dose for maintenance. Do this to promote digestion.
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The dried and powdered herb is used as a vermifuge (gets rid of
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worms - thus the source of its name). Use the infusion to promote
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menstruation and as an antiseptic wash for wounds and skin irritations.
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The tea is used to help alleviate the bail of childbirth.
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The oil is used to relieve the pain of arthritic rheumatism and
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neuralgia. CAUTION: The oil is pure poison and should only be used
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externally! Never take this herb for more than a few weeks.
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**********************************************************************
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ADDITIONAL NOTES ON THIS HERB FROM RICHARD ALAN MILLER'S BOOK:
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THE MAGICAL & RITUAL USE OF HERBS (C) 1983 BY DESTINY BOOKS
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FAMILY : Compositae (Sunflower or Aster family)
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SYNONYMS: Absinth, green ginger.
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GEOGRAPHICAL LOCALES: all over the world, from US to Siberia
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HABITAT: Roadsides, waste places, and near the sea.
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BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION: The herb is a silky perennial plant supported
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by a woody rootstock producing many bushy stems that grow two to four
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feet in height. The stems are whitish covered closely with fine silk
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hairs. The leaves are hairy also, shaped with many blunt lobs of
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irregular symmetry. The flowers are small with globular heads of
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greenish-yellow color that are arranged on an erect leafy flower stem.
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The Leaves and the flowers have a very bitter taste and characteristic
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color.
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CHEMISTRY: Absinthe (a dimeric guaranolide) is the principle agent,
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anabsinthin and thiyone (a volitile oil) are also pesent. Absinthine
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is listed as a narcotic analgesic in the same group as codeine and
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dextromethorphan hydrobromide (Romilar).
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PRIMARY EFFECTS: Narcotic-analgesic. It depresses the central
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medullary part of the brain, the area concerned with pain and anxiety.
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