Artemisia

[From artemis.] ( Bot.) A gen. of plants, ord. Asteraceæ, and comprehending several valuable and interesting species. The aromatic and medicinal properties of A. absinthium, the common wormwood, have been described under the names ABSINTHUM, ABSENTHINE, and ABSINTHE. Its flowers are arranged in globular heads, and are of a buff or yellowish color, blo oming in August. A. abrotanum is the southernwood, a fragrant plant employed in Europe for making beer. The Persian species, A. acetic a, is said to have the odor of strong vinegar; hence its name. The species A. alba, and others, are said to serve as nutriment to the herds of the Kirghis and Kalmucks. The anthelmintic known by the names Semonseriphii and Barbotine, consists of the flower-heads of A. cærules cens, a Mediterranean plant. A. chinensis, and other species, are stated by Lindley to yield the moxa of China. It is prepared from the cottony or woolly covering of the leaves, and used as a cautery by burning it upon parts affected with gout and rheumatism. (See MOXA.) A. dracunculus is the tarragon, the leaves of which are used for flavoring vinegar in pickles and salads. A. gallica, termed in France san ( Surg .) The opening of an artery for the purpose of drawing blood; distinguished from phlebotomy, or venesection, which is the opening of a vein. In ordinary cases the latter is always preferable to the former; but sometimes, when it is nece ary to take a large quantity of blood from the system very rapidly, as in apoplexy, A. is adopted, and then it is generally the temporal artery that is selected.