Note E346 — 55.

"Wormwood, a word corrupted from A.S. wermod, Ger. wermuth, O.S. weremede, words which seem to be compounded with Ger. wehren, A.S. werian = to keep off, and mod or made = maggot, but which, by an accidental coincidence of sound, have been understood as though the first syllable were worm. L. Diefenbach would prefer to derive it from a Celtic root that means "bitter," Welsh chwerw, Cornish wherow. Be its origin what it may, it was understood in the Middle Ages as meaning a herb obnoxious to maggots, and used to preserve things from them, and was also given as an anthelmintic or worm medicine. Artemisia Absinthium, L."—Dr. R. A. Prior, Pop. Names of Brit. Plants. "Two sorts of Wormewood are well knowen of many, that is, our common Wormewood, and that which is called Ponticum, now sowen in many gardens, and commonly called French-wormewood. And while it is yong, it is eaten in Salats with other herbes, to the great commoditie of the stomacke and Liuer. For it strengthneth a weake stomacke, and openeth the Liuer and Splene. For which purpose there is to be had in the Stilliard at London a kind of wine named Worme-wood wine, which I would wish to be much used of all such Students as be weake of stomacke. They may easily haue a rundlet of three or foure gallons or lesse, which they may draw within their owne chambers as need requireth. I was woont when appetite failed to steepe a branch or two of common Wormewood in halfe a pint of good white wine, close couered in some pot all night, and in the morning to straine it through a clean linnen cloth, and put in a little sugar and warme it, and so drinke it. Or sometime to burne a little quantitie of wine with sugar, and a branch or two of Wormewood put into it. Wherein I have found many times marvellous commoditie, and who so shall vse it now and then, shal be sure of a good stomacke to meat, and be free from wormes."—Cogan's Haven of Health, p. 55. "Wormwood, centaury, pennyroyal, are likewise magnified and much prescribed, especially in hypochondrian melancholy, daily to be used, sod in whey."—Burton, Anat. of Melancholy, p. 432.