To add a touch of alchemy to it, the white will symbolize calcium, and thus its activities within the nervous system. So we will guess that these herbs have found use in the past in skilled and knowledgable hands for the remedy of conditions of the nervous system as well, and again that some evidence will be found scattered through existing herbals. This, too, is So. So, too, will we find many of the Artemisias whose elegant leaf form reminds us of the delicate structure of the nervous system.
Let’s try another, let us apply Corresondences or Signatures again, let us say that in the round flowers of Wormwood and other Artemisias we see an eyeball. Therefore we guess that it possesses some power, perhaps, to aid vision. Although we should strive to possess this knowledge in a way that is in step with the medical knowlege of modern caregivers, this, too, we can conjure convincing support for, from medical materials in libraries and on the Internet.
Still, in spite of the wonderous ways that Correspondences/ Signatures seem to prevail upon these most sacred herbs, often like few others, that we can read the Intents and Providences of nature like an Open Book, there is a great wealth of folk wisdom that surrounds them which survives as well- one of the most striking things about the lore of the Artemisias is how their properties are recognized by people of the past regardless of their traditions or geography- and I should like to present here as much of it as possible.
To begin with, for the benefit of those less familiar with them, let me introduce some of the better-know Artemisia, which include the Sagebrushes (sometimes shortened to Sages, but not to be confused with Salvias), Wormwoods, Mugworts, and Tarragons.
| LATIN NAME | COMMON NAME | OTHER COMMON NAMES | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Artemisia abrotanum | Southernwood | Old Man, Lad's Love | |||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
| Artemisia afra | African Wormwood | | Artemisia absinthinum | Wormwood | Old Woman, Crown For A King | Artemisia annua | Sweet Annie | | Artemisia cana | Silver Sagebrush | |
Artemisia dranunculus | Tarragon |
| Artemisia judiaca | "Biblical" Wormwood? | Artemisia herba-alba | "Biblical" Wormwood? | Artemisia lactiflora | Ghost Wormwood | Artemisia ludoviciana | White Mugwort |
| Artemisia pontica | Roman Wormwood | Artemisia stelleriana | Beach Wormwood | Artemisia tridentata | Sagebrush |
| Artemisia vulgaris | Mugwort | | |
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