I am not an avid gardener, though I sure wish I knew more about gardening than I do, because I love flowers. A great landscape can make all the difference in the world to the curb appeal of your home, no matter how small or large your property might be. With this quest in mind, I try to read and watch videos about it from time to time. On occasion I have specific questions that I will google, however, often, I just watch random clips that people have posted of their personal gardens. This gives me ideas of what plants might be good to grow in our area, and what plants might get tall and those that will stay short and should therefore be planted in the front of the row for instance. It is important to me to know which plants may be hardy and those a little more delicate. In addition to landscaping, flowers can be used for bouquets to brighten up an inside space, they also attract pollinators, ‘the birds and the bees’ which in turn promotes fertilization for future flowers and the production of honey. Yum, who does not like something sweet in their lives daily. Commercially, flowers and herbs are harvested and used to make teas, skincare products like oils and lotions, aromatherapy products and used in medicinal products for healing. They can promote digestive health, relaxation, alleviate insomnia, liver healing and much more. It seems like a gardener might be a close relative to a doctor. I now have a newfound appreciation for Botanists. Since we are omnivores and are consuming plants daily, it is very advantageous to know which may be poisonous and those that are not. This is also a worthy study in considering our landscaping, hiking, and other such outdoor hobbies.
While watching a video clip of an individual who seemed to know what they were talking about and had a massive amount of land with beautiful gardens scattered throughout, I fell upon some information that piqued my interest. I was trying to investigate hardy plants that can endure dry, hot climates. I do not have time to water plants every day, although it can be very relaxing and cathartic. I hate to admit it, but anything I plant is pretty much going to be at the mercy of nature after that. I have a brown thumb. In my college days, we had potted plants on our balcony and my husband used to say, “You might as well put little crosses in those pots because the plants will be dead soon.” We may need to insert a sad face emoji here because my gardening skills, forty years later, are not much better. The Artemisia Absinthium is one of the fifteen perennials she was recommending in that video. It is planted, she stated for the silvery blue color of its leaves as a flower bed border plant. She was incredibly positive in her review and pleased with the success she had had with it. In the picture she displayed from her garden, it had an exceptionally beautiful spread. However, what got my attention was that this plant is also known as the Common Wormwood.
Have any of you out there heard of the Wormwood? I had, but not ever given it much thought. From my years of studying the scripture, it popped right out at me immediately and prompted me to investigate it further. The results were amazing, because to tell you the truth, this is a brutally honest confession, in all my years of reading about the Wormwood in the Bible, I had no idea that it was not a worm. As you know now, if you did not before, it is a plant, and it is of the Asteraceae family and often used in landscapes to transition or use as a go between varying colorful flowers, because it is just foliage with no blooms and is a very aromatic herb shrub like Sagebrush or Tarragon. It has many good qualities as most herbs do, however, it must be moderated and controlled. Some of the benefits are, promotes liver health, used as a digestive stimulant, and is thought to expel roundworms. However, when consumed indiscriminately it is toxic. This is where we begin with the scriptural reference.
The Lord God of Israel was so disappointed in His people that he had given this declaration in Jeremiah 9:13-16, “And the Lord saith, Because they have forsaken my law which I set before them, and have not obeyed my voice, neither walked therein; But have walked after the imagination of their own heart, and after Balaam, which their fathers taught them: Therefore thus saith the Lord of hosts, the God of Israel; Behold, I will feed them, even this people, with wormwood, and give them water of gall to drink. I will scatter them also among the heathen, whom neither they nor their fathers have known, and I will send a sword after them, till I have consumed them.” And Jeremiah 23:14-19 He reiterates, “I have seen also in the prophets of Jerusalem a horrible thing: they commit adultery and walk in lies they also strengthen the hands of evildoers, that none doth return from his wickedness; they are all of them unto me as Sodom, and the inhabitants thereof as Gomorrah. Therefore, thus saith the Lord of hosts concerning the prophets; Behold, I will feed them with wormwood, and make them drink the water of gall: for from the prophets of Jerusalem is profaneness gone forth into all the land. Thus, saith the Lord of hosts, hearken not unto the words of the prophets that prophesy unto you: they make you vain: they speak a vision of their own heart, and not out of the mouth of the Lord. They say still unto them that despise me, The Lord hath said, Ye shall have peace; and they say unto everyone that walketh after the imagination of his own heart, no evil shall come upon you. For who hath stood in the counsel of the Lord, and hath perceived and heard his word? who hath marked his word, and heard it? Behold, a whirlwind of the Lord is gone forth in fury, even a grievous whirlwind: it shall fall grievously upon the head of the wicked.” It seems that some thought it was a joke, and mocked with sarcasms, but the pronouncement of judgement was literal. Though I believe God does have a sense of humor, He does not take rebellion lightly. In Amos 5:5 he gives a scorching message about those who have turned ‘judgement into wormwood’ and have ‘left off righteousness,’ they should turn again unto the Lord. He states in verse fourteen, “Seek good, and not evil, that ye may live.” In the last days, we see in the book of Revelation Chapter 8 that there were seven seals opened, followed by a half an hour of silence, then followed by seven angels with seven trumpets. I do not claim to know exactly all of the meaning here, but verse 10-11 states, “And the third angel sounded, and there fell a great star from heaven, burning as it were a lamp, and it fell upon the third part of the rivers, and upon the fountains of waters; And the name of the star is called Wormwood: and the third part of the waters became wormwood; and many men died of the waters, because they were made bitter.” We see here the toxicity of the waters that killed many, used as a form of judgement. However, as we will see from my short study, human nature and sin is self-destructive when we are in a spiritually depraved state. We need the Lord and should seek him daily.
Within the word Artemisia Absinthium we find its definition and description. The suffix ‘misia’ comes from the Greek and Latin words meaning, dislike, hatred, aversion or bitter. Absinthium means, ‘without sweetness’ or ‘bitter.’ The German equivalent is ‘Vermut’ meaning wormwood. Hereby, we derive the translation of the herb, Common Wormwood. The plant itself is very invasive. Its seeds are smaller than poppy seeds and therefore can spread with the wind. If you only want a small patch in your garden, you must continually control the plant by digging out the roots around your plant that pop up and dispose of them by smothering them in a bag. The plant can also grow huge if not cut back, and its roots can also begin to rot and can be toxic to other plants. It can withstand hot and arid climates and takes almost no care once it is established and is found invading overgrazed pastures. It is prevalent in Canada and in Washington State it is on the noxious weed list and is limited to growing in King County on highway shoulders because of its intrusiveness. Though native to Europe and the Middle East, it is also seen in other parts of the United States, South America, Africa, and Asia. The one compound found more prominently in Wormwood than in other herbs, which makes it so sought after is Thujone. According to Webster the Medical Definition of thujone is: “a fragrant oily ketone C10H16O occurring in various essential oils.” The compound is most famous for being in ‘Absinthe’ and was not discovered until this alcoholic beverage became popular or one would say notorious in the mid-19th century. It is also where the bitter taste of Vermouth, from the German word ‘Vermut,’ is derived from, along with green anise, sweet fennel and other culinary herbs and flavorings. These French liqueurs became popular favorites of many artistic, earthy, Bohemian cultures including the Dutch painter, Vincent Van Gogh as well as Pablo Picasso.
Though the use of wormwood goes back to ancient Egypt as a medicine and flavored wine, the green absinthe, ‘distilled spirit’ was started in the 18th century. First used by a French doctor, Pierre Ordinaire, as a remedy in about 1792. Recipes were passed along, which led to the first absinthe distillery being opened in 1797 and a second by 1805. It was given to French soldiers to prevent malaria in the 1840’s, but the troops began to like the taste and effects of it. In the late 1800’s prices dropped drastically because of mass production, with what we know as ‘happy hour’ at 5 pm being introduced at that time as “the green hour”. It began to gain popularity around the world. Including the United States where tribute to it still exists in places like New Orleans at the Old Absinthe House bar on Bourbon Street, which was frequented by people like Oscar Wilde, Frank Sinatra, and Franklin Delano Roosevelt. However, it was banned in 1914 and did not begin to show up in a ‘more inferior’ form in the 1990’s and was not commercially produced until 2007 by the French and imported to the United States.
Why was this banned since it had such great medicinal value? Simply put, the root of the matter is because of the sinful nature of humankind that draws them to excess. Philippians 3:18-20 states, “For many walk, of whom I have told you often, and now tell you even weeping, that they are the enemies of the cross of Christ: Whose end is destruction, whose God is their belly, and whose glory is in their shame, who mind earthly things.” A warning comes to us from Ephesians 5:15-18, “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise, Redeeming the time, because the days are evil. Wherefore be ye not unwise but understanding what the will of the Lord is. And be not drunk with wine, wherein is excess; but be filled with the Spirit.” 1 Timothy 6:8-10, “And having food and raiment let us be therewith content. But they that will be rich fall into temptation and a snare, and into many foolish and hurtful lusts, which drown men in destruction and perdition. For the love of money is the root of all evil: which while some coveted after, they have erred from the faith, and pierced themselves through with many sorrows.” In Proverbs 5:1-5 the son is warned, “My son, attend unto my wisdom, and bow thine ear to my understanding: That thou mayest regard discretion, and that thy lips may keep knowledge. For the lips of a strange woman drop as a honeycomb, and her mouth is smoother than oil: But her end is bitter as wormwood, sharp as a two-edged sword. Her feet go down to death; her steps take hold on hell.” Excess and greed lead to lack of judgement and indiscretions, which lead to death. 1 Timothy 6:6 declares, “But godliness with contentment is great gain.” Discontentment and excess leads us down a path of destruction. 1 Peter 4:1-5 tells us that, before we knew Christ, which is how we lived. We know the root of the matter is spiritual depravity, however, the symptoms and manifestations were too many to be ignored, therefore the ban. However, keep in mind, righteousness cannot be mandated by law. While the product was banned for over 90 years, it was still being sold in various forms in an underground market.
Some of the effects of the compound Thujone found were muscle breakdown, difficulty sleeping with restlessness or nightmares, dizziness, seizures, stomach cramps, tremors and changes in heart rates, retention of urine and great thirst, numbness of the arms and legs with eventual paralysis and death. Some say it is highly addictive and a hallucinogenic, a psychoactive drug, however, it is now said that it was probably the combination with its high alcohol content of around 72% that made it so lethal. It is said to relieve pain and has anti-inflammatory properties. The antioxidants in it may help in fighting the stress that causes heart disease, Alzheimer’s, and cancer, however, there is an extensive list of risks, side effects and precautions that come along with these touted benefits. Registered Dietician, Lisa Wartenberg states, “Wormwood’s most notable plant compound is Thujone, which has some benefits but can be toxic in excess.” Before the ban, it was said that the absinthe beverage consumption was over thirty-six million liters a year in France, and it accounted for much violence and social disorder. A quote given from one writer was, “Absinthe makes you crazy and criminal, provokes epilepsy and tuberculosis, and has killed thousands of French people. It makes a ferocious beast of man, a martyr of women, and a degenerate of the infant, it disorganizes and ruins the family and menaces the future of the country.” Others said was destroying the liver, the kidneys, and the brain. There are paintings by Edouard Manet, Edgar Degas, Picasso, and others centered around the Absinthe Drinker that are really thought provoking. Proverbs 16:25 is clear and concise, “There is a way that seems right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.”
My thought for this was not the pros and cons of drunkenness or the absolutes of not living in excess in any category of our lives, but the entire study was leading me to the thought of which I have titled this short article, The Invasiveness of Bitterness. When we allow bitterness to take root in our hearts and minds, we are on a path of self-destruction. Bitterness according to Websters dictionary is sharpness of taste; lack of sweetness, anger, and disappointment at being treated unfairly; resentment. It sounds quite like the Wormwood. It eats us from the inside out and destroys our spirit. It continues to grow and invade all aspects of our lives unless we control it by pulling it up by the roots and suffocating it. How much arsenic does it take to kill someone? A miniscule amount according to the 1944 movie Arsenic and Lace. According to google, less than a one-eighth of a teaspoon can be lethal to a healthy adult male, and it only takes resentment from one occasion of wrongdoing or ‘perceived’ wrongdoing to destroy you. Bitterness, however, is a self-inflicted, slow, agonizing death. It is not administered by anyone else, though it involves the infected person blaming anyone and everything besides themselves. Everyone gets hurt at some point, but when we become bitter about it and do not forgive and move on, we become like a selfish, spoiled child always wanting the attention on us. A big cry baby wanting medicine administered to us all day long. We must snap out of it and grow up if we want victory and healing. We must simply refuse to accept bitterness.
What did Jesus do that he deserved the death on the cross? Of course, that is a rhetorical question, because we all know he was without sin. Hebrews 4:15, “For we have not a high priest which cannot be touched with the feeling of our infirmities; but was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” The scripture says of Jesuson the cross inMatthew 27:34, “They gave him vinegar to drink mingled with gall: and when he had tasted thereof, he would not drink.” Why did he refuse the gall or bitter drink? Because he knew it would dull his senses and be toxic to him and aid in his death. He wanted prophesy to be fulfilled that he ‘gave’ His life for us, he was not murdered. He could have come down from the cross, but John 3:16 tells us, “For God so loved the world, that he ‘gave’ his only begotten Son, that whosoever believeth in him should not perish, but have everlasting life.” Do not let your senses be dulled with the gall of bitterness that is toxic and will keep you from experiencing the joy that the Lord has for you, in this life and in the life to come.
Jeremiah speaks of his perceived wrongful afflictions in trying to convert the people of Judah back to God in Lamentations 3:15, “He hath also filled me with bitterness, he hath made me drunken with wormwood.” This is a redundancy. He is just filled with bitterness, but it goes on to say how he humbles his soul before God and states in verses 21-25, “This I recall to my mind, therefore have, I hope. It is of the Lord’s mercies that we are not consumed, because his compassions fail not. They are new every morning: great is thy faithfulness. The Lord is my portion, saith my soul; therefore, will I hope in him. The Lord is good unto them that wait for him, to the soul that seek him.” The only way to avoid being filled with bitterness in this world is to stay completely humble before God. Hebrews 12:14-15 says, “Follow peace with all men, and holiness, without which no man shall see the Lord: Looking diligently lest any man fail of the grace of God; lest any root of bitterness springing up trouble you, and thereby many be defiled.” It is intrusive and invasive and destroys you and those around you. A final thought, this study has brought a whole new meaning to my favorite verse that I have quoted frequently to our daughters, Ephesians 4:31-32, “Let all bitterness, and wrath, and anger, and clamor, and evil speaking, be put away from you, with all malice: And be ye kind one to another, tenderhearted, forgiving one another, even as God for Christ’s sake hath forgiven you.” This verse tells us what we need to get rid of, then explains how to get rid of the awful, invasive, bitter sins, through forgiveness. Just as bitterness is invasive, joy, forgiveness, contentment, and peace are contagious. Let that be your testimony. I am thankful that Jesus did not drink the gall!