The representative. [volume] (St. Paul, Minn.) 1893-1901, 1896-09-09
VEGETABLES IN THERAPEUTICS

The everyday potato ranks first in i'm
portance the world over. 1t is a vege-
table easy of digestion If cooked to be
mealy, but if watery it is unfit for the
human stomach Starch and water
form the principal ingredient of the po-
tato, and 80 per cent of its nourishlng
property lies close to the skin, which
fact shows the folly of pairing potatoes
before they are cooked Few vegetables
contain more fat making properties to
the square inch" than the potato. 1t has
it's medicinal qualities as we'll. me
most obstinate rheumatism will yleld
to the potato treatment, which consists
In boiling down dozen or two clean pO-
tatoes, till done, then MASKING them,
skins and all, in the water in which they
were boiled, and sitting with the feet
immersed for half an hour, as hot as
can be borne, every night before retir-
ing. 1t may be an "old woman's rem
edy," but we have seen it work marvels.
Potatoes, too, are specific for the re-
moval of foreign bodies in the stomach,
and should always be tried before gas
tronomy. The diet should be entirely re-
stricted to potatoes for eight or nine days.
when the object is only to retain heat and
exclude air.
The tomato contains strong acid,
that acts speedily upon the liver. Most
people really need an acid in the season
of tomatoes. Nature provides many
remedies, if we would but apply them.
Acid aids digestion, while sweets only
hinder it by causing fermentation.
Beans are especially fat producing,
being mostly nitrogenos and starchy.
They rank next to pOtatOes,e. nOurishing
prOperties-they are food for animals as
well, when ground to meal
The choice varieties of peas originated
in Holland, where small varieties are
cooked in their pods. They are more
digeslible, but less nourishing than the
larger kinds found in our own markets.
They are flesh creating too, as are all
vegetables of which starch forms prin-
cipal component part
Parsnips are very nutritious, for they
contain a great deal of sugar The but
ter OF dairy cows fed on parsnips is con-
sidered superior to that of almost any
other winter feeding.
Of carrots there are said to- be 20
varieties; the smaller kinds are more
delicate and adapted to culinary pur-
poses, the larger to the feeding of ami
mails.
Beets contain large proportion of fat
producing properties, mucilage and sac
charine matter. They are more nutritive
than any of the cultivated vegetables,
save beans and potatoes. The deeper in
color the root, the richer in sugar. Beets
make good appetizer served as salad
Turnips are a powerful diuretic, but
to. frif 70
the system in tone, and considered spe-
cially wholesome vegetable, though 90
to Sc parts are water.
Spinach has very marked effect upon
the liver and kidneys, and few remedies
can compare with frequent dishes of we'll
cooked spinach.
Asparagus is a powerful diuretic, and
a decoction of the root is often prescribed
in dropsy. 1t also strongly affects the
blood as purifier.
Celery is diuretic In it's properties, and
of value in rheumatic and neuralgia
troubles, good as a relish for the table,
and as seasoning for salads, or cooked
as a vegetable. A few tender stalks,
eaten in the evening, will often relieve
insomnia, and as a nerve tonic it has a
rightful reputation.
Onions, garlic, leeks, and all that odor-
Gus class of vegetables increase the sa-
Iva and blood circulation, and there
by aid digestion. Eaten freely, onions
have marked and speedy effect upon
that annoying trouble, canker in the
mouth, and insomnia soon yields to one
generous meal of the fragrant vegetable,
if taken late in the day. The objection
able odor is hardly noticed, if the water
is changed while they are cooking, and
a whole grain or two of roasted coffee
will overcome the effects upon the
breath.-Finley Ellingwood, M. D., in
Chicago Medical Times.