COMMENTARY. See Suidas (in Voce); Galen (de Alim. Facult.); Humelbergius ad Apul. (de Med. Hist. 84.) Our author’s account of the Asparagi is abridged from Galen. He remarks that the young shoots of the cabbage, called cymæ, are particularly tender. Apicius directs them to be prepared with cumin, salt, old wine, and oil; to which pepper, borage, and the like may be added. On the Asparagi, see Athenæus. (Deipnos. ii.) The plant now commonly known by the name of asparagus is said by Simeon Seth to be so nutritious that it deserves to hold an intermediate place between pot-herbs and flesh. He remarks, that it is diuretic, and imparts its smell to the urine. The wild asparagus is called corruda by Cato, Columella, and Pliny. SECT. LXXVI.—ON HERBS HAVING ESCULENT ROOTS. The bunias or turnip, when eaten after being twice boiled, is nutritious, no less so than other herbs, but when frequently taken it engenders thick juices. The bulbi are astringent and detergent, whet the appetite, strengthen the stomach, and evacuate the viscid humours contained in the chest. When twice boiled, they are more nourishing, but less expectorant, having lost their bitter principle. They are productive of semen, and aphrodisiacal when liberally used, and occasion flatulence and griping. When eaten with fish-sauce and oil, they are very sweet, do not create flatulence, are nutritious and digestible. The garden and wild carrot and the caraway have roots which are less nutritious than turnip, but hot, decidedly aromatic, and diuretic. But when used too freely, they supply bad juices, and become of difficult digestion, like other roots. Some call the wild carrot daucus; it is evidently more diuretic than the other. The radish is of an attenuant and heating nature; but may be eaten before other food along with vinegar and fish-sauce, to loosen the bowels, but by no means after a meal. The onion, garlic, leek, and dog-leek (_ampeloprason_), being of an acrid nature, warm the body, attenuate and cut the thick humours contained in it; when twice boiled, they give little nourishment, but when unboiled they do not nourish at all. The garlic is more deobstruent and diaphoretic than the others; and the dog-leek, being wild, is drier than the common leek. Regarding pot-herbs in general, the raw, when eaten, furnish worse juices than the boiled, as they have more excrementitious juice. But those which are prepared for pickles with brine or vinegar and salt are stomachic, and whet the appetite, and discuss crude humours; but are of difficult digestion, and supply bad juices when too freely taken. * * * * * COMMENTARY. Galen thus delivers the general character of these substances: The roots of pot-herbs which are acrid, such as those of onions, leeks, garlic, radish, and carrot, contain bad juices; but those of turnips, rapes, and caraways hold an intermediate place between things of good and of bad juices.