The asphodel (_asphodelus ramosus_) is mentioned as an article of food by the poet Hesiod. Galen, however, speaks of its being eaten only in times of scarcity. Galen directs radishes to be eaten before dinner, as a laxative. He justly expresses his surprise at the practice of certain physicians, and other persons of his time, who ate radish after dinner to promote digestion. The wild radish was called armoracia by the Romans, as we are informed by Dioscorides. SECT. LXXVII.—ON TRUFFLES AND MUSHROOMS. The truffle (_tuber_) forms chyme devoid of qualities, but cold and thick. The mushrooms called _mycetæ_, being of a cold nature, form phlegm and bad chyme. Of these, the _boleti_ are devoid of qualities, and are safer than the others when boiled properly. The _amanitæ_ are of the second order. The other mushrooms ought not to be tasted, for many of them are mortal poisons; and even the _boleti_, when eaten without being properly boiled, have often proved dangerous. * * * * * COMMENTARY. Diphilus says “Fungi are grateful to the stomach, laxative, and nutritious, but of difficult digestion, and flatulent.” (Athen. Deipnos. ii, 19.) He adds, “the nature of truffles is, that they are difficult to digest, supply good juices, and are laxative; but some of them, like the fungi, occasion suffocation.” (Ibid. 51.) Galen says that they contain cold, viscid, and thick juices. Serapion says that they engender gross humours. According to Avicenna they are apt to super-induce apoplexy and paralysis. Simeon Seth says that truffles occasion crude and depraved humours. He directs them to be steeped in water for some hours before boiling them; and prepared with pepper, marjoram, salt, and rue, to correct their bad properties. Rhases, in like manner, recommends us to eat truffle boiled in water, with salt, marjoram, oil, and assafœtida. He also recommends wine, honied water, or the theriac after mushrooms. Apicius directs fungi to be eaten with pepper, oil, salt, &c. Horace points out the best kind of fungi. “Pratensibus optima fungis Natura est: aliis male creditur.” (Sat. ii, 4.) The poets make frequent mention of mushrooms as a delicacy at the tables of gourmands. See in particular Juvenal (Sat. v, 145.) Apicius directs us to preserve truffles, by laying them in a vessel along with alternate layers of sawdust, and then covering up the mouth of the vessel with parget. On the mode of raising them, see ‘Geopon.’ (xii, 41.) In the days of Juvenal, the Roman gourmands appear to have attached more importance to the truffles than the corn which they were supplied with from Africa: “Tibi habe frumentum, Alledius inquit, O Lybie; disjunge boves dum tubera mittas.” (Sat. v, 116.)