Spinach has a direct effect upon complaints of the kidneys; the common
dandelion, used as greens, is excellent for the same trouble;
asparagus purifies the blood; celery acts admirably upon the nervous
system, and is a cure for rheumatism and neuralgia; tomatoes act upon
the liver; beets and turnips are excellent appetizers; lettuce and
cucumbers are cooling in their effects upon the system; beans are a
very nutritious and strengthening vegetable; while onions, garlic,
leeks, chives and shallots, all of which are similar, possess
medicinal virtues of a marked character, stimulating the circulatory
system, and the consequent increase of the saliva and the gastric
juice promoting digestion. Red onions are an excellent diuretic, and
the white ones are recommended raw as a remedy for insomnia. They are
tonic, nutritious. A soup made from onions is regarded by the French
as an excellent restorative in debility of the digestive organs. We
might go through the entire list and find each vegetable possessing
its especial mission of cure, and it will be plain to every
housekeeper that a vegetable diet should be partly adopted, and will
prove of great advantage to the health of the family.