_Brazil Nut._
Brazil nuts are excellent for constipation. They are also a good subst.i.tute for suet in puddings. Use 5 oz. nuts to 1 lb. flour. They should be grated in a nut mill or finely chopped.
_Beans, Peas, and Lentils._
Beans, peas, and lentils are tabooed by the followers of Dr. Haig, the gout specialist, on account of the belief that they tend to increase the secretion of uric acid. But this evil propensity is stoutly denied by other food-reformers. For myself I am inclined to believe that their supposed indigestibility, etc., arises from the fact that they are generally cooked in hard water. They should be cooked in distilled or boiled and filtered rain water. The addition of lemon juice while cooking renders them much more digestible.
According to Sir Henry Thomson haricot beans are more easily digested than meat by most stomachs. "Consuming weight for weight, the eater feels lighter and less oppressed, as a rule, after the leguminous dish; while the comparative cost is greatly in favour of the latter."
Lentils are the most easily digested of all the pulse foods, and therefore the most suitable for weakly persons. A soup made of distilled water and red lentils may be taken twice a week with advantage. Lentils contain a good percentage of iron, and also phosphates.
_Beet._
The red beet is useful in some diseases of the womb, while the white beet is good for the liver. It is laxative and diuretic. The juice mixed with olive oil is also recommended to be applied externally for burns and all kinds of running sores.
_Cabbage._
All the varieties of the colewort tribe, including cabbage, cauliflower, brussels-sprouts, broccoli, and curly greens, have been celebrated from very ancient times for their curative virtues in pulmonary complaints.
And Athenian doctors prescribed cabbage for nursing mothers. On account of the sulphur contained in them cabbages are good for rheumatic patients. They may be eaten steamed, or, better still, boiled in soft water and the broth only taken. The ordinary boiled cabbage is an indigestible "windy" vegetable, and should never be eaten.
_Caraway Seed._
Caraway seeds sharpen the vision, promote the secretion of milk, and are good against hysterical affections. They are also useful in cases of colic. When used to flavour cakes the seeds should be pounded in a mortar, especially if children are to partake thereof.
When used medicinally 20 grains of the powdered seeds may be taken in a winegla.s.sful of hot water. But for children half an ounce of the bruised seeds are to be infused in cold water for six hours, and from 1 to 3 teaspoonfuls of this water given.
A poultice of crushed caraway seeds moistened with hot water is good for sprains.
Caraway seeds are narcotic, and should therefore be used with caution.
_Carrot._
Carrots are strongly antiseptic. They are said to be mentally invigorating and nerve restoring. They have the reputation of being very indigestible on account of the fact that they are generally boiled, not steamed. When used medicinally it is best to take the fresh, raw juice.
This is easily obtained by grating the carrot finely on a common penny bread grater, and straining and pressing the pulp thus obtained.
Raw carrot juice, or a raw carrot eaten fasting, will expel worms. The cooked carrot is useless for this purpose.
A poultice of fresh carrot pulp will heal ulcers.
Fresh carrot juice is also good for consumptives on account of the large amount of sugar it contains.
Carrots are very good for gouty subjects and for derangements of the liver.
_Celery._
Celery is almost a specific for rheumatism, gout, and nervous indigestion. The most useful plants for this purpose are small, not too rapidly grown nor very highly manured.
It may be eaten raw, or steamed, or in soup. Strong celery broth flavoured with parsley is excellent.
_Cresses._
All the cresses are anti-s...o...b..tic, that is, useful against the scurvy.
The ancient Greeks also believed them to be good for the brain.
The ordinary "mustard and cress" of our salads is good for rheumatic patients, while the water-cress is valuable in cases of tubercular disease. Anaemic patients may also eat freely of it on account of the iron it contains. Care should be taken, however, from whence it is procured, as a disease peculiar to sheep but communicable to man may be carried by it. It should not be gathered from streams running through meadows inhabited by sheep.
_Chestnut._
Chestnuts, when cooked, are valuable food for persons with weak digestive powers. They should be put on the fire in a saucepan of cold water and cooked for twenty minutes from the time the water first boils.
John Evelyn, F.R.S., a seventeenth century writer, says of them: "They are a l.u.s.ty and masculine food for rustics at all times, and of better nourishment for husbandmen than cole and rusty bacon, yea, or beans to boot."
_Cinnamon._
Cinnamon is a very old-fashioned remedy for soothing the pain of internal or unbroken cancer. One prescription is the following: Take 1 lb. of Ceylon sticks. Simmer in a closed vessel with 1 quart of water until the liquid is reduced to 1 pint. Pour off without straining, and shake or stir well before taking. Take half a pint every twenty-four hours. Divide into small doses and take regularly.
Cinnamon has a powerful influence over disease germs, but care must be taken to obtain it pure. It is often adulterated with ca.s.sia.
Cinnamon tea may be taken with advantage in cases of consumption, influenza, and pneumonia.
_Cocoanut._
Cocoanut is an old and very efficacious remedy for intestinal worms of all kinds. A tablespoonful of freshly-ground cocoanut should be taken at breakfast until the cure is complete. The dessicated cocoanut is useless for curative purposes.
_Coffee._
Coffee is a most powerful antiseptic, and therefore very useful as a disinfectant. It has been used as a specific against cholera with marvellous results, and is useful in all cases of intestinal derangement. But only the pale-roasted varieties should be taken, as the roasting develops the poisonous, irritating properties. There is _always_ danger in the roasting of grains or berries on account of the new substances that may be developed.
I do not recommend coffee as a beverage, but as a medicine.
_Date._
The nourishing properties of dates are well known. They are easily digested, and for this reason are often recommended to consumptive patients.
According to Dr. Fernie half a pound of dates and half a pint of new milk will make a satisfying repast for a person engaged in sedentary work.