Page:The family kitchen gardener - containing plain and accurate descriptions of all the different species and varieties of culinary vegetables (IA familykitchengar56buis).pdf/144

 however, it makes a grateful dilutent drink in fevers, and in this way it is commonly used either by itself or acidulated with lemons.

A of the south of France, Spain, and the Levant. It is annual, and propagated from seed sown in Autumn. This plant has obtained the name of Benedictus, or Blessed, from its supposed extraordinary medicinal qualities. It has an intensely bitter taste and disagreeable smell. It was formerly employed to assist the operation of emetics; but the flowers of Chamomile are now substituted for it with equal advantage. It was also thought, when taken internally, to be peculiarly efficacious in malignant fevers. In loss of appetite, where the stomach has been injured by irregularities, its good effects have been frequently experienced. It has now lost much of its reputation, and does not seem to be essentially different from other simple bitters.

herb is said to have originated from Aleppo, but is now naturalized in many parts of Europe. It is a hardy annual, and easily cultivated, from sowing the seeds in April, which come up without any care. Borage is cultivated in our gardens on account of the supposed cordial virtues of its flowers, but they have long lost their reputation. In Italy its young and tender leaves are in common use, both as a pot-herb and a salad. In France its flowers, with those of Nasturtium,