Part 5/9:
Hippocrates placed significance on cabbage in treating ailments, while physician Erasistratus believed it had the power to cure paralysis and increase milk production in nursing mothers. Cato the Elder, a prominent Roman statesman, extolled cabbage as surpassing all other vegetables for health, championing it as a remarkable laxative.
Cato’s overly descriptive instructions on consuming cabbage to alleviate digestive difficulties are almost comical. A regimen involving boiling cabbage juice and inducing vomiting is reminiscent of modern diet fads, though possibly more extreme.