the contrary, is a useful stimulant at times; but, as with mustard, any
over-use irritates the lining of the stomach.

So with spices and sweet herbs. There should be only such use of them as
will flavor well, delicately, and almost imperceptibly. No one flavor
should predominate, and only a sense of general savoriness rule. Extracts,
as of vanilla, lemon, bitter almond, &c., should be used with the greatest
care, and if possible always be added to an article after it cools, as the
heat wastes the strength.

BEVERAGES.

Tea and coffee are the most universal drinks, after water. The flavor of
both is due to a principle, _theine_ in tea, _caffeine_ in coffee, in
which both the good and the ill effects of these drinks are bound up. It
is hardly necessary the principles should have different names, as they
have been found by chemists to be identical; the essential spirit of cocoa
and chocolate,--_theobromine_,--though not identical, having many of the
same properties.

_Tea_ is valuable chiefly for its warming and comforting qualities. Taken
in moderation, it acts partly as a sedative, partly as a stimulant,
arresting the destruction of tissue, and seeming to invigorate the whole
nervous system. The water in it, even if impure, is made wholesome by
boiling, and the milk and sugar give a certain amount of real nourishment.
Nervous headaches are often cured by it, and it has, like coffee, been
used as an antidote in opium-poisoning.

Pass beyond the point of moderation, and it becomes an irritant, precisely
in the same way that an overdose of morphine will, instead of putting to
sleep, for just so much longer time prevent any sleep at all. The woman
who can not eat, and who braces her nerves with a cup of green tea,--the
most powerful form of the herb,--is doing a deeper wrong than she may be
able to believe. The immediate effect is delightful. Lightness,
exhilaration, and sense of energy are all there; but the re-action comes
surely, and only a stronger dose next time accomplishes the end desired.
Nervous headaches, hysteria in its thousand forms, palpitations, and the
long train of nervous symptoms, own inordinate tea and coffee drinking as
their parent. Taken in reasonable amounts, tea can not be said to be
hurtful; and the medium qualities, carefully prepared, often make a more
wholesome tea than that of the highest price, the harmful properties being
strongest in the best. If the water is soft, it should be used as