celery Beirut – Somayya Mahmoud Modern medical studies have discovered that celery is useful for the treatment of malaria, weight loss, and increased sexual stamina for men, and there are claims that the chlorophyll in celery juice limits the growth of cancer cells. Celery is a vegetable with many therapeutic and nutritional properties. In the French province of Franche Comte, they claim it increases a man\'s sexual potency and stamina.  There is a common saying in the province:  \"if a man knew the magic of celery he would fill his garden with it.\" In the US, celery is widely used in weight- loss diets as its juice is rich in iodine which stimulates the thyroid gland and acts as a diuretic which makes the body lose accumulated liquids. Ibn Al Baitar,  a Berber Andalucian scientist born at the end of the twelfth century, described celery juice as a treatment for fever, which has been confirmed by recent studies in the treatment of malaria. Celery juice claims  other medicinal properties such as lowering blood pressure and is also used as an anti-rheumatic, a spasm tranquiliser,  alleviating constipation and treating skin fungus, especially on the feet. The chlorophyll in celery juice is an anti-inflammatory and  eliminates toxins as well as removing bad mouth odours as well as  odours caused by urine and faeces. Celery juice is rich in vitamins, especially A, B and C  which are some of  the most important vitamins needed by the body. It also contains many minerals such as  sodium, potassium, copper, phosphorus, iron, iodine, and manganese, all vital for health.