This plant closely resembles tobacco in its leaf, its pungency, and
property of exciting saliva.
When should I ever have done writing, were I to mention the names of all
the other shrubs and plants? In certain Guarany towns you find immense
woods of rosemary, rue, artemisia or mugwort, golden-rod, mint, and
wormwood. I was acquainted with three different kinds of sage, varying
in appearance, but endued with the same virtues. That which the
Spaniards call royal sage is scarce, because seldom cultivated. Borage,
plantane, mallows, bastard marjoram, garden-nasturtium, bugloss,
vervain, fumitory, purslain, liquorice, and three kinds of pepper, that
is, common pepper, which the Guaranies call gỹ; cumbarỹ, which has a
small grain, but is remarkably pungent; and aji, which we call Turkish
pepper: all these, which grow in Europe, are seen here in some places;
but not every where. Ginger grows abundantly when planted. Throughout
many tracts of land I could discover none of the nettles of our country.
Liberal nature has bestowed on the soil of Paraguay innumerable herbs
useful to physicians, such as contrayerva, &c. It may be proper to give
some little account of the grains which compose the chief part of the
support of the Indians.