Apium graveolens, commonly called celery, is indigenous to southern Europe, Asia, and Africa and cultivated worldwide as a vegetable. The leaf stalks and hypocotyl are eaten raw in salads and used for flavoring in soups and stews. It is also grown for its essential oil and seeds used as a spice due to its characteristic flavor. Medicinally, celery has been used as an aphrodisiac, anthelmintic, diuretic, and laxative. It also reduces blood pressure and treats rheumatic conditions, especially those associated with excess uric acid.