Early American Indians dried asparagus for use later or to make medicine. In the dry, arid lands it is especially useful as a natural diuretic or for bladder and kidney problems. It contains a factor in preventing small capillary blood vessels from rupturing and was used for heart problems. Asparagus derived its name from the ancient Greek, who used the work to refer to all tender shoots picked and savored while very young. As early as 200 B.C. the Romans had how-to-grow directions for asparagus. They enjoyed it in season and were the first to preserve it by freezing. In the 1st Century fast chariots and runners took asparagus from the Tiber River area to the snowline of the Alps where it was kept for six months until the Feast of Epicurus. Roman emperors maintained special asparagus fleets to gather and carry the choicest spears to the empire. The characteristics of asparagus were so well-known to the ancients that Emperor Caesar Augustus described haste to his underlings as being quicker than you can cook asparagus. During the asparagus season every eatery in Germany, from the tiniest brauhaus to the most elegant weinrestaurant offers their regular menu and a spargelkarte, a special asparagus menu, that may list as many as 45 variations of this first spring vegetable. Like most Europeans, they prefer white asparagus, achieved by growing the stalks under mounds of earth so the sun does not strike them to produce chlorophyll. A wholesome vegetable drink can be made from the cooled cooking water of asparagus as long as it is not salted too heavily.