[Fatalist]

"It is praised as a tonic to increase longevity, as a laxative, as a cure for infections and as an aphrodisiac..."

Two functions I would expect to be mutually exclusive.

[TheOtherOne]

"It is praised as a tonic to increase longevity, as a laxative, as a cure for infections and as an aphrodisiac..."

I think it was these two that were supposed to be read together.