Biennial root vegetable plant of the Cabbage (cruciferous) family. In the first year, it develops a rosette of leaves and a root crop, in the second – a flowering stem and seeds. The stem is erect, leafy, 30-100 cm tall. Basal leaves are lyre-shaped, yellowish-green, covered with bristles. Stem leaves are bluish; the lower ones are lyroside, the upper ones are stem-wrapping, sessile, lanceolate. The flowers are bisexual, regular, golden or pale yellow, collected in a corymbose inflorescence; perianth double, four-membered. The fruit is a multi-seeded pod with a pointed nose. Blooms from May to August.
Spread. Turnips are grown in gardens throughout Ukraine.
Procurement and storage . Fresh turnip roots are used for medicinal purposes. They are stored in a cellar in wet sand.
Chemical composition . Turnip roots contain proteins (1.74%), carbohydrates (up to 9%), fiber (1.41%), sterols (B-sitosterol, campesterin, brassicosterol), thioglycosides, isothiocyanate compounds, phosphatides and fatty acids (linoleic, linolenic , palmitic, oleic), vitamins B 1 , B 2 , B 5 , ascorbic (up to 60 mg %) and pantothenic acid, carotenoids (lycopene, y-carotene, cryptoxanthin) and anthocyanins (rubrobrasicin, raphanusin).
Pharmacological properties and use. Turnip has expectorant, anti-inflammatory, antiseptic and pain-relieving properties, increases diuresis, stimulates the secretion of gastric juice and increases intestinal peristalsis. Root decoction is used for hoarseness, chronic bronchitis, bronchial asthma and as a means to calm the heartbeat and improve sleep and as a mild laxative. Raw turnips are prescribed for chronic constipation, and fresh turnip juice is given to scurvy patients, sweetened with honey or sugar, for colds of the upper respiratory tract accompanied by a dry cough. In medical nutrition, turnips are used for hypacid gastritis, biliary dyskinesia of the hypokinetic type, intestinal atony and spastic colitis, and for the prevention of hypo- and vitamin deficiency (especially in the northern regions of the country).
Medicinal forms and applications .
Internally – decoction of the root crop (1-2 tablespoons of crushed raw material per 200 ml of boiling water, boil for 15 minutes, strain) a quarter of a glass 4 times a day or 1 glass at night;
fresh juice 1-2 tablespoons 3-4 times a day, sweetened with honey or sugar to taste.
Externally , mashed fresh turnips are mixed with goose fat in a ratio of 2:1 and used to lubricate frostbitten areas of the body;
boiled grated turnip is applied to the diseased parts of the body in case of gout.
It should be remembered that with peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum and with acute gastritis and enterocolitis, raw turnips are contraindicated.