horseradish; the Cabbage family (Brassicaceae), or Cruciferae; ordinary horseradish
As you know, horseradish is not sweeter than radish, but this does not prevent it from taking an honorable place among the number of spicy and tasty plants. There are national dishes that cannot be served without horseradish, for example, jelly.
There are disputes about the origin of this plant, but it is known for certain that the center of its origin is located somewhere in the Mediterranean region, and it came to Western Europe during the Great Migration. Moreover, Slavic tribes played an important role in its spread. Now horseradish grows all over the world (as a garden crop), often goes wild and then usually occurs on sandy soils near water bodies.
Horseradish is a perennial herbaceous plant with a large, fleshy root. Its stem is erect, branched at the top, up to 120 cm tall, hollow, grooved. Basal leaves are large, oblong or oblong-oval, saw-toothed at the edges, with a heart-shaped base. The lower stem leaves are pinnate, the upper ones are oblong-lanceolate or linear, entire. The flowers are bisexual, regular, white, in many-flowered tassels, collected in panicles. Horseradish blooms in May-June. The fruit is an oblong-oval, swollen pod.
Many varieties of cultivated horseradish have been bred; amateurs grow it in gardens. However, gardeners need to take into account the tendency of the plant to grow quickly, so it is usually placed from the very edge of the site.
Horseradish is famous not only for its taste qualities. This is a wonderful and affordable medicinal plant. Horseradish roots, which are harvested in autumn, are used to prepare medicines. To keep them from drying out, they are stored in cellars, boxes with wet sand. Root plants are included in the Pharmacopoeia of many foreign countries, including France, Switzerland, Brazil and some others.
First of all, horseradish is a vitamin plant, the roots of which contain up to 250 mg% of vitamin C, vitamins of group B, PP. The roots also contain carbohydrates, in particular various sugars and polysaccharides, organic acids, sinigrin and glyconasturcin glycosides, flavonoids, mustard oil (0.15-0.21%), saponins, micro- and macroelements. Nature tried to get such a useful plant into the hands of man.
The healing properties of horseradish are due to the irritating and stimulating effect of mustard oil, which stimulates the appetite and increases the secretion of the digestive glands. In medicine, juice, gruel and infusion from the roots of the plant are prescribed for gastritis with reduced acidity, dyskinesia of the biliary tract, food stagnation and intestinal atony. These simple products are used to increase urination, especially with edema of various origins (except for cases related to kidney failure). Root infusion is used to treat viral hepatitis accompanied by jaundice.
In folk medicine, infusion and gruel from the roots are used to treat urolithiasis, gout, rheumatism, anemia, and also as an effective antiviral agent. Horseradish is great for scurvy. People who are engaged in heavy mental and physical work, it is useful to take tincture of the roots on beer or white grape wine. Externally, gruel from grated horseradish (or its juice) is recommended for focal alopecia (baldness). To do this, rub the bald areas of the skin daily, 1-2 times a day, until they become pink. With purulent otitis, plant juice is instilled into the ear. An aqueous solution of the juice is used to rinse the mouth in case of sore throat, stomatitis, and pharyngitis. Grated roots, wrapped in a wet cloth, are applied to the body in case of colds (substitute for mustard). Horseradish pulp is used to rub the body and joints with myositis, sciatica, arthralgia, bronchitis and pneumonia (inflammation of the lungs). Root infusion is used for lotions and compresses for purulent wounds and ulcers; wash the face with it to remove pigment spots and blemishes. Masks made of equal amounts of grated horseradish root and apples are applied to the face with flabby and porous skin.
Infusion of roots. 1 tablespoon of grated horseradish root per 400 ml of boiling water. Insist for 1 hour, filter. Take 1/4 cup 4 times a day before meals.
Infusion of roots. 500 g of grated horseradish roots are poured with 1 liter of boiling water. Infuse for a day in a well-closed container, filter. Take 1/4 cup 3-4 times a day before meals. The course of treatment is 7 days. With viral hepatitis complicated by jaundice.
Tincture of roots. 1 teaspoon of grated horseradish root per 200 ml of beer or white grape wine. Take 1 teaspoon 3 times a day.
Too large doses of horseradish irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive tract and excite the central nervous system. The use of horseradish is contraindicated in gastritis with increased acidity, peptic ulcer disease of the stomach and duodenum, enterocolitis, diseases of the liver and urinary tract.