The healthy radishes are known to us as a spicy ingredient in many salads. But the spicy root vegetables can taste much more than just good.
A radish is a healthy root vegetable that belongs to the cruciferous family. Its botanical name is Raphanus sativus, but the vegetable is also sometimes simply called “radish”. The tuber, which is related to the radish, has a slightly pungent taste. It gives salads a light spiciness.
The most famous and commercially available variety of radish only measures up to four centimeters in diameter, is round, white on the inside and wine-red on the outside. However, there are different varieties of radishes, some of which are cylindrical, cone-shaped, or even white on the outside and reddish-pink on the inside.
Radishes grow quite quickly: they germinate after a week and can already be harvested after a few weeks. If you grow radishes yourself, you shouldn’t wait too long before harvesting them, otherwise they will become woody and taste unpleasant.
Cruciferous vegetables (lat: Brassicaceae or Cruciferae) are known to have positive health effects. But how healthy are radishes really?
Radishes and their healthy active ingredients
Radishes are 94 percent water and only have 14 calories. So you don’t have to worry about your preference for the spicy tuber starting.
The following main components make the root tuber so healthy:
potassium
folic acid
vitamin C
calcium
beta-carotene
mustard oil
The mustard oils contained in radishes are responsible for both the pungent taste of the tuber and numerous positive effects on your health.
The active ingredients in radishes have a healthy effect on your body in the following ways:
Anti-inflammatory: According to a study, radishes and other radishes are said to reduce the levels of inflammation in your body.
Diabetes: Positive effects were repeatedly observed in patients suffering from diabetes: radishes increased the antioxidants and reduced free radicals in the body. They regulate your blood sugar levels by inhibiting glucose absorption in your gut and have been shown to reduce your blood sugar.
Gastrointestinal problems: radishes are said to neutralize stomach acid. Therefore, they are said to help with occasional heartburn. However, if you have chronic problems with stomach acid, you should consider making lifestyle changes.
Gallstones: The mustard oil glycosides in radishes and radishes convert to mustard oil isothiocyanates in your body. A study has shown that these substances from black radish have a positive effect on the gallbladder: the active substances detoxify it and help to eliminate gallstones. This can also lower your cholesterol levels since cholesterol can build up in the bile.
Heart: Your heart also benefits from the reduction of “bad” cholesterol in your body: too high a cholesterol value increases the risk of arteriosclerosis. Additionally, several studies suggest a direct link between mortality from heart failure and low consumption of cruciferous vegetables such as radishes.
Liver: According to an analysis of various studies, the substances in cruciferous vegetables protect liver cells in liver diseases (such as liver cirrhosis). They are also said to be able to prevent liver cancer.
Cancer: According to a study, radish extract triggers faster cell death in cancer cells. The US National Cancer Institute explains that cancer research is very much focused on the study of cruciferous plants, since the substances they contain could even prevent the development of cancer cells: mustard oil isothiocyanates have been able to prevent lung cancer and esophageal cancer in animal experiments.
