Radish
Parts Usually Used
Root, seed
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Radish is an annual or biennial plant; the fleshy root, coming in various colors and shapes, produces an erect, hollow stem from 8 inches to 3 feet high. The alternate leaves are lyrately divided, with a large terminal segment. They may be glabrous or covered with sharp hairs. The white or lilac-colored flowers have violet veins and grow in branched racemes. Flowering time depends on the manner of cultivation.
Where Found
Widely cultivated as a salad vegetable.
Medicinal Properties
Root: antispasmodic, astringent, cholagogue, diuretic Seed: digestant, carminative, expectorant
Biochemical Information
Seed: Erucic acid, oleic, linolenic, and linoleic acids; glycerol sinapate, raphinin
Uses
In European folk tradition, the juice pressed from fresh, grated radish root was used as a domestic remedy for coughs, rheumatism, and gall bladder complaints. Herbalists also historically administered radish for chronic bronchitis, flatulence, diarrhea, headache, insomnia, and various liver ailments. A syrup prepared from grated radish and sugar was traditionally given for whooping cough.
Additionally, historical practitioners utilized the seeds for conditions characterized by abdominal fullness, sour eructations, digestive congestion, and coughs accompanied by phlegm and wheezing.
How Sold
In the supermarket produce section
Warning
Radish is not recommended for use when the stomach or intestines are inflamed.
Bibliography
Culpeper’s Complete Herbal & English Physician: Updated With 117 Modern Herbs , by Nicholas Culpeper, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1990, (reprint of 1814) Chinese Medicinal Herbs , compiled by Shih-Chen Li, Georgetown Press, San Francisco, California, 1973. The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974.
The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023