Cabbage, cauliflower, broccoli, but also turnips, watercress, radish, mustard and rocket. Here are some of the more than three thousand species of cruciferous vegetables, with many healthy properties.
Hippocrates, the father of medicine, cultivated cabbage for their antiscorbutic, mineralizing, restorative, energetic, anti-anemic, disinfectant, antidiabetic, anti-stunted and anti-rheumatic properties.
The ancients, in fact, used to consider cabbage & Co. essential foods for maintaining good health.
It is no coincidence that Cato mentions cabbage in the prevention of trauma by soldiers and Morgagni recalls its power in the prevention of catarrhal syndromes in the humid Padua of the mid-nineteenth century.
And the holds of long-haul ships were stocked with pickled sauerkraut to protect crews from scurvy and worming.
Today as yesterday, the cruciferous, which owe their name to the characteristic cross-shaped arrangement of the petals of the inflorescence, are confirmed as vegetables with a thousand virtues.
Their secret? Sulfur, vitamin C, calcium and potassium
The merit goes to the many healthy substances (mineral salts, vitamins, antioxidants) contained in the plants of this large and noble family: 390 genera and more than 3 thousand species in the form of vegetables but also of spontaneous herbaceous plants, climbing shrubs and spices.
All these species contain significant amounts of sulfur, calcium, vitamin C and, to a lesser extent, iodine and potassium. Let’s see what is the usefulness in particular of sulfur, iodine and potassium.
| Mineral salt | Function |
|---|---|
| Sulphur | Fights irritations of the gastric and intestinal mucosa, helps counteract gastritis and colitis, it is a powerful liver depurative and helps expel toxins |
| Iodine | Activates thyroid function, accelerates metabolism and improves intestinal emptying |
| Potassium | Maintains constant blood pressure, regulates muscle activity and of the heart, stimulates the exchange of tissue fluids, fighting water retention |
Calcium, vitamin C, vitamin K, niacin and riboflavin account for some of the other properties of this vast plant family.
But also antioxidants with antitumor action
In addition to the activities that have always been known, in recent decades numerous researches have highlighted how important it is to regularly consume cruciferous vegetables also for their potential anticancer effects.
In fact, these plants contain many antioxidant compounds such as polyphenols, carotenoids, indoles and sulforaphane that have also proved useful in the prevention of different types of neoplasms (lungs, stomach, colorectal).
It is isothiocyanates that stimulate our cells to produce some enzymes very effective in protecting DNA degeneration, particularly in the bronchi and lungs.
Finally, the presence of significant amounts of phytoestrogens provides them with protective properties against the development of hormone-dependent tumors, such as breast cancer and prostate cancer.
A mix that also protects the heart
The antioxidant action is enhanced by flavonoids (quercetin), beta carotene and vitamin C, of which these vegetables are rich, so their constant consumption helps prevent cardiovascular and degenerative diseases, hypercholesterolemia and arteriosclerosis.
Be careful, however: cooking tends to disperse many of these nutritional qualities, so we suggest consuming these steamed vegetables but also raw and fresh.
Joycelyn Elders is the author and creator of EmpowerEssence, a health and wellness blog. Elders is a respected public health advocate and pediatrician dedicated to promoting general health and well-being.
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