By Darren T

The cabbage is a famous cruciferous vegetable, just like Broccoli, Brussels sprouts, and Cauliflower, that is just commonly used for cooking. It is also popular for its discovered medicinal and therapeutic properties. It is even famous for its perceived ‘fat-burning’ effects, thus the existence of the so-called Cabbage Soup Diet. But most especially, the vegetable was pretty well known because like any other cruciferous vegetables, it is believed to contain certain chemicals that can help prevent the deadly cancer.

The History of Cabbage

The cabbage, from the Brassica oleracea Capitata Group, is a plant that is a member of the Family Brassicaceae or Cruciferae. It was taken from a leafy wild mustard herb that is native to the Mediterranean region. The cabbage was recognized by the ancient Romans and Greeks. They praised this vegetable for its medicinal and healing properties.

The English name of the vegetable was derived from the Normanno-Picard ‘caboche’, which means ‘head’. Because of its ready availability, its being high in nutrients and because it is inexpensive, the cabbage is among those that top the list of healthy and nutritious foods.

The use of the cabbage was believed to have started during the Greek era. Back then, the Greeks used newly picked white cabbages and made juice out of them. The juice was used to relieve painful or infected eyes. The cabbage juice was also drunk by Romans and Egyptians because it was also believed that the juice can prevent intoxication.

The Health Benefits of Cabbage

We can have a lot of health benefits from the cabbage. Cabbage is anti-inflammatory vegetable, which either reduces, if not prevents, swelling and tenderness. It has lactic acid that helps in disinfecting the colon. Cabbage can also be utilized to lessen headaches. One more benefit that we can get from the cabbage is its anti-cancer properties. Cabbage is also believed to be effective in treating other skin conditions. Also, the cabbage juice when drunk from the stem can be a very good remedy for treating ulcers.

If you are suffering from gastritis, the fresh cabbage juice is very good for you. Drinking an amount of 25-50 ml cabbage juice daily is also very useful in dealing with headache, bronchitis, asthma, and other problems in digestion. Mouth ulcers will be healed faster when white cabbage juice is dabbed on the mouth ulcers.

The Varieties of Cabbages

Cabbages have several varieties according to its shape and maturity. There are Green and Red Cabbages. There is also the more delicate Bok Choy, which is a Chinese variety of cabbage. The ‘Early Jersey Wakefield’ (cone-shaped), “Late Flat Dutch”, and “Danish Ballhead” (late, round-headed) are the traditional varieties.

Raw cabbages are commonly shredded or are sliced into thin strips. These are used in salads, like that in coleslaw. Its leaves are softened by placing the whole head of cabbage inside the freezer or parboiling and then filled with chopped rice and/or meat. Cabbage often supplements to stews or soups. The Cabbage Soup Diet is exceptionally popular in both Eastern and Central Europe.

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Cabbage Soup Diet

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