Last week in my article, I examined the healing properties of many vegetables. Since one short article did not do them justice, I decided to continue exploring with you a few of vegetables’ many benefits. I spoke earlier about vegetables’ richness in vitamins, minerals, and enzymes. These elements only become available if the soil where plants are nurtured is rich enough for vegetables and fruit to carry them. There are also other factors that affect the availability of nutrients in plants.
In modern day farming, agricultural products are heavily sprayed with pesticides and other chemicals; artificial fertilizers are constantly added to farming soil, destroying nutrients and harming health. The added phosphate to fertilizers attaches to other minerals in the plant, blocking their accessibility. Over-farming, on the other hand, depletes the soil of nutrients, thereby any amount of added nutrients (nitrogen, phosphate and potassium) are insufficient to produce a fully nutritious plant. In consequence, we become deficient in vitamins and minerals. Additionally, transporting and storing for long periods of time reduce the vitamin A, C and E content of the fruit and vegetables. In order to preserve the quality of plants, we should buy fresh local produce in season and avoid storing it for a long time. Refining and processing equally strip the plant of its natural nutrients. Much of the nutritional value of food is also destroyed by overcooking, along with its fiber content. Such factors should be considered when buying, cooking and eating fruit and vegetables.
To return to our subject, I have selected a few other vegetables that can be just as healing and nourishing as the ones mentioned last week. Spinach is recommended for fortifying the blood, stopping bleeding and eliminating the undesirable growth of bacteria or yeasts. It has diuretic, laxative and hydrating effects on the body. It is also detoxifying to the blood in case of skin rashes and inflammation. The abundance of iron, chlorophyll and folic acid in spinach helps build blood in anemia, thereby it is prescribed particularly to pregnant mothers and their fetuses. Its richness in vitamin A (carotenoids) prevents night blindness and cures it. Calcium is abundant in spinach, yet its high content of oxalic acid cancels the mineral’s benefit. Thus, it is not recommended to those with calcium deficiency and kidney stones.
Parsley is a chlorophyll-rich vegetable that enhances digestion and acts on meat or fish poisoning. Parsley is a good source of vitamin C and A, calcium, magnesium and iron. It is effective on obesity, swollen glands, bladder mucus and stones. It helps difficult urination, improves the optic and brain nerves, and enhances a sluggish digestion, but nursing mothers should avoid it as it dries their milk.
Cabbage and the rest of the cruciferous family, Brussels sprouts, cauliflower and broccoli are very rich in both vitamins and minerals. Green and purple cabbage is helpful for stomach ulcers, acid reflux and digestion problems. Half a cup of cabbage juice should be taken in between meals for ulcers of the digestive tract (stomach and duodenal). The vegetable is suggested for constipation, cold virus, cough and irritable moods. Cabbage destroys parasites and cleanses the blood, due to its sulfur baring compounds, especially when mixed with garlic. Grated cabbage makes a good pack to cure skin irruptions and ulcers, varicose veins, arthritis and wounds along with the high consumption of the vegetable. Apparently, it turned out to be a successful cure for treating a wound in the leg that was about to be amputated, but the cabbage poultice had to be combined with eating big amounts of raw cabbage. The center of the leafy vegetable is abundant in vitamin C. Vitamin E, iodine and calcium are found in greater concentrations, particularly in the outer green leaves of the plant.
The cruciferous family is very effective in cleansing the body and lubricating the intestines as well as blocking the growth of intestinal cancer. Due to this group’s rich content of such vitamins as vitamins A (beta-carotene), C, K and B complex and such minerals as potassium, iron, calcium, folic acid, sodium, iodine, selenium and biotin, it is important to include it in our diet. However, broccoli contains chemicals that are disruptive to the assimilation of iodine in the body; thus it is not suggested for conditions like thyroid and iodine insufficiencies.
Asparagus (asparagine) has a diuretic effect that detoxifies the kidneys and treats kidney-related conditions. The vegetable is also beneficial for high blood pressure and effective on arterial cholesterol. Asparagus should not be used in conditions such as diarrhea, inflammation and congested lungs.
Beet improves heart conditions and blood circulation, cleanses the blood and liver, helps congested arteries, relaxes irritability and lubricates the intestines. Mixed with carrots, it is effective in balancing hormones, especially during menopause. The richness of silicon in beetroot enhances calcium absorption, whereas beet greens, in excess, can block calcium assimilation due to the green’s high content of oxalic acid.
The mushroom family, in general, provides many health benefits. It acts like an antibiotic in the body, boosts white blood cells, works against growths, improves appetite and reduces the toxic effects of meat. The minerals in mushrooms enhance immunity and the oxygenation of cells.
The shiitake mushroom, in particular, helps stomach disturbances, enhances immunity against stomach and cervical cancers, because it acts like cancer-fighting interferon. It is effective on blood cholesterol and rids the body of excess animal protein toxins. Due to its deep cleansing effect, over-consumption of shiitake mushroom is not advised for long-term vegetarians or during convalescence.
These are just a few of the many healing powers of the vast vegetable kingdom. If eaten regularly in a variety or for a specific treatment, they can be nourishing, filling, cleansing, detoxifying, healing and strengthening. In order to reap all the above benefits, vegetables should play a significant role in our daily diet.
(Mariam Alireza is a holistic science specialist. Send comments to [email protected].)