Cultivated over 4,000 years ago, the cabbage has a long and well-documented history as a nutritious food and a medicine.
The many varieties of cabbage include purple, red and light green or white. Purple or red cabbage often has tougher leaves than the white or light green varieties because it takes longer to mature. Other varieties and names differ on location or origination, shape, size and time of maturity, including Late Flat Dutch, Early Jersey, Danish Ballhead, Krautman, Savoy and the Asian variety Bok Choy.
The Health Benefits of Cabbage Include Anti-Cancer Properties
High in nutrients, plentiful and inexpensive, cabbage is surprisingly high on the on the list of power foods. The Greek physician and scholar Hippocrates used cabbage to help treat dysentery, kidney disorders and insufficient production of breast milk.
The Arab physician and sage Muhammed ibn Zakariya ar-Razi, known as Ar-Razi, cited cabbage as a remedy for tumors and growths in his famous medical encyclopedia Kitab al-Hawi in the 9th Century AD.
The Chemical Indole in Cabbage Has Medicinal Benefits
The pungent, sulphur smell of cabbage comes from phytochemicals called indoles that are released during cooking. These chemicals play a role in the health benefits of cabbage, particularly cancer prevention. According to research, indoles may prevent cancers such as breast cancer by inhibiting excess estrogen and by triggering our bodies to produce certain enzymes which block new cancer cell growth.
This cabbage compound also helps to prevent and slow the progress of respiratory papillomatosis, a cancer of the head and neck caused by the human papillomavirus that can cause fatal growths in the airways.
Cabbage Contains Glutamine, a Heart-Healthy Nutrient
Cabbage also contains significant amounts of glutamine, an amino acid, which has anti-inflammatory properties in the body and is beneficial to the heart and circulatory system as well as for treating stomach, skin and intestinal ulcers. Interestingly, in European folk medicine a paste made of raw cabbage leaves was used to treat inflammation and reduce pain and discomfort. Cabbage leaves are also effective in reducing breast pain in breastfeeding mothers.
Red or purple cabbage has even higher medicinal properties. Its bright color is from a chemical called lycopene, which is especially good for prostate problems in men, helps to reduce free radical damage that causes skin aging, wrinkles and even helps to repair sun-damaged skin.
Additionally, this cancer fighting vegetable is packed with vitamin C, fiber, folic acid, potassium and has no fat or cholesterol: plenty of reasons to pack along a coleslaw salad for lunch.
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Reference:
Pinn, Graham, Herbal Medicine: A Practical Guide For Medical Practitioners, New York, NY: Wiley-Blackwell, 1982.
Noreen Kassem - Noreen Kassem is a hospital doctor based in London, UK. She has extensive experience in clinical research and an undergraduate honors ...
