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Contrary to popular belief, garden radish is used not only for eating. It has a number of medicinal characteristics, therefore it is used to treat many diseases. Also, the vegetable has found its application in cosmetology: the light pulp of the fruit serves as the basis for masks. It is because of this that more and more summer residents grow radishes in vegetable gardens.
Description of the plant
Sowing radish is an annual or biennial crop, reaching 0,9 meters in height. In the first year of life, it forms oblong leaves and a black root crop. The following year, a stem with many branches is formed, as well as inflorescences: white, pink or purple. Further, pods are formed from the flowers. The seeds of the vegetable are usually oval in shape, they are small and dark. The culture blooms in mid-spring, and its fruits ripen in early summer.
The most popular crops are black radish and Grayvoronskaya. The difference between them lies in the shape and color of the fruit: the first type of vegetable is round and black, and the second is cone-shaped and white. Also Grayvoron root vegetable is more bitter in taste.
The seed type radish is cultivated as a radish – small red or white roots, spicy in taste, and as a radish – large black fruits, spicy in taste.
The root of the culture is thick, has the shape of a turnip or spindle. The plant is upright, petiolate, with many messages. The leaves located close to the ground are “cut”, have the shape of a lyre, and the upper ones are whole, small, arranged alternately. In the middle of the fruit-pods there are many spherical black seeds.
Video “All about radish – from seeds to cultivation”
In this video you will see how to grow a radish.
Distribution
The Mediterranean is considered the birthplace of culture. Many wild radishes grow in China, Japan and Korea. You can grow a vegetable in almost any climate, except for the desert and conditions of the Far North. In general, the root crop is grown almost everywhere in the country.
Used part
Usually only the root vegetable is used. The color of the root is black on the outside, and white on the inside. Its taste “burns” with bitterness, and the smell can provoke tears. The taste of the vegetable is due to a glycoside that is unstable in the air, which releases an essential oil. The juice of the culture contains vitamin C, known for its antibacterial action. Ascorbic acid, glycosides, lysozyme, which has a disinfecting effect, were found in the root of the plant. Also in this part of the plant are glucose, phytoncides, minerals (even iodine) and vitamins of group B and PP.
Vegetable roots contain a large amount of carbohydrates, glycosides, substances containing nitrogen, fats and phytoncides. As well as salts of potassium, sodium, iron, soda, chlorine, bromine and other substances.
It is because of the content of a number of chemicals and compounds in the root crop that it is widely used in pharmacology and medicine. The beneficial effect of radish on the human body in general and the digestive organs in particular has long been noticed.
Medicines based on the plant have bactericidal, expectorant, bile and diuretic characteristics. Also, such drugs increase appetite, produce gastric juice and improve digestion, due to the large amount of fiber in the culture. The plant radish is also used for tuberculosis, for a better perception of carbohydrates by the body (especially in case of diabetes mellitus).
The plant also has a positive effect on improving the digestion process, it also normalizes the secretion of bile and diuresis. Root juice in the amount of 0,1 liter of 30% concentration, if administered by probing, has a better choleretic effect than magnesia solution.
Some authors consider the use of radish productive in diseases of the liver and gallbladder, while others consider the use of culture in such diseases strictly prohibited. Preparations created on the basis of a seed culture can adversely affect the acute development of diseases (hyperacid gastritis, acute inflammatory processes in the intestines, kidneys). However, in chronic diseases of these organs and in each specific situation, preparations containing radish in certain forms of release and doses can be used.
Vegetable juice in folk medicine is used very often. In particular, it is used for diseases of the respiratory tract: whooping cough, bronchitis and even spitting up blood. A good effect is given by the juice of the root crop and its grated pulp as a wound healing agent for external use. Fresh juice can also be rubbed on sore joints, used for radiculitis, myositis, and neuralgia. The juice of the culture with sugar will help to establish the menstrual cycle and increase the abundance of discharge. Also, the root crop enhances the secretion of milk in nursing mothers. Radish juice is also used for cirrhosis and hepatitis. It has a positive effect on the normalization of the heart rhythm and helps in the treatment of cardioneurosis.
A tincture of seeds and roots is an excellent remedy for age spots.
It is impossible to use preparations based on the root crop inside with stomach and duodenal ulcers, acute diseases of the kidneys and liver, which are accompanied by inflammation.
Radish is also used for dropsy and gout. With its help, you can often defeat the worms!
Choline, contained in radish, stimulates the formation of phospholipids, which prevent fatty degeneration of the liver.
Ascorbic acid promotes the accumulation of glycogen, as a result of which the functioning of the liver improves.
Rafan and sulphurous oil contained in root crops enhances the formation and secretion of bile into the intestines, which perfectly prevents cholelithiasis. Therefore, radish is often used by patients with cholecystitis.
Cultivation
Growing radish seed type has similarities and differences with the cultivation of its closest relatives. Most often, root seeds are sown in early summer directly on the garden. After the sprouts grow a little, they are thinned out, keeping a gap between individuals of 0,15 – 0,2 meters. Radish, as mentioned above, grows well in almost any soil. However, growing a vegetable will be more productive in loose soil in the sun or in partial shade.
Collection and Procurement
Usually, root crops are harvested in the fall in the first year of the crop’s life. They are dug up, cleared of the ground, cut off the tops and dried. After the vegetables are placed in a dark cool place (cellar or cellar), where they can be stored for a long time without losing freshness.
So, seed-type radish is an unpretentious vegetable that does not require specific conditions for its cultivation. However, the use of the root crop is quite wide. Due to its useful qualities and properties, radish is widely used in pharmacology. In addition, the vegetable is the basis for the preparation of many medicinal folk remedies. So you can safely grow radish in your garden and productively use vegetable crops!
Video “Harvesting radishes”
In this video you will see how to harvest a radish.
