The benefits and harms of horseradish, recipes

Horseradish belongs to the cabbage family. The underground part of the plant is most often eaten, but sometimes its grass is also eaten. Horseradish has many useful properties, it activates metabolic processes in the body, stimulates the immune system.

Delicious sauces and dressings are prepared from horseradish, and medicinal decoctions are made on its basis. It tastes spicy, with a rich aroma. Although there is no doubt about the benefits of the plant, one must remember that horseradish can harm the body. Not all people can use it. Some people have contraindications to it.

The composition and calorie content of horseradish

The beneficial properties of horseradish are due to the substances that make up its composition. Nutritional value is not only the rhizome of the plant, but also its leaves. They are rich in vitamins, minerals and other beneficial compounds. Therefore, horseradish is used for different purposes.

Calories per 100 g – 59 kcal, has a low glycemic index – 15.

Other important connections:

• Phytosterols — 9 mg (16,4% of RDI)

• Purine — 4 mg (3,3% of RDI)

The benefits of horseradish

Scientists have long proven that horseradish is a useful product for the human body. It has pronounced antiseptic properties, helps to destroy the microbial flora. Regular consumption of horseradish in food allows not only to get rid of various diseases, but also to prevent their occurrence.

The benefits of horseradish for the body are as follows:

• Protection against microbial flora. The roots and leaves of the plant contain lysozyme. This substance is detrimental to most viruses and bacteria.

• Improving the functioning of the digestive system. When eating horseradish, a person’s appetite increases, as it contains mineral salts, sinigrin and mustard oil. These substances promote the production of enzymes and stimulate the intestines.

• Improving the functioning of the kidneys and liver. Horseradish has a diuretic and choleretic effect on the body.

• Potency increase. Horseradish is a natural aphrodisiac. Its use in food increases male libido and has a beneficial effect on reproductive function in general.

• Improving the functioning of the joints. Horseradish helps to cope with joint diseases that occur due to an imbalance in the salt balance in the body. Horseradish-based preparations allow you to get rid of gout and rheumatism, accelerate tissue regeneration, and warm up your muscles.

• Cough relief. Horseradish has a mucolytic effect.

• Benefits for teeth. Eating horseradish protects them from caries.

• The fight against tumors. Horseradish helps the body destroy cancer cells. It contains substances that prevent the spread of metastases.

• Benefits for the urinary system. Horseradish has a diuretic effect, so it helps to clean the kidneys from small stones and sand. Its anti-inflammatory properties help reduce the pain of cystitis.

• Improving the condition of the skin. Horseradish helps to cope with acne, saturate the skin with vitamins, rejuvenate it and make it look fresh. Sinigrin allows you to reduce pigmentation, get rid of freckles and age spots.

The use of horseradish in various diseases

Most often, horseradish is used as a spicy seasoning for food. It is added to salinity, for example, when preparing pickled vegetables. On the basis of horseradish root, dressings are prepared for various dishes, as well as sauces and spice mixes.

Horseradish is widely used in traditional medicine recipes. It is rich in antioxidants and contains essential oils. In particular, the mustard oil contained in horseradish helps to destroy bacteria that affect the respiratory and urinary systems.

All parts of the plant are processed:

• A tea is brewed from the roots, which has expectorant properties.

• Poultices are made from the roots, which are used to treat joint pain.

• Horseradish leaves have a pronounced analgesic effect. They can be used to relieve headaches.

• Horseradish tincture is a universal antibiotic. It allows you to cope not only with bacteria, but also with microbes.

Horseradish is often used to treat diseases such as:

• High blood pressure. To prepare a healthy drink, you need 230 ml of beetroot juice, 220 ml of radish juice and 220 ml of carrot juice. Add to the mixture of juices 200 g of honey, 210 ml of horseradish alcohol tincture and juice of 1,5 lemons. Take a drink of 30 ml 3 times a day before meals. The course of treatment should be 2 months. The medicine must be stored in the refrigerator.

• Cholelithiasis. To prepare a healing agent, grate 60 g of horseradish, mix it with 240 ml of milk with a fat content of 3% and put on fire. Bring to 80 ° C, cool and filter. In this form, the product is ready for use.

• Radiculitis. Horseradish root is crushed, mixed with fatty sour cream. A compress is made from the resulting composition, which is applied to the affected area. Leave it on the skin for 30 minutes. You need to repeat the procedure 2 times a day.

• Edema. You can get rid of them if you take a mixture of lemon and horseradish. To prepare it, you will need 130 g of grated plant root and half a lemon, which must be passed through a blender. The resulting composition is eaten in the morning after breakfast and in the evening after dinner. One dose will require 20 g of the mixture. The course of treatment is 20 days. To improve the taste of the mixture, you can add honey to it. Contraindications to such therapy are diseases of the stomach.

• Cystitis and urethritis. You can cope with these pathologies with the help of horseradish tincture. To prepare it, you need 40 g of ground rhizome of the plant and 300 ml of boiling water. Horseradish is poured with water for 5-7 minutes, after which the drink is filtered and taken 4 times a day.

• Coryza. You can cope with rhinitis with the help of inhalations. To carry them out, you will need to grate the horseradish root and put it in a glass jar. It should be kept tightly closed. After 15-20 minutes, you can open the lid and inhale the vapors through your mouth and exhale through your nose. To achieve a therapeutic effect, you need to take a few breaths.

• High cholesterol. Horseradish helps lower blood cholesterol levels. To do this, twist 2 lemons, 200 g of garlic and 220 g of horseradish root in a meat grinder. The same amount of pure water is added to the resulting mixture. Before use, the mixture must be kept in the refrigerator for a day. Take it 2 times a day: in the morning 30 minutes before breakfast and in the evening 40 minutes before bedtime. At one time, take 30 g of the mixture. To improve the taste, you can add a teaspoon of honey to each serving.

• Cirrhosis. Horseradish is good for the liver. If its cells are damaged, you will need to prepare a gruel from horseradish leaves and nettles. They are taken in equal amounts. Juice is squeezed out of the resulting mass and mixed with the same amount of honey. Store the remedy in the refrigerator. To restore damaged liver cells, juice is taken in 120 ml every 2 hours. Therapy is interrupted only at night.

• Backache. To prepare the tincture, you will need to pass 320 g of horseradish root through a blender and pour 1 liter of alcohol into it. Keep it in a warm place for a day. Use tincture for local treatment of the affected areas of the back. You can also apply the remedy on sore joints.

• Strengthening of immunity. If a person has recently undergone surgery or a serious illness, his body needs help. Horseradish tincture helps to recover quickly. To prepare it, a 2-liter jar is filled with grated horseradish, a little whey is added, tightly closed and left warm for 4 days. Take the finished mixture of 125 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals.

• Diseases of the digestive system. To cope with the low acidity of gastric juice, colitis, intestinal atony and biliary dyskinesia, it is necessary to use a composition based on horseradish. To prepare it, you need 1 kg of grated plant root and 3 liters of clean water. The mixture is kept for 2 days, after which it is filtered and taken 70 ml before meals. The drug should be stored in the refrigerator. Take it 4 times a day. The treatment course should continue until the preparation is over. To increase the effectiveness of therapy, you can additionally take choleretic herbs.

• Tonsillitis. Horseradish root juice helps to destroy the viral and bacterial flora. To prepare a healing drink, you need 120 ml of fresh juice and 400 ml of warm water. These components are mixed and gargled with them every hour. After 3 days, recovery will come.

• Diabetes. To prepare a remedy, you need 10 g of grated horseradish and 100 ml of yogurt. The mixture is kept for a day, after which it is filtered and taken in a tablespoon before meals.

• Osteochondrosis. Taking healing baths helps to cope with the symptoms of the disease. To do this, wash and pour 10 liters of boiling water 15 leaves of horseradish. Withstand them for a day, after which they take a bath with infusion. At 1 time it will take 3 liters. You need to carry out the procedures 3 days in a row, one hour before meals.

• Skin whitening. It will take 100 g of horseradish root gruel, which is poured with 500 ml of table vinegar and left to infuse in a dark place. The exposure time of the tincture is 14 days. Then it is diluted with water in equal proportions. Soak napkins with the resulting product and apply them on the face for 5 minutes. Alternatively, you can wipe the skin with the resulting composition.

• Acne. To care for problem skin, you can use grated horseradish gruel. Before applying it to the face, it is necessary to wipe it with vegetable oil. The exposure time of horseradish on the skin is 3 minutes. The procedure is carried out 1-2 times a day. The course of treatment is one week.

[Video] Dr. Shishonin, Ph.D., chief physician of the “Dr. Shishonin’s Clinic” recommends a super recipe for protection against all viruses, based on horseradish: