Radish

A cruciferous herbaceous plant up to 80 cm tall, with edible storage tubers up to 8 cm thick and 40 cm long between the roots and the base of the leaves. Hairy, short leaves, white, yellowish or pink flowers. Flowering time: May to June, fruit ripening: July to August.

Radish is related to mustard, turnip and cabbage. There are radishes with red, pink, white or black roots, and in the broadest sense radishes also belong to the radish family.

Already known as a medicinal plant in ancient Egypt, radishes, along with garlic, were an important part of the diet of the builders of the pyramids to maintain their health.

Effect: Stimulates metabolism, aids digestion, expectorant, antispasmodic, rich in vitamin C. Studies indicate an anti-diabetic effect (Banihani SA 2017). In animal experiments, a reduction in plasma cholesterol levels and the dissolution of gallstones were observed (Castro-Torres IG et al. 2014).

Syrup, especially of black radish, see under Raphani sativa radix, has been administered for coughs, bronchitis, whooping cough, spasmodic cough, kidney weakness and kidney stones.

Rarely skin and mucous membrane irritations, rarely contact allergies.

1. https://heilkraeuter.de/lexikon/rettich.htm
2. Banihani SA (2017) Radish (Raphanus sativus) and Diabetes. Nutrients. 14;9:1014. doi: 10.3390/nu9091014. PMID: 28906451; PMCID: PMC5622774.
3. Manivannan A et al. (2019) Deciphering the Nutraceutical Potential of Raphanus sativus-A Comprehensive Overview. Nutrients. 14;11(2):402. doi: 10.3390/nu11020402. PMID: 30769862; PMCID: PMC6412475.
4. Castro-Torres IG et al. (2014) Raphanus sativus L. var niger as a source of phytochemicals for the prevention of cholesterol gallstones. Phytother Res. 28(2):167-71. doi: 10.1002/ptr.4964. Epub 2013 Mar 15. PMID: 23495001.

5. Montag A (2023) Plants and skin. Springer-Verlag Ltd. S. 827-829