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Beta vulgaris
(Chenopodiaceae)
BEETROOT, RED BEET, WHITE BEET, SUGARBEET
Red beetroots are given by herbalists to maintain the body's resistance
when lowered by chronic infection. White beetroots are used against jaundice
and liver damage caused by drug or alcohol abuse. In Europe, beetroot is
taken as an anticancer treatment.
Red sugarbeet has been a prized vegetable since ancient Greece. Rich in sugars, it is made into wine as well as famous soups like borsch. White sugarbeet was bred from the
red form. Large bright-green leaves grow on stalks from a short stem, and a central spike with insignificant flowers appears in late summer. The swollen root varies from round
to tapered like a carrot.
PARTS USED
Root.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Sugars; an anthocyanin pigment
betanin in red beet; the amino acid betaine in white beet; gums; resins.
ACTIONS
Stimulates the immune system; a
liver restorative.
MEDICINAL USE
White beet is used in the
treatment of jaundice and liver damage caused by drug or alcohol abuse. Red
beet is given to enhance the body's resistance when debilitated by a chronic
infectious disease. In Europe, beetroot is used against cancers.
PREPARATIONS
Fresh root, juice. |
