Cabbage
Brassica Oleracea
 Cabbage
was considered by the Greeks to be a tonic and a
rejuvenator. Other vegetables that are in the same
family are Broccoli, Brussels Sprouts, Cauliflower,
Collards, Kale, Kohlrabi, Mustard Greens and Mustard
Seed. The wild form of cabbage was probably known to
ancient people a long time before Christ, although it is
uncertain whether the cabbage mentioned in ancient times
was the heading type or the wild form having only a head
of loose leaves.
When you cook cabbage in any of its forms the odor you
smell is the mineral sulfur evaporating into the air.
Cabbage contains a large amount of this very important
mineral that is a key to its health and healing powers.
Studies have proven that the sulfur amino acids in
cabbage are very good for lowering elevated serum
cholesterol, calming agitated nerves and anxiety ,
lifting a depressed spirit and helping to bring on a
good night's rest.
This same sulfur also stimulates the production of
friendly micro flora within the colon thus promoting
increased bowel movements. The body is stimulated in
general by consuming the raw sauerkraut juice. This
juice can also be a powerful laxative especially when it
is mixed with some tomato juice. The vitamin C and
lactic acid content of sauerkraut juice is very high and
this endows the juice with many beneficial properties.
As
far as vegetables go, both the red and green varieties
of the cabbage are considered among the healthiest, and
among the cheapest of all the vitamin rich and
protective foods. Cabbage is well known for its high
vitamin C content and it is an excellent source for this
particular vitamin comparable to the citruses. Where
citrus fruits are not available or cannot be consumed
due to health reasons, it is possible to supplement
vitamin C natural by drinking the raw cabbage juice.
This herbal juice of the cabbage can be prepared in a
more palatable manner by combining with a much more
milder vegetable juice, such as common celery or tomato
juice. Other nutrients also exist in fair amounts in
raw cabbage, it has a small of vitamin A, and high
levels of thiamine - vitamin B1. Though it has a very
low calorific value, the cabbage is very high in useful
roughage and cellulose; it also gives an alkaline
chemical reaction in the laboratory.
Cabbage has a high calcium content, and also has high
content of other essential minerals. The essential
mineral potassium is also found in high quantities in
the cabbage, at the same time, the cabbage also contains
high amounts of chlorine, and boron. It also has good
amounts of the mineral iodine - essential for the
thyroid gland, it has high levels of the essential
mineral phosphorus, it has important metabolic salts
such as the mineral sodium, and it is also a sulfur rich
vegetable.
In
the May, 1978 issue of Cancer Research Dr. Lee W.
Wattenberg of the Department of Laboratory Medicine and
Pathology at the University of Minnesota in Minneapolis
studied vegetables in the cabbage family and found that
they inhibit the development of harmful chemical
carcinogens within the body.
Boron is known to rise estrogen levels in the blood
which can preserve bone and help prevent osteoporosis.
Cabbage is higher in boron as mentioned above, than
almost any other vegetable with a count of 145 parts per
million dry weight.
Raw cabbage juice is one of the top remedies for
ulcers. Cabbage juice contains considerable amounts of
glutamine and S-methyl-methionine, two compounds that
are cause anti-ulcer activity in the digestive system.
Sources:
The Juicing Book by Stephen Blauer, Avery Publishing Group Inc., NY, 1989
Cabbage.
Brassica oleracea,
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