Mountain Radish
Great Raifort
Red Cole
raphanus rusticanus
Raphanos agrios (possibly the wild radish of Greeks)
French Moutarde des Allemands.
German: Meerrettich**
Italian: rafano
Spanish: rábano picante
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A member of the cruciferae family (cabbage, broccoli, mustard, etc.); the recognizable English word 'Horseradish' means a coarse radish, as opposed to the edible and mild salad radish (R. sativus).
The prefix 'Horse' has been used for "rustic", or coarse, comparably: Horse-Mint, Horse Chestnut.
It was formerly also known as the Mountain Radish and Great Raifort.
**The word horseradish is derived from the German word for “sea radish”, since it grows in coastal areas in Europe. The German word, "Meerrettich" was used for "mare" radish, and some believe that Horseradish was named after the Meerettich mistakenly.
This tangy herb (or, vegetable) was formerly used as a “pick-me-up” in beer,
and used more traditionally as a condiment (Germany, Denmark)
*The historical herbalist Culpeper said, “If bruised and laid to a part grieved with the sciatica, gout, joint-ache or hard swellings of the spleen and liver, it doth wonderfully help them all.”
#Medicinally, radish seedlings were used in ancient times for asthma, and any benefit presumably results from its effect on mucus.
Horseradish is ingested in a tablespoon-sized lump as only one out of the traditional five bitter herbs of Jewish Passover (Seder) which are coriander, lettuce, nettle,horehound. These are taken before the Seder meal, and accompanied by other sacred symbols celebrating the passing from captivity to freedom after an escape from Pharoahs' armies across the Red Sea.
*Hooker writes that it is possibly a cultivated form of Cochlearia macrocarpa, a native of Hungary; others believe it to be indigenous to the eastern parts of Europe. In Britain and other parts of Europe from Sicily northwards, it occurs cultivated, or semi-wild as a garden escape. Probably Pliny wrote of it as Amoracia.
Both the root and leaves of Horseradish were universally used as a medicine during the Middle Ages
Linnaeus gave to the world its present botanical name, Cochlearia ArmoraciaCochleare being the name of an old-fashioned spoon to which its long leaves are supposed to bear a resemblance.
Collinsville, Illinois, is the self-proclaimed "Horseradish Capital of the World"
There are traditional food uses around world, e.g.: used in soup for Silesia (Easter soup in Poland)
Cultivation 'It grows up to 1.5 meters (five feet) tall and is mainly cultivated for its large white, tapered root.' Wikipedia
Plant in early spring for fall harvest in rich manure pepared 18 to 24 inches deep
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high sulphur content
a crystalline glucoside
(two glucosinolates, sinigrin and gluconasturtiin)
allyl isothiocyanate
bitter resin
sugar
starch
gum
albumin and acetates
potassium
calcium
magnesium
phosphorus
average 79.31 mg of vitamin C per 100 g of raw horseradish
enzyme horseradish peroxidase
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sinus infection
antibiotic
diuretic, for kidney stones
for bladder infections
promotes perspiration
indigestion
to clear putrefaction of the digestive tract
to counteract meat spoilage
lung problems
asthma
persistent coughs from influenza
dropsy
expectorant (immediate and effective)
gargle
respiratory ailments related to allergies,hayfever
bronchodilator
rheumatic or arthritic conditions
stimulates mucus surfaces throughout the body
joint ache
sciatica
paralytic complaints
skin treatment to remove spots and blemishes
facial neuralgia
vermifuge
immune stimulant;increases white blood count
aperient
rubefacient
hard swellings of the spleen and liver
gout
footbath (chilblains)
antioxidant, copes with stress and environmental pollution
fresh fumes for babys' cold (under nose)
in white vinegar for childrens' whooping cough
for scurvy where there is not much fever
horseradish syrup for hoarseness
ingrown toenails
appetite stimulant
emetic
toothaches
stimulate blood circulation (As poultice)
fade freckles or age spots
cancer-preventive like other cruciferae
cosmetic
condiment
fresh or raw as foods.
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