Is horseradish healthy?
Horseradish is a white-brown root. The essential mustard oils in horseradish are released when rubbed or cut, make the eyes water and taste pungent when eaten. This is another reason why most people only put small amounts of the root on their plates.
One teaspoon of horseradish (around 15 grams) has only around seven calories, less than one gram each of fat and protein and around two grams of carbohydrates.
Valuable ingredients
What makes horseradish so healthy are its other ingredients. It has a lot to offer: Micronutrients such as calcium, potassium, magnesium and folic acid, for example.
It also contains vitamins C, B1 and 2, B6, the flavonoids flavone and quercetin. It also contains the following amino acids, among others:
- arginine
- histidine
- leucine
- lysine
- Aspartic acid
- Glutamic acid
Horseradish also contains the dietary fibres lignin and polyuronic acid, the enzyme horseradish peroxidase and mustard oil glycosides, which give it its pungency.
Thanks to these ingredients, horseradish has an anti-inflammatory, antiviral and antibacterial effect.
Help with urinary and respiratory tract infections
Due to this effect, horseradish root is approved for acute inflammatory diseases of the bronchi, sinuses and urinary tract. It can support other medical treatment measures.
Improved blood circulation
Certain horseradish extracts, in particular the enzyme HRP, have a circulation-promoting and vasodilating effect. This improves blood flow.
In this way, horseradish – applied externally – can be helpful for mild muscle pain.
Promotes digestion
Horseradish can also support healthy digestion. Certain enzymes stimulate the production of bile, which helps to digest fat after eating. It also helps the body to excrete various “waste products”. Horseradish can also help to regulate bowel movements and prevent constipation due to the fiber it contains.
How can horseradish be used?
Horseradish can be used in a variety of ways. Here are a few examples:
- In the kitchen, you can use horseradish as a spice: either pure as a powder, freshly grated or in the form of preparations such as the classic creamed horseradish. It can be used to refine fish and meat dishes, sauces and vegetables.
- Horseradish honey is used as a home remedy for coughs and colds: mix grated or finely chopped horseradish with honey and leave the mixture to infuse in a screw-top jar for 24 hours. Then heat slightly (this makes the honey more liquid), strain the horseradish and store the honey in a screw-top jar.
- To make horseradish compresses for mild muscle pain and tension, grate the root, moisten it with a little water if necessary and spread the mixture on a cotton cloth. Fold it over and place it on the painful, tense area.
- There are also preparations such as tablets or capsules containing horseradish extract, which are said to help with cystitis or respiratory infections, for example.
Home remedies based on medicinal plants have their limits. If your symptoms persist over a longer period of time and do not improve or even get worse despite treatment, you should always consult a doctor.
Horseradish: Side effects
Little is known about the side effects of horseradish. However, you should use it sparingly due to its pungency. As the mustard oils can irritate the skin, mucous membranes and eyes, these should not come into direct or prolonged contact with horseradish. Otherwise there is a risk of irritation.
Women should not take horseradish in a highly concentrated form during pregnancy, for example as a medicine or remedy for cystitis, otherwise the essential oils could trigger premature labor.
Buy horseradish or grow it yourself
One way to obtain horseradish is to grow it yourself. However, not everyone has this option. Alternatively, you can buy it from a supermarket or organic market. Either as a fresh root or as table horseradish, mustard or cream or other preparations in a jar.
You can also buy ready-made preparations containing horseradish (e.g. capsules, powder, tablets) in drugstores and pharmacies.
What is horseradish?
What is horseradish (Armoracia rusticana)? The white-brown “stick” is a root vegetable. Botanically speaking, horseradish belongs to the cruciferous family and is quite undemanding when it comes to soil. It grows almost anywhere, even in partial shade. However, horseradish particularly likes moist, loose humus.
The white-brown root is considered one of the oldest cultivated and medicinal plants. Horseradish was already being cultivated in the 12th century and was mentioned in the writings of the nun and healer Hildegard von Bingen.
Once planted, horseradish is difficult to get rid of. Root pieces that remain in the soil continue to grow – indeed proliferate. Otherwise, it is frugal, requires little care and does not need fertilizer.
As a result, horseradish still grows in places where fields and gardens have long since disappeared. This is why the plant, which originally comes from south-eastern Europe, also exists as wild horseradish with large, elongated leaves without any care, preferably on riverbanks or in damp meadows.
In addition to the typical leaves, which can grow up to one metre high, wild horseradish can also be recognized by its angular stems and usually misshapen roots.
As a winter vegetable, horseradish is harvested from October to January. It keeps best if you store it in a cool, dark place.
