The next time you sit down to a plate of vegetables consider the important healing virtues they have, for they are more than just a tasty food. We will consider using mint or comfrey or some other herb for healing purposes not realizing that our vegetables are also herbs and have their value in helping the body to heal itself. Let’s review briefly some of the valuable medicinal properties of some of the common vegetables.
A watchmaker suffered for a year with a painful eczema of both hands, preventing him from working. The lesions were acutely inflamed, and the fingernails were separating, about to fall off. Applications of cabbage leaves twice daily for a few days brought relief from pain, as clear fluid drained onto the dressing. With continued treatment, healing took place within two months.
In 1875, a 75-year-old man suffered arteriosclerotic gangrene of the lower right leg and foot. The skin was black and the front of the lower leg was decayed. Following the local application of cabbage leaf dressings, the skin changed from black to brown to red, and then returned to its normal healthy color.
It has not yet been discovered why the cabbage leaf has such remarkable healing properties. We only know that the cabbage leaf has a particular affinity for disease-causing fluids, forcing them from the tissues. It even seems that treating small areas of extensive disease benefits the whole; as distant toxins are removed, the cabbage promotes healing and scar tissue, thus preventing complications.
The long history of cures obtained with cabbage concern many different diseases, including simple and complicated injuries, rheumatic pains, facial neuralgia, headaches, leg ulcer, anthrax, and many others. Cabbage—raw in salads, juiced, or steamed—has incomparable virtues in the most diverse maladies. Cabbage juice mixed with honey makes a syrup that heals hoarseness and coughing.
How to Prepare and Apply Cabbage Leaves
The preparation of cabbage for various disorders is as follows: Wash the leaves or soak them for a few minutes in water to which lemon juice has been added. Wipe dry, then use a knife or scissors to remove the central rib and, if the application is planned for an ulcer or sensitive wound, the secondary ribs. Crush the leaves, one by one, with a rolling pin or bottle. The juice appears at the surface of the leaves, ready for application. One, two, or three applications will be required according to the severity of the disease. Cover with a thick cloth and continue the application for several hours, generally overnight, or during the day if pain prevents sleep.
For a very sensitive wound, plunge the leaves for one or two seconds into boiling water, softening them, and reducing the possibility of irritation.
If cabbage leaves are applied to ulcers with swollen irritated margins, soak the leaves first for one-half hour in olive oil. The resulting preparation will soothe inflamed tissues as well as combating infection and aid healing.
Cabbage leaves applied to an infected wound, ulcer, or oozing eczema should be layered like roof shingles, allowing secretions to drain between the layers. When treating lumbago, joint pain, or various afflictions of the nerve or bladder, poultices of cabbage leaves bring rapid relief. A poultice is prepared as follows:
2–4 cabbage leaves
2 whole chopped onions
3–4 handfuls of bran
a small amount of water
Boil for 20 minutes. After evaporation of the water, place the poultice on gauze and apply hot for one or two hours, or even for the whole night. (Never apply heat to a painful abdomen. Only the physician can properly diagnose the cause of abdominal pain, and the application of heat to appendicitis or infection of the ovary may be harmful.)
Doctor Garnett-Cheney, Professor at the Medical School of Stanford, published a report concerning the use of cabbage juice in the treatment of gastric ulcers. Of 65 cases reported in his series, 62 were cured at the end of three weeks. (Cal Med 1949;70:10; Lancet 1954; ii: 1200.)
Cabbage has been found to be of infinite value for pregnant women, and for patients with anemia, fatigue, infections, intestinal parasites, stones, and arthritis.
The Red Beet
The common red beet is a highly nutritious plant. The root is an excellent appetite stimulant and is easily digested. The root has been used to treat constipation, liver ailments, dysentery, skin disorders, anemia, menstruation problems, obesity, and nervousness. One therapy for leukemia and tumors is to consume a couple of pounds of raw, mashed beets daily.
About ten percent of the beet root consists of a sugar that is more easily handled by the body than cane sugar and about a third of the root consists of starch and gum. The special value of the root is its effect on the liver and spleen. Some consume beets during an attack of the flu.
Beets are a potent anti-cancer treatment and are also great for detoxing the liver, kidneys, gallbladder, blood and lymph. They are also high in folate, which is good for your bones, and they are helpful in treating constipation.
Other Vegetables
The tuber of the Jerusalem artichoke is used in cases of gas, constipation and biliousness and as a substitute for potatoes. As it is considered starchless, diabetics who must watch their starch intake use it.
To remove toxins from the kidney apparatus as well as kidney stones, the parsnip has been used. It seems to be useful in cases of inflammation of the joints, colon, and nerves.
The green bell-shaped pepper is especially good for liver disorders, obesity, constipation, high blood pressure and acidosis.
The sweet potato is easily digestible and is good for inflammation of the colon or stomach and also for hemorrhoids. It is helpful to eat the sweet potato in cases of diarrhea and for problems of low blood pressure and poor circulation.
Another good food for inflamed intestines, stomach ulcers, and hemorrhoids is the pumpkin. The pumpkin seed is much recommended for prostate problems, tape and other worm elimination and constipation.
Radishes stimulate the appetite, are good for the hair and nails, teeth, gums and nerves. They help speed up recuperation from nervous exhaustion. Many have been helped in cases of constipation by eating radishes. Pulmonary disorders such as whooping cough, asthma, and bronchitis have been treated with the radish and its leaves. Chronic liver and gallbladder disease including gallstone and kidney stone afflictions have responded by eating the whole plant. The radish is good for vitamin C, D, and P deficiency.
Summer squash and zucchini are good to use where there are problems with high blood pressure, constipation, obesity and for bladder and kidney afflictions. The winter squash has more nutrients than the summer squash and is good for colitis, inflammation of the stomach or intestines, hemorrhoids and diarrhea. 100 grams of winter squash contain about 5,000 IU (international unit) of vitamin A. The high vitamin A content makes the winter squash a valuable food for the winter time.
The roots and leaves of the turnip are recommended in cases of pulmonary disease, obesity, kidney stones, and gout, as it promotes the elimination of uric acid. Drink a turnip broth for common colds and infections. Turnip roots have also been used to relieve nervousness and insomnia. Eat the greens for cases of poor appetite, bronchitis, asthma, liver problems, bladder disorders, gout, high blood pressure and tuberculosis.
When nature gave us parsley, it gave an amazing and extremely versatile plant to aid the body in regaining its health. Parsley is chiefly used for renal congestion, inflammation of the kidneys and bladder, gravel, stones, and urine retention. The root and leaves are excellent for the liver and spleen when jaundice and venereal diseases are present. It is also one of the best reliefs for edema, helping when other remedies have failed. Parsley root contains ingredients that help produce a pain relieving benefit to relax stiff joints. Many have used parsley root tea to make stiff and unmanageable fingers work again. The root contains calcium, B-complex vitamins, and iron, all of which nourish the parathyroid glands which are concerned with the regulation of calcium in the body. Pour a quart of boiling water over a cup of firmly packed fresh parsley and steep for 15 minutes. Strain and then refrigerate.
Although parsley is a very reliable and old diuretic remedy, it is very much ignored today. Parsley will work on the gall bladder and will remove gallstones, if used properly, by taking a pint of the tea daily. Parsley is a specific for the adrenal glands, is powerfully therapeutic for the optic nerves, the brain nerves and the whole sympathetic nervous system. Parsley juice is an excellent tonic for the blood vessels, particularly the capillaries and arterioles. But remember that raw parsley juice is a most potent juice and should never be taken alone in quantities of more than one or two ounces at a time unless it is mixed into a sufficient quantity of carrot or other juices. The usual remedy for kidney, bladder, and edema is to make at least two quarts of a strong parsley tea and drink copiously. If the urine is suppressed, drink one half to one teacupful, hot, every hour.
These simple herbs are just a few of the tremendous blessings given to us from our Father in heaven. Enjoy and praise the Lord continually for truly “His mercy endureth forever.” Psalm 118:1.
Excerpts from Dr. John R. Christopher’s School of Natural Healing
Newsletters, Volume Four, Issue 12