Radish is available during all the year round. It is round shaped, white and light brown and grows underneath earth. Its leaves are long and green which are also used in looking and salad. It has pungent taste and smell and that is why some people hesitate to use it, forgetting its utility in curing diseases, making tasty vegetables, juices, salads.
Radish contains Water (90.8%), Carbohydrate (7.5%) Fat (0.3%), Protein (0.6%) besides Vitamins A.B.P, C, Salts, Minerals (Iron, Phosphorus, Calcium) etc. Its root and green vegetables are used for human consumption—in raw, fried, or cooked, juice from. Juice is either taken alone or in combination with tomatoes, carrots, lemon juices. It is rich also in sulphur content which kills germs and cleanses the body from toxic elements.
Tender leaves of radish should be consumed with radish root, as it abounds in curative and other medicinal values. It is generally said that radish can hasten digestion of all the eatables taken before its use. But tender leaves, attached to its upper (thick) portion, digest radish.
When cooking radish, cook its leaves also with it. Never use hard stalks or withered (yellow) leaves or if it has black spots over it. It is often fried in mustard oil, but its water content should never be thrown or wasted, rather it should form essential part of the preparation. Since radish has inherent saltish taste, hardly addition of salt is needed. Such a salt-free diet is useful with persons having high blood pressure. It is a great blood purifier, thus keeping the face and skin blemishless, and remove boils pimples etc.
It also increases circulation of blood. Its iron content helps to raise haemoglobin (HB) in the blood. Its sulphur content frees the body from carbon di-oxide. Its Vitamin ‘A’ helps to keep healthy eyes and also improves eye sight. One can enjoy sharp and healthy vision, by consuming a radish early in the morning, even upto old age. It is a great nerve-soother. Intestinal worms can be expelled if its essence is taken. Let the radish pieces be smeared by mustard powder, black pepper, salt and stored in a bottle. It will assume sourish taste and, thus, ready to be used as a pickle which is very useful for worms and provide relief to stomach.
Radish is useful for removing stones in kidneys and gall-bladder or bladder, since it is an excellent diuretic, thus causing expulsion of urinary/gall stones by gradual emulsification thereof. By using radish (in raw or juice form) one can regain sexual power and can enjoy delayed ejaculation. It rejuvenates and rebuilds muscles. Who have wrinkled skin must use radish-juice for massage. Effect of Radish is both cold and hot—its hot effects helps in quick digestion and cold effects keeps skin soft and glowing. Those who suffer from recent or chronic piles, should regularly take a glassful of radish juice once in the morning, eat fresh radish and its tender green leaves, radish and leaves in cooked form or in a soup form.
Some hints on use of Radish:
(1) Wash the radish in free and fresh water. Rub it with help of a cloth but avoid scraping it.
(2) Use only soft, tender fresh and sweet radish for salad purposes. Use also fresh leaves of radish with its root.
(3) The water, in which radish is boiled, should never be wasted, rather it should be used and utilized while cooking or boiling radish. Boil radish and leafy parts, in a pressure cooker so that nutrients are not lost. Best way is to steam boil it to preserve vitamins and minerals. Do not use any oil/ghee (clarified butter) and spices, chillies etc, while steam-boiling it.
(4) If a radish has been reduced into small pieces, it should be consumed without delay, as its exposure, for longer period, will lose the useful gases which are released by a radish while it is due into pieces. If radish is not sweet but is bitter then it should be smeared with salt, after being cut into small pieces, so that it loses its bitterness.
(5) In some persons use of radish, in juice or raw form, causes flatulence. To avoid it, radish should be used with lime; salt or still better, if some tomato and carrot and peppermint and garlic juices are added to it.
(6) It is said that radish digests all the eatables, taken prior to injection of its juice or in raw form, but radish itself does not or takes longer times to digest. Jaggery (Sugar cane, candy or Gur) will cause quick absorption of juice or raw form of radish. There is, however, no such problem faced when it is consumed in boiled or cooked form.
(7) Though there are varying tastes and styles, yet some persons prefer use of grated radish (thinly grated) as preferred to juice, and add tomato and ginger pieces, some lemon juice, green chillies, some digestive medicinal powder (choorna) to enhance its multiprolonged effects, eating the combined preparation, either with meals, in the form of salads or independently. This is an excellent preparation and is also full of various nutrients.
(8) Roots, leaves, beans, seeds and stalks of radish are all worth eating and thus must not be wasted away lest their nutritive ingredients are lost to our body.
(9) Seeds of radish are a boon to ladies, in powdered on fluid form (after being soaked in water overnight, and then crushed and strained) are very useful, for ladies to normalize their menstrual cycles and menstrual discharge.
Treatment of Diseases through Radish
As discussed earlier, best form of a vegetable, for human use, is its juice which is useful because one can digest it quickly. Those who have aversion to taking it in its liquid (juice) form, can derive equal benefits by variable other forms (as mentioned heretofore). There is no doubt that, when a fruit or vegetable is masticated, saliva mixes with it, teeth and gums become stronger due to their movement, eaten vegetable gradually enters in our system to affect less strain on digestive organs. But, juice has its own plus points: it is digested earlier, is like a boon to infants, patients, old persons and pregnant ladies who are unable to perform any physical exercise.
It, at once, intermingles with other food items, thus hastening digestive process. The choice is not a matter of discretion, but a matter of requirement/need of a person, his physical condition, age, sex, disease etc. Here, there are no hard and fast rules which form basis of a choice, rather it is a matter of necessity.
Further readers are advised not to eat radish or any one of its changed forms at night, rather consume during day time when they are basking in the sky.
Powdered Essence of Radish: It is known as ‘muli-saar’ or Muli-Ka-Ghansattava which is used for various physical disorders. In order to prepare it, first of all dry, in the sun-rays’ heat, 4-5 kgs of fresh radishes which will be reduced to hardly a kg or so, when dry, and will convert like dry sticks. These should be pounded, and then strained through a fine piece of thin muslin.
Add five times quantity of water to it and let it be soaked fully in the winter for 5-6 days. The compound solution should be stirred up after every 4-5 hours daily, with a stirrer. On sixth day, mash the tender radish parts with a churner or palms and pulverize them fully into a fine pulp. Radish should best be soaked in an earthen vessel or else in a steel vessel. Now heaten the solution in slow water and boil it. You will notice that water has then evaporated and a whitish powder sticks on the utensils—this is the resultant ‘Mooli Satva’ used for treating many ailments.
Acne: Apply a well-pounded pulp of radish on face. Let it remain till it dries up. Mien fully dried, wash it off with cold or fresh water. Orally take radish juice and steam cooked radish vegetable. Raw radish and its tender leaves should also be used alone or in salads. Give up salad during treatment.
Blood clotting: Impurity of blood is one of the main causes for clotting of blood, resulting its clotting around joints, giving rise to- swelling and pain. Boil radish leaves in water and remove the lid to let out steam and excessive heat. The liquid should be allowed to fall on affected joint(s) or else soak a cotton piece in it and apply on joints. It will remove stiffness, redness, pain and clotting of blood.
Constipation: It is caused due to impaction of bowels. Radish taken in any form, will remove it. Take half glassful of radish juice, adding lemon juice and salt to taste to it, as a first thing in the morning. Take also radish salad with its tender leaves. It will also remove foul smell, provided light and fat-free diet is also taken.
Flatulence: Improper indigestion, irregular and fat-enriched food cause flatus (wind) to accumulate in the system, thereby causing rumbling, uneasiness and often pain. Foul smell is also the result of gas accumulation.
Prepare juices of radish, cabbage and tomato. Take a glass of this mixed juice which will expel gases, cause free flow of urine and also regulate bowels. If felt necessary, add some lime juice and rock salt to the juice. Even if there is no flatulence, the mixed juice can be taken to maintain healthy body.
Hoarse voice (Aphonia): Munch radish seeds and let the munched part be swallowed with luke-warm water. It will open the obstruction and restore voice to full pitch. You may also gargle with radish juice (when it is hike warm)
Pruritis (Itching on skin): This manifests itself in the form of maddening itching all over the body or else on a particular organ. Root cause of itching is said to be caused by impure blood, according to ayurveda, and also lack of proper functioning of liver and unhygienic condition of skin. Radish helps to eradicate the said contributory causes. Take plenty of mixed juice of carrot, radish and cucumber, adding lemon juice to it. It should be taken in the morning or else radish salad be taken with meals. To gain quick relief, rub with pieces of radish on affected parts. Too much use of salt and lack of potassium are also said to cause itching—radish juice/salad will remove the said causes.
Jaundice: Infer jaundice, at once, where there are white stools, yellow eyes and urine, pain in liver region, lack of appetite, yellow nails, palms and soles. Yellowness may even stain clothes. Munch a full, fresh and green radish, which should be sweet and tender also, with some rock salt and lemon juice or drink radish juice, adding rock-salt and lemon juice. Some prefer use of sugar-cane juice mixed with radish juice for speedier relief. Eliminate white crystal (refined) sugar, all spices, fats and other intoxicants from diet. Take only liquids, as suggested, in addition to coconut water.
Whooping Cough: Whooping cough is a form of paroxysmal shattering cough, especially among young children (though aged people are also no exception) who have their face reddened, vomiting of food particles, pain in chest, throat and abdomen, panting and laboured breathing.
Add equal amount of radish juice to sugarcane juice (say 50 ml each), mix also some honey (5ml) to it. If the throat is not very sensitive to ginger extract, it may be added to it (5 ml). Let the patient slowly lick the compound, taking not more than 5 ml (one tsp) at a time, with a gap of 2-3 hours. The mixture is an excellent device for it.
Male Sexual Weakness: Continue or start using radish juice or else in salads. A mixed (extracted) juice of radish, carrot, tomato, cabbage and addition of 5-10 ml of honey to 200-250 ml of mixed juice, will rejuvenate body. Still better is to take 5 gms (or tsp) of finely grounded radish seeds, mixing the powder with cream/butter, to be continued for 10-15 days as a first step. This may be continued for 30-45 days. But sexual restraint is very necessary during treatment.
Mouth Infections: Stomatitis is the chief problem of the inner mouth. It is caused by lack of vitamin ‘B’ complex, particularly Riboflavin, Eating too hot and disagreeable food, smoking, chronic constipation, intoxicants, local application of certain medicines etc. are other causes. Apply honey-mixed radish extract in the mouth, allowing it to remain in the mouth, often rinsing. Do not wash mouth immediately after brushing.
Use of radish, in the form of juice, salad, pickle, seeds, is also useful for removing indigestion, foetid breath. Dark spots (freckles) on face, fire-burns, Ear-pain, deafness, dyspepsia, acidity, herbal poisoning, eczema, general malaise and lethargy, irregularity in menstruation, white patches on skin (leucoderma), scurvy, scorpio bites, intestinal worms and wounds etc.
Never use radish, and for that matter any other eatable fruit/vegetable also, in excess of the required quantity, otherwise it can play havoc or create its own problems. Hence always use in moderate quantity and at required and specific time only, in requisite doses only.