Many people know cabbage as nothing more than a source of natural gas. But it has so many health benefits offered by all the different varieties of this leafy vegetable. According to so many studies, cabbage may be beneficial in reducing so many types of ailments – ranging from heart disease to diabetes.
The benefits offered by cabbage can range from potential preventative applications to even practical uses such as in helping with digestion and minor wounds.
Get Relief from Pain
You can use cabbage leaves for getting relief from pain and for reducing inflammation. According to a study conducted at the University of Missouri, there is a link between the flavonoid called apigenin present in cabbage for its anti-inflammatory benefit. If you have minor sources of pain, you can make a compress using cabbage leaves:
– Take few cabbage leaves and wash them and then dry them.
– Then apply these clean and dry leaves on the area where you have the pain or on the affected area.
– Use a bandage or adhesive plaster for holding the leaves in their place and leave overnight.
– Make sure the compress is changed everyday.
Note: – Red cabbage leaves are found to be more effective, but you could use almost any types of cabbage leaves.
Minimize the Risk of Heart Disease
Red cabbage has been found to have anthocyanin. This is a pigment which is soluble in water. It has been found to be helpful in reducing inflammation.
The high levels of polyphenol in cabbage are also found to be related to reducing blood pressure. This benefit helps in maintaining your heart health. if you want to reduce the risk of heart disease, you should do the following:
– Use cabbage as raw as you can. This will help preserve its nutrients.
– You should replace lettuce in you salads with cabbage.
– Make sure you take 2 tbsp of cooked cabbage daily.
– You should also drink 1 cup cabbage juice everyday.
Cabbage is also great for your digestive health. you should consume it as kimchi and sauerkraut, where it is present in its fermented form. When taken in this form, it has probiotics which are beneficial in increasing the absorption of minerals and vitamins.
Fermented foods also have enzymes which are great in pushing things along your digestive tract. If you have stomach or digestion problems, you should consume cabbage in the following ways:
– Consume it raw and alone. You can also add it raw to your favorite recipes. This will help in reducing constipation.
– If you have stomach ulcers, they can be cured by taking cabbage juice concentrate in capsule forms.
– If you have diarrhea, it can be cured by taking cabbage juice between your meals. Get the cabbage juice from white or green cabbage.
Cabbage For Managing Your Type II Diabetes
Eating cabbage can help in naturally slowing down sugar absorption if you are susceptible to diabetes or already having type II diabetes (the most widely occurring type of diabetes). This has been already found by the American Diabetes Association.
Cabbage has high amount of fiber which is also beneficial in absorbing excess glucose. If you want to manage diabetes, you should do the following:
– Take cabbage as a side dish at least thrice per week.
– Drink cabbage juice more than 2 times daily.
– Take boiled cabbage with some lemon to add flavor.
Faster Wound Healing
Cabbage is also beneficial in helping with wound healing. You can prepare cabbage the following way if you want to heal your wound:
– Wash green cabbage leaves and dry it.
– Use a rolling pin to flatten the leaves.
– Cut them to the right size.
– Put the flat cabbage leaves into the microwave and heat them for less than 60 seconds.
Note: – Make sure that you change the leaves every few hours initially. Then you can change them every 4 to 5 hours.
If you have pus in your ingrown toenails, you can use fresh cabbage leaves for soaking it. This can also be done with other similar sores. Simply soak it up and then draw it out. Use the leaves in the following way:
– Take a few leaves and tie them. You can also use a large bandage for holding the leaves.
– Just leave them overnight on the affected area.
– Make sure that the leaves are changed daily until the area gets healed.
Cabbage is highly versatile. You can use it for so many things, alone or with a mixture.
For example, you can also use it for treating eczema. This treatment is cabbage-related because other ingredients are also involved. You will be mixing cabbage with chamomile tea, watercress and dried bilberries and apply directly on the skin.
You shouldn’t take cabbage as an alternative for other medical treatments or look at it as a magical “cure-all.” But it is such a healthy vegetable with so many amazing preventative and healing benefits.