Move over quinoa and goji berries--there's a new superfood in town: cabbage. Cabbage and other cruciferous vegetables have been growing in popularity for their health benefits--full of vitamin C, vitamin K, fiber and cancer-fighting antioxidants. Eating cabbage can benefit your heart health, digestion, as well as keep inflammation at check. Topically applied, it helps control aches and inflammation. But is cabbage really a "new" superfood??
The interest in cabbage as a superfood actually goes back to ancient times. The ancient Romans touted cabbage as their go-to superfood and medicine for all kinds of ailments. Cato the Elder, a Roman senator and historian, wrote a 2000-page treatise on the benefits of cabbage for everything from curing headaches to vision ailments. On the benefits of cabbage, he wrote: "In a word, it will cure all the internal organs which are suffering." He even touted drinking the urine of a person who consumed a lot of cabbage as a healthy practice and bathing babies in the urine (please don't do this at home!). Ancient Romans used cabbage leaves as a poultice to aid in treatment of muscle pain and wounds.
The ancient Greeks also touted cabbage as having many health benefits. The ancient Greek writer, Chryssipus, also wrote a book touting cabbage as a superfood and super-medecine. Ancient Greek women ate cabbage after delivering their babies. Erasistratus believed cabbage was a great remedy for paralysis. Cabbage was a preventative cure for drunkenness, often served at the beginning of a meal. Cabbage was often pickled or fermented in ancient times to preserve it for eating when it was not in season.
So, do as the Romans and Greeks, and include cabbage in your diet for all kinds of health benefits. And use cabb dab cabbage leaf extract relief balm on your achy muscles and joints for natural relief of pain and inflammation.