herbal treasure chest: horseradish

horseradish

how to grow:

I bought horseradish roots. Once established it comes back again and again and it looks beautiful in spring.

medicinal properties:

Usually the root is used for medicine. Our main use for horseradish is as a nasal decongestioner, it really is very good to clear a congested nose.
It is also said to be good for urinary tract infections.
Horseradish is a natural antibiotic.
It contains a lot of vitamin c as well as b vitamins, flavonoids, potassium, calcium and iron. The root has an anti-inflammatory and a strong antibacterial effect.

My parents once made a wine out of horseradish. My dad had multiples myeloma and his blood values improved while he was drinking a bit of it every day. Unfortunately they only noticed the connection when it was already too late but I think it would definitively be something to experiment with if diagnosed with this cancer.

I found an article saying that horseradish has indeed some cancer fighting properties. Horseradish contains glucosinolate which helps to detoxify the body of harmful free radicals linked to cancer.

Originally my parents had made that wine because their doctor had given them the recipe for the horseradish wine for rheumatism.
Here is Dr Kief's recipe:
Horseradish root is cleaned and either chopped into small pieces with a knife or simply pureed in a modern kitchen mixer. The crushed root is then placed in a liter of white wine and exposed to mild heat at normal temperature, preferably in sunlight, for 14 days. Then you filter the whole thing through, preferably through a sieve with a clean linen, in order to then squeeze out the remaining root mass. You drink a glass (a shot glass full = a small glass that holds 1 1/2 oz of liquid) full of it every day, either late in the evening or in the morning on an empty stomach, but just to be on the safe side, you immediately prepare a tasty after-drink, because the taste "knocks your socks off". Even rheumatic laboratory values return to normal. The joints become more mobile again fairly quickly - usually within 4 weeks - and are significantly less painful. I have also experienced complete remissions from rheumatic diseases.
Side effects and disadvantages of this therapy:
Certain horseradish components are excreted through the air we breathe and through the skin. You have to do the whole thing for at least 2 months, preferably a quarter of a year.

cautions and possible side effects:

James Duke says to not give horseradish to kids under 4 years of age.
It is said that horseradish is toxic to horses.

The Green Pharmacy Herbal Handbook by James A. Duke
https://healthyfocus.org/health-benefits-of-horseradish/
https://www.sciencedaily.com/releases/2016/05/160517122054.htm
Here is the German original of Dr Kief's recipe. He is now retired. He was a very good doctor, one of the few who I trusted.
"Meerrettichwurzel wird gereinigt und entweder klein gehäckselt mit dem Messer oder aber einfach püriert im modernen Küchenmixer. Danach wird die zerkleinerte Wurzel in einem Liter Weißwein angesetzt und bei normaler Temperatur, am besten im Sonnenlicht, 14 Tage lang als Ansatz einer milden Wärme ausgesetzt. Anschließend filtriert man das Ganze durch, am besten durch ein Sieb mit einem sauberen Leintuch, um dann die restliche Wurzelmasse noch auszupressen. Man trinkt davon täglich, entweder spät abends oder morgens auf nüchternem Magen, ein Schnapsglas voll und stellt aber sicherheitshalber gleich einen wohl schmeckenden Nachtrunk bereit, denn der Geschmack "zieht einem die Füße aus". Sogar rheumatische Laborwerte normalisieren sich wieder. Die Gelenke werden ziemlich rasch - meist innerhalb von 4 Wochen - wieder besser beweglich und deutlich schmerzärmer. Auch vollständige Remissionen von rheumatischen Leiden habe ich schon erlebt.
Nebenwirkung und Nachteil dieser Therapie:
Gewisse Meerrettichbestandteile werden über die Atemluft und die Haut ausgeschieden. Man muß das Ganze mindestens 2 Monate, besser ein vierteljahr, durchziehen."

horseradish

how to grow:

medicinal properties:

cautions and possible side effects:

further reading: