Cabbage leaf - medicinal properties and applications

In folk medicine, both herbal preparations and parts of plants themselves are widely used. Especially popular are those cultures that grow everywhere. In addition to useful properties, they have another big plus - low cost. One of these plants is cabbage. It is useful when used internally and is suitable for external use. How and what can be treated with cabbage leaves?

Bit of nerd

Cabbage is an agricultural biennial plant of the genus Cabbage. At the moment, it grows everywhere, because it is cultivated by agriculture of different countries on all continents of the planet. This spread has led to the emergence of many varieties of cabbage.

Cabbage is not only used in cooking and traditional medicine, some of its species are planted as ornamental plants. Do you know that there is cabbage, the top leaves of which look like red roses? There are many interesting facts about different varieties of cabbage, but this article discusses the benefits of ordinary cabbage, since it is the most common on the Eurasian continent.

No one can say for sure where wild cabbage comes from. It is assumed that at first it appeared on the Mediterranean coast, but it is believed that Georgia is the birthplace of cabbage. Now cabbage is so widespread that useful recipes for drugs from this plant can be found in almost every country. So, for example, in ancient Rome, cabbage was used to treat gastric ulcer. Cabbage broths to this day are considered dietary nutrition for surgical patients.

The benefits of cabbage and cabbage leaves

Cabbage, like any other plant, is a storehouse of vitamins and minerals. The main advantage of cabbage is that it can be eaten raw. This is how you can get the maximum benefit from the plant. Another secret is that when consumed inside, fat-soluble vitamins (A, D, E, K) are hardly absorbed. In order for them to enter the body, fat is needed. Cabbage salad with oil is a great way to get the maximum amount of both water- and fat-soluble vitamins.

Also, cabbage is useful for losing weight. It contains a lot of fiber, which allows you to deceive the body. You can eat a large amount of cabbage, kill it with hunger, but at the same time get very few calories, because fiber is not absorbed into the human body.

Suitable cabbage for external use. Wide cabbage leaves are very convenient to apply externally as compresses. In addition, they contain juice, which is the main benefit. In addition, decoctions can be prepared from the leaves of this plant, used both externally and internally.

So what is so rich in cabbage? Its main useful properties are in the presence of the following substances:

Vitamins: C (ascorbic acid), A (retinol), U (amino acid methionine), PP (nicotinic acid), K (phylloquinone), group B (B1, B2, B3, B6).

Trace elements in the form of salts: calcium, iron and others in small quantities.

Carbohydrates: fiber, fructose, glucose.

A small amount of protein and fat.

The secret of the benefits of cabbage is that all the necessary substances are so arranged that they do not interfere with each other's entry into the body. So, vitamin C is absorbed in the body almost completely, which is rare even in vegetables and fruits very rich in this vitamin.It is also interesting that in the prepared form the cabbage not only does not lose its beneficial properties, but even acquires new ones. So, for example, vitamin B12 appears in sauerkraut, which is not found in a fresh product.

When can I use cabbage

So, we have already decided that cabbage is a plant not only tasty, but also healthy. It remains only to find out how and when it can be used. With the help of this plant, the following types of pathology can be treated:

1. Headache. Cabbage leaf should be used to treat this symptom. Just attach it to your forehead or temples. For the best effect, you can beat off the leaf until the juice appears, and only then attach it to the head.
2. A sore throat. It is best in this case to use a method such as gargling. To do this, you can prepare cabbage juice with a blender and cabbage broth. In addition, a warm compress on the neck area will be useful. Recipes for their preparation can be found below.
3. Hyperacid gastritis. In this case, cabbage juice and a decoction can be used instead of an antacid substance. To do this, it must be consumed half an hour before meals before each meal.
4. Stomach ulcer. They are treated according to the same principle as gastritis, but they are applied by the hour.
5. Hypokinetic cholecystitis. Cabbage broth is an excellent choleretic agent. It can be used in case of difficulty in the discharge of bile.
6. External inflammation. With inflammation, cabbage leaf can be used as a compress. It will relieve swelling, relieve pain and redness.
7. Open wound. Cabbage leaf can be used as well as plantain in case of damage to the skin. This method will stop capillary bleeding and rid the wound of pathogens. However, it is worth remembering that only a clean cabbage leaf can be applied to the wound.
8. Mastopathy To treat this ailment, you need to take a few clean cabbage leaves, beat them with a meat hammer and attach to your chest, and put on linen on top. So you can walk all day. Cabbage leaves are invisible under clothing and do not cause discomfort.
9. Burns. To treat burns, it is necessary to take the most succulent leaves, wash them thoroughly, grind them in a blender and mix with egg white. Apply the resulting mixture to a sterile dressing and apply to the burn for several hours. This method allows you to reduce the degree of burn and accelerate the healing of the skin.
10. Dermatological diseases. Cabbage leaf can be used for eczema, dermatosis, psoriasis and allergic dermatitis. The only thing worth remembering is to treat weeping diseases with wet means, dry ones with dry ones. For example, a cabbage compress can be used to treat weeping eczema. Dry eczema is best treated with simply crushed leaf in a blender to a pasty state.

In addition, cabbage can be used for weight loss and overall immunity. There is an opinion that with the help of this vegetable you can increase breast size at home, but this myth is not confirmed by anyone. But, it is well known that cabbage can be used to prepare various face and hand masks to improve the condition of the skin.

Recipes for folk remedies with cabbage leaf

As already mentioned, the cabbage leaf can be consumed internally in the form of juice, a decoction or ingredient of a dish or applied externally in the form of compresses or masks. There are several proven recipes for useful products, the main element of which is the cabbage leaf. Here is some of them:

1. Cabbage broth. To prepare it, you need to take several large leaves of cabbage, chop them, add water and put on fire. Cook for 20 minutes after boiling, and then put to cool in a cool dark place.During cooking and cooling, the broth should be covered with a tight lid.
2. Cold compress. For its preparation, you should take several sheets of cabbage, make cuts in them so that the juice begins to appear. Then the sheets must be attached to the pathological lesion in several layers and fixed with a bandage.
3. Hot compress. First you need to sprinkle the leaves of cabbage with boiling water and attach them to the wound before it cools down. On top of the leaves put wax paper or cotton evenly. After that, you can fix the bandage bandage.
4. Wound Treatment If the skin is damaged, you can not make a compress, but prepare cabbage paste. To do this, cabbage leaves should be crushed to a mushy state (it is better to take the most succulent leaves located closer to its core). The resulting paste is applied to the wound with clean hands like cream. Be careful: the leaves must be clean. Before preparing this product, it is better to douse the cabbage with boiling water.
5. Mask for dry skin. An interesting fact is that for dry skin it is better to take ordinary raw cabbage, for oily skin, sauerkraut is better. Raw cabbage must be chopped, mixed with the yolk of one egg and a teaspoon of cosmetic oil. Apply on face and keep at least half an hour.
6. Mask for oily skin. Sauerkraut must be mixed with the protein of one egg, whipped in a thick foam. It should also be applied for at least half an hour. The procedure can be repeated 2-3 times a week.

Thus, we can conclude that cabbage is not only tasty, but also a healthy product. It benefits health both when taken orally and when applied externally. The main advantages of cabbage is that it is rich in vitamins and minerals, but at the same time it has a low cost. This fact allows you to use it for cosmetic purposes, and for the treatment of various ailments. The main thing is to apply it correctly.

Video: treat joints with cabbage leaf