Radish, often regarded as the Asian treasure, is an indispensable food in China, Japan and Korea. They often say "eating radish in winter and ginger in summer can keep doctors away". That is because radish and ginger are of high therapeutic value for their superb treatment of many diseases. The ancient Chinese medicine book "Compendium of Materia Medica"《本草綱目》 recognizes radish as the most useful among all kinds of vegetables in terms of curing diseases, indigestion problems in particular.

From the modern scientific point of view, radish is a low-calorie food, only about 100 calories in a pound of radish. Radish contains vitamins C, B1 & B2, cellulose, and traces of calcium, phosphorus and iron. In addition, radish contains double-stranded RNA which can induce the body to produce interferon to enhance human immunity. With mustard oil, radish helps to decompose saturated fats. Mustard oil when interacts with amylase in radish can promote the effectiveness of gastric peristalsis. Eating radish can increase appetite, help digestion and can at the same time facilitate bowel movement. A popular health book《求醫不如求己》 said: "Radish is good for detoxification. Eating it raw can make you burp, eating it cooked can help you pass gas".

Although radish is good for health, there are situations that you need to be aware of. After taking ginseng as supplements, do not eat radish as it will to reduce the effectiveness of ginseng. Also, it has been said that eating radish with loofah would hurt inner energy. Eating radish with fungus can cause rashes or age spots. Do not cook radish and carrot together because the vitamin C will be destroyed.

Common Radish Recipes:

1. Radish Tea: White radishes 100g, tea 5g, slice and boil radish with water, add a small amount of salt; Brew tea with water for 5 minutes, add tea to radish soup. Drink 2 times a day. Good for coughing with phlegm.

2. Radish and lamb soup: White radish (slight green skin preferred) 1000g, mutton 250g, coriander 50g. Cut mutton into dices, boil with water then discard the boiling water. Peel and slice radish, put radish in a large cookware with water. Add mutton to cookware when water boils; simmer for 20 minutes; add a small amount of salt and cooking wine; cook for 5 minutes, sprinkle with chopped coriander. Good for cooling down body temperature.

3. Radish and sugar cane juice: Mix 100 ml of fresh radish juice and 100 ml of sugar cane juice thoroughly with warm water. Take 2 to 3 times a day. The juice is effective in anti-inflammatory, detoxification, and treating tonsillitis.

4. Radish juice with honey : Radish juice 300 ml, honey 30 ml, use warm water mix thoroughly, take 100 ml of juice per serving, 3 times a day. Good for lungs and asthma.

5. Radish juice with brown sugar : Radish juice 150 ml, brown sugar 50 grams, mix thoroughly, take 100 ml each time, twice daily. Effective in lowering blood pressure; can be used for treatment of hypertensive dizziness.

6. Brew radish with crystal sugar : Use a reasonable amount of radishes (harvested after fall), blend them into 120 ml of juice. Add crystal sugar. Stew the juice. Drink 2 times a day (60 ml each). Can be used to cure migraine.