The efficacy and function of kohlrabi

Speaking of kohlrabi, many people know that it is a Chinese medicinal material. So do you know the effects and functions of kohlrabi? How should it be eaten? Let’s find out now.

[Other names] Chinese kale, indigo plant (Complete Book of Agricultural Administration), black mustard, indigo plant (Records of Yansui Town), and jade green (General Records of Shanxi).

[Source] It is the bulbous stem of the cruciferous plant Brussels sprouts . If sown from April to July, the harvest can be harvested in summer and autumn; if sown in September, the harvest can be harvested in winter and spring.

[Original morphology] Biennial stout erect herb, 30 to 60 cm tall. The whole plant is smooth and hairless. The stem is short, and begins to swell 2 to 4 cm above the ground to become a hard, oblong, spherical or oblate fleshy bulb with leaves, 5 to 10 cm in diameter, or more; the outer skin is usually light green, but can also be green or purple, and the flesh inside is white. The leaves are 20 to 40 cm long, of which 1/2 to 1/3 are petioles; the leaf blades are ovate or ovate-rectangular, smooth, covered with white powder, with obvious teeth or notches on the edges, and usually 1 to 2 lobes near the base; the leaves on the flower stalks are similar to the stem leaves but smaller, and the petioles are weak. Flowers yellow-white; arranged in long racemes; 4 sepals, narrow and erect; 4 petals, spread out like a cross; 4 strong stamens; 1 pistil, ovary superior, stigma capitate. Siliques are oblong, with beaks often very short and swollen at base. The seeds are small, spherical, 1 to 2 mm in diameter, and have tiny pits. Flowering period: spring.

[Habitat distribution] It is cultivated in all parts of my country, and is more common in the north.

[Chemical composition] Each kilogram of kohlrabi (market product) contains 5.9 grams of protein, 11 grams of sugar, 4.1 grams of crude fiber, 3.3 grams of ash; 81 milligrams of calcium, 122 milligrams of phosphorus, 1.1 milligrams of iron, trace amounts of carotene, 0.19 milligrams of thiamine, 0.07 milligrams of riboflavin, 1.5 milligrams of niacin, and 152 milligrams of vitamin C.

【Nature and flavor】 Sweet, spicy, cool.

【Functions and indications】 Treats turbid urine, blood in stool, swelling and pus, and cerebral fistula.

[Usage and Dosage] For oral use: decoct in water, 1 to 2 liang; eat raw or burn and grind into powder. For external use: mash and apply, grind into powder and blow into nose.

【Note】 "Compendium of Materia Medica" says: "It consumes Qi and damages blood. Avoid it after illness or when suffering from sores."

[Additional prescription] To treat scrotal swelling as big as a bowl: cut kohlrabi and rhubarb into slices and mash them into fluff for external application. (Sichuan Traditional Chinese Medicine Records)

【Excerpt】 《*Dictionary》

In general, the effect of kohlrabi is quite significant. Precisely because kohlrabi has relatively good health-preserving effects, it can be said that the application of kohlrabi in health-preserving activities in daily life is quite high.