Raphanus savitus

 The radish, Raphanus savitus, is one of the older domesticated vegetables, having been domesticated by the ancient Greeks and Egyptians from a species of Mediterranean wild mustard during ancient times.

Soon after the radish’s domestication in the Western World, the plant was taken along the Silk Route, and was quickly established as an important food staple in China, and India.

Most Westerners are familiar only with the “cherry” red radish seen in salads or as a pre-dinner crudité. However, there are actually hundreds of different varieties in Europe, alone, including the intensely acrid black radish, rarely seen or enjoyed by Americans, which is used in German folk cuisine, and Russian haute cuisine. The daikon radish, R. sativus var. longipinnatus, also known in China as luobo, and in India as “mooli,” has been cultivated in Asia soon after the radish’s introduction into that continent. The radish is eaten raw, cooked, and pickled. Cooking and pickling help to reduce the acridity and or pungency of the root.

The medicinal properties of radishes have been well known for thousands of years. In the West, Europeans have used radishes for treating rheumatism, headaches, kidney stones, gallstones, and stimulating the appetite (hence the radish’s longstanding popularity in salads and as an h’ors doeuvre). The Ancient Egyptians also perfected the formulation of a laxative from radish stems that was, allegedly, part of the payment and rations given to the builders of the Pyramids of Giza.

The daikon radish, or luobo, is used extensively in Chinese Food Therapy to help soothe indigestion, reduce abdominal swelling, to resolve phlegmy upper respiratory tract infections with or without bleeding, help prevent minor viral infections, and helping to clear congested sinuses and resolving occipital headaches. Luobo is also touted as a “dieting” food because its strong qi-moving properties help move the phlegm deposits that form fat. This same qi-moving property is the reason why Chinese food therapists and herbalists always strongly caution people to refrain from eating radish/daikon/luobo while taking ginseng supplements or herbal formulas containing ginseng. Furthermore, because of most radishes’ cooling nature, a patient suffering from a deficiency cold syndrome should refrain from eating radishes.