Beta vulgaris

 Humans living along the European or Asian shores of the Mediterranean Sea domesticated wild plants of the species Beta vulgaris and bred them into what modern cooks now know as the beet by the 2nd Millennium BCE. According to texts by the Greek naturalists Aristotle and Theophrastus, beets were originally grown as a leaf vegetable, and by the 8th Century BCE, were cultivated in Babylonia. Eventually, leaf-beet varieties fell out of favor with farmers when spinach was introduced by Persian merchants to the Mediterranean during the 600’s AD. During the Middle Ages, tuberous forms of beets were developed, and these forms have remained popular into modern times. Some varieties, such as the Mangelwurzel, or “Root of Scarcity,” were developed as animal fodder (but could be still fit for human consumption when harvested young). During the 18th Century, the sugarbeet was developed as a sweeter form of the tuberous variety, and by the 19th Century, German horticulturists and chemists were able to develop a variety that could be refined into white sugar.

In China, beets are cultivated in the northern provinces as a root and leaf vegetable, as well as a source of sugar. Beets are not cultivated in southern provinces partly because the presence of sugarcane makes the need for sugarbeets redundant, and partly because beets do not thrive in tropical and subtropical climates.

In European cuisine, the leaves of beets are cooked very much like spinach, steamed or blanched. The roots are commonly cooked by roasting, broiling, boiling, blanching, cooking in or as soup, and pickling. Chinese cuisine treats beets in a very similar manner. Many modern recipes call for juicing beets, often raw. Some recipes even use beet juice as a red food colorant.

According to Chinese Medicine, beets tonify the heart and liver, promoting the functions of both. Beets also help calm mood, and, when combined with appropriate foods, such as carrots and mushrooms, help correct and regulate hormonal imbalances. Beets also help moisten dryness, especially dryness that causes constipation. Western Nutrition and Western Herbalism have also ascribed heart and liver-strengthening properties to beets, as well. Beets are an important source of silica. Because the leaves have high concentrations of oxalic acid, large quantities of beet greens may impair a patient’s calcium absorption, or potentially cause or exacerbate kidney stones. Furthermore, patients with loose stools, diarrhea or dampness syndromes should refrain from eating beets due to beets’ moistening properties.