Alchemica Posted February 26, 2018 (edited) The Medicine of My Latest Veggie Patch This is the Medicine of my Beetroot, Broccoli and Kale patch. It's just one of my raised beds, started a few new healing beds with a variety of herbs, spices etc. Broccoli: A high consumption of vegetables belonging to the Brassicaceae family has been related to a lower incidence of chronic diseases including different kinds of cancer. These beneficial effects of, e.g., broccoli, cabbage or rocket (arugula) intake have been mainly dedicated to the sulfur-containing glucosinolates-secondary plant compounds nearly exclusively present in Brassicaceae-and in particular to their bioactive breakdown products including isothiocyanates. These target the inflammasome. They are useful for ameliorating a severe inflammatory phenotype. The activation of nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) exerts potent antioxidative and anti-inflammatory effects and is a potential new way of treating chronic inflammatory pain, autism, schizophrenia, neurodegenerative disorders and more Sulforaphane can ameliorate neurobehavioral deficits and reduce the Aβ burden in Alzheimer's disease model mice, and the mechanism underlying these effects may be associated with up-regulation of neurotrophin receptor mediated processes, apparently at least in part, via reducing the expression of histone deacetylases A small clinical trial that sulforaphane (SF) from broccoli sprouts could significantly reduce the behavioral symptoms of ASD. Case studies show similar results Kale: Not just quality nutrition, a rich source of carotenoids. Supplementation with the these carotenoids significantly reduces stress, cortisol, and symptoms of sub-optimal emotional and physical health. Low blood serum or plasma concentrations of the xanthophyll carotenoids lutein and zeaxanthin have been implicated in poorer cognitive health in older adults. They may assist with cognitive control. They have anti‑inflammatory and antioxidative effects and putative neurotrophic effects. The dietary intake of carotenoids should be promoted as this may have a substantial positive effect on cognition, memory and things like stroke prevention and stroke mortality reduction. Supplementation appears to benefit neurocognitive function by enhancing cerebral perfusion, even if consumed for a discrete period of time in late life. Higher intakes may result in the ability to respond to cognitive tasks more efficiently, maintaining high performance while displaying neural indices indicative of lower cognitive load. Beetroot: A NO generator like beetroot has the potential to improve cerebrovascular blood flow and challenge detriments in cognitive function. A high nitrate diet stimulated a substantial and preferential increase in frontal cortex perfusion, a region of the brain responsible for essential cognitive processes such as executive function, working memory and task-switching. Single doses of dietary nitrate can modulate the CBF response to task performance and potentially improve cognitive performance/ 250 mL of beetroot juice (nitrate: 7.5 mmol) for 14 days resulted in a significant improvement in simple reaction time compared to a control group Beetroot is a rich source of phytochemical compounds, that includes ascorbic acid, carotenoids, phenolic acids and flavonoids. Beetroot is also one of the few vegetables that contain a group of highly bioactive pigments known as betalains. Beetroot is as an exceptionally rich source of antioxidant compounds. Betalains are completely safe to consume, and contribute to health. There is compelling evidence that beetroot ingestion offers beneficial physiological effects that may translate to improved clinical outcomes for several pathologies, such as; hypertension, atherosclerosis, type 2 diabetes and dementia. Betalain-rich concentrate supplementation improves exercise performance and recovery. It is rich in phytonutrients and may provide a useful means of increasing plasma NOx bioavailability.While only one component, current literature indicates positive effects of dietary NO₃- supplementation in older adults on physiological performance, with some evidence indicating benefits on cardiovascular and cerebrovascular health. Improvements in cognitive impairment were noted. As a source of nitrate, beetroot ingestion provides a natural means of increasing in vivo nitric oxide (NO) availability and has emerged as a potential strategy to prevent and manage pathologies associated with diminished NO bioavailability, notably hypertension and endothelial function. Beetroot is also being considered as a promising therapeutic treatment in a range of clinical pathologies associated with oxidative stress and inflammation. Its constituents, most notably the betalain pigments, display potent antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and chemo-preventive activity in vitro and in vivo. Betalains and beetroot extracts have emerged as potent anti-inflammatory agents. While there have been concerns about bioavailabilty, beetroot is considered a bioavailable source of bioactive compounds in humans. Edited March 1, 2018 by Alchemica 4 Share this post Link to post Share on other sites
