Overview:

The beets is a herbaceous perennial with leafy stems and a large swollen tap root.  The plant above ground reaches heights of between three and four feet high.  The leaves are heart shaped and the flowers are produced in a dense spike and are often green or red tinged. These vegetables are native to Europe and are grown from Sweden to the Mediterranean.   Beets are grown not only for their nutritional value but also for their healing properties.

The ancient Greeks use of beets was two fold.  They values their leafy tops as a rich source of nutrition and values the tap root for its many medicinal uses.  The beet has been recorded in Greek medical treatise as far back as 300B.C.  Hippocrates, the father of modern medicine, advocated the use of beet leafs to bind wounds and the Romans placed a high value on beets to treat fevers and constipation.  Beet juice was believed to be a powerful aphrodisiac.  This may be because of its high boron content, which plays a signigant role in the production of human sex hormones.  It has been valued throughout history as aiding the circulatory and digestive systems.

Active Ingredients:

Beets and beets greens are a rich source of:

• Iron
• Iodine
• Potassium
• Magnesium
• Manganese
• Calcium
• phosphorous
• Sodium
• Sulfur
• Folic acid
• Many B vitamins
• Vitamins A & C
• Beta-carotenes

Chemically active:

• Anthocyanins betecyanin, and betaxanthin.  These components of beets are flavonoids that account for their red color.
• Betaine a substance that lowers homocystine levels in the body and is commercially derived from sugar beets.

Traditional uses:

Beetroot use in traditional medicine includes but is not limited to:

• cleansing and nourishing tonic to help build the blood, balance it’s pH, and flush away the fatty deposits that lead to coronary artery disease.
• cleanse and detoxify the liver and spleen.  It is used in the treatment of jaundice, cirrhosis and other liver disorders caused by alcoholism.
• draw out pus and toxins as a poultice for wounds and other skin problems
• an aphrodisiac as its high boron content may help in the production of sex hormones.

Clinical uses:

Beetroot has been used in modern clinical settings to:

• Lower homocystine (a naturally occurring amino acid) levels that is closely linked to the development of heart disease, stroke and peripheral vascular disease.
• The regeneration of liver cells.  French studies have shown that Betaine and betanin help liver cells regenerate.  This has proven especially helpful in regenerating cells destroyed by fatty degeneration of the liver.
• An immune enhancer and anti-tumor agent as a result of beets’ high anthocyanin levels