Radish black, al.: Schwarzer Rettich; Eng.: Black radish.
Root
The black radish is a herbaceous plant, usually bisanual, leaves alternate and rough to the touch. It has white flowers that are grouped in clusters. The petals are unguiculados, the androecium tetradínamo (6 stamens of which two are smaller). The fruit is a siliqua swollen and spongy.
Source
The black radish (not to be confused with horseradish, (Cochlearia armoracia L.) is grown for thousands of years. Of uncertain origin, can descend from the wild radish (R. raphanistrum L.) found from the Atlantic to the Volga.
Chemical composition
The analysis of the composition of this edible root has drawn little attention from researchers. Its fiber content is important. This is accompanied by fiber carbohydrates, amino acids and vitamins.
The characteristic features are sulfur compounds: glucosinolates. These molecules, still called "heterósidos sulfur," heterosídicos anionic compounds are responsible for the strong odor that release the Brasicáceas and other families nearby [575,576]. The compound is the main 3-methyl indolil glucosinolates, classically known as "glucobrasicina." Unstable molecule which is degraded in isothiocyanate-3-methyl indole by an enzyme that is always present in such plants: the tioglucósido glucohidrolasa [576,577]. The presence, after hydrolysis of isothiocyanate E-4-methylthio-3-butenyl indicates that there is another glucosinolate in the drug [578]. He also mentioned the sulforafeno and allyl isothiocyanate derived from the degradation of the glucorafanina and sinigrósido [578, 580]. It is known that, under certain conditions of pH, the glucosinolates can thiocyanates and isothiocyanates that are likely to end up in nitriles. It does not seem that these side effects have been, in the event of horseradish black, the subject of investigations.
Pharmacological data
Of all the virtues that tradition attributes to the black radish, only a small number of them have been subjected to pharmacological studies.
• Activity diuretic: The black radish is active per os in the rat. Has been found in the same animal, after a long-term treatment (6 weeks), a preventive activity against the moderate increase in the size of the stones implanted in the urinary bladder [387].
• Activity hepatobiliary: According to the literature, the black radish stimulates bile secretion and causing a moderate contraction of the gallbladder, which facilitates the removal of debris: one speaks of "draining the liver" [578,580].
The volatile sulfur products from the degradation of glucosinolates are antibacterial in vitro against Staphylococcus aureus and other germs [581].
The glucosilonatos micronutrients would be protectors of the harmful action of genotoxic agents [582].
Observations on the Man
Clinical studies are not very abundant. You can highlight an essay with that achieved very good results with black radish in cases of slow digestion, postprandial heaviness, hichamiento epigastric ... [583].
Employment
The drug is used in powdered form, but is also used in the form of juice extracted from fresh drugs, syrup, mother tincture and numerous dietary preparations. These various preparations are proposed in case of "liver migraines," stone, cholecystitis, gastrointestinal allergy ... Homeopathy uses the drug frequently. Cosmetology used in hair products due to possible action of the components of sulfur on alopecia ... The volatility in glucosilonatos raises the issue of the nature of the active and how Galenica ... [578].
The drug
The result, very bulky, can reach 50 cm in length. Thick, fleshy, swollen, with grooves and rough, is white on the inside and black on the outside. The smell is strong and pungent flavor. The identification of the drug begins the characterization of sulfur compounds (formation of lead sulphide) and the study by thin layer chromatography a tincture of ethanol (to reveal silver nitrate or iodine). There is no particular method for the quantitative study of the drug: you can identify the volatile products (after hydrolysis) and analyzed by gas chromatography. The colorimetry of isothiocyanates is possible, but does not take into account the rest of the products derived from the glucosinolates.
Bibliography
[575] P.O. LARSEN
Glucosinolates. In: The biochemistry of plants, P.K. STUMPF and E.E. CONN. Eds., London, Academic Press, vol 7, p. 501-525, 1981.
[576] J.E. RODMAN
Divergence, Convergence, and paralelism in phytochemical characters: the glucosinolate-myrosinase system. In: Phytochemistry and Angiosperm Phylogeny, DA YOUNG and D.S. Seigle, eds., New York, Praeger, p. 43-79, 1981.
[577] A.P. WILKINSON, M.J.C. RHODES and R.G. FENWICK
Myrosinase activity of cruciferous vegetables
J. Sci. Food. Agric., 35, 543-552, 1984
[578] P. Delaveau Radis noir
Act. Pharm., (204), 33-34, 1983.
[579] A. Kjaer, J.Ø. MADSEN, Y. MAEDA, Y. Ozawa and Y. UDA
Volatiles in DISTILLATE of fresh radish and Kenya origin of japanese
Agric. Biol. Chem., 42, 1715-1721, 1978.
[580] J. LUTOMSKI and H. SPEICHERT
Schwarzrettich als Quelle einige Phytopharmaka
Pharmacie in our Zeit, 11, 151-155, 1982.
[387] E. Racza-KOTTILA, I. Formanek and G. Racza
Action diurétique prévention et de la formation des calculs of urinaires of certain plant preparations.
Plantes Méd. Phytother., 7, 250-254, 1973.
[581] H. ESAKI and H. Onozaki
Antimicrobial action of pungent principles in radish root
