In the diet of the Slavs, different types of cabbage occupy a leading position due to their usefulness and versatility in cooking. Especially a vegetable is valued in the winter, during a period of vitamin-mineral deficiency. Traditional medicine recommends using a white-skinned product to strengthen the body and treat a number of diseases. About the healing properties and benefits of cabbage leaf, contraindications and methods of therapeutic use - further in the article.

Medicinal properties and benefits of cabbage

White cabbage is recommended by official medicine for diet food. If there are no contraindications, it can be introduced into the diet of people suffering from obesity, anemia, arthritis, fatigue, purulent inflammation, diseases of the cardiovascular system, kidneys and digestive tract. The product is well absorbed due to its rich chemical composition and helps to strengthen the immune system, establish metabolic processes, eliminate pathogenic microflora.

Did you know? The inhabitants of ancient Rome served on the table cabbage exclusively in boiled form and only on holidays. And in China, the vegetable was regarded as cheap food - it was soaked in wine and given to the builders of the Great Wall of China.

A detailed analysis of the chemical composition of cabbage leaves substantiated their culinary and therapeutic value. The vegetable is rich in B vitamins, as well as C, H, PP, K, E, includes vital macro and micro elements (boron, iron, calcium, potassium, magnesium, nickel, iodine, selenium, manganese, molybdenum, copper, sodium, cobalt, aluminum). In addition, in a hundred-gram portion of cabbage contains only 28 kcal.

Based on such studies, scientists came to the conclusion that fresh white cabbage may well serve as a natural medicine, therefore, adherents of both traditional and official medicine recommend maximally saturating the daily menu with this natural gift, and, if necessary, therapeutic measures to combine the vegetable with medications.

• It is proved that with the regular use of vegetables in the body, the following changes occur:
• metabolism is normalized and metabolism improves;
• blood formula is being improved, replenishing the lack of vitamins, essential amino acids, macro- and microelements;
• fat deposits break down (with prolonged intake and gastronomic restrictions, weight decreases markedly);
• swelling, internal and external inflammation are eliminated;
• increased immunity;
• blood vessels and heart muscle are strengthened;
• the work of the kidneys and excretory system improves;
• glucose and cholesterol levels are reduced;
• blood circulation is activated;
• Atherosclerotic and anti-cancer effect is provided.

Important! The composition of young garden cabbage is several times more nitrates than in watermelon. Experts call the stub the most harmful part of the head .

What diseases helps to cure

Treatment with fresh cabbage leaves can be carried out using external and internal applications. In addition, the vegetable is indicated for the prevention of a number of diseases, wound healing and rejuvenation of the body. Not without reason from the time of the ancient Romans its medical prescription is passed from generation to generation. Modern medicine has significantly expanded the sphere of influence of cabbage raw materials.

Today it is recommended for:

• failures in the work of the organs of the gastrointestinal tract (gastritis, colitis, ulcers, decreased acidity of the stomach, constipation);
• festering skin wounds;
• internal and external inflammatory processes (including diseases of the respiratory system);
• abscesses;
• rheumatism;
• diabetes mellitus;
• atherosclerosis;
• gout
• obesity;
• gallstone disease;
• liver dysfunction.

For maximum effect, it is important to use the product in the correct form. For example, with gastrointestinal diseases, finely grated eaten mass or freshly squeezed cabbage juice will help, and from diseased joints a whole sheet attached to the sore spot.

Find out what helps and how to use the cabbage leaf.

How to treat joints with cabbage leaves

Many people think that for the treatment of cabbage of inflamed joints, it is enough to put a fresh leaf on the sore knee and wait for instant relief. But in fact, therapy looks a little different and requires preliminary preparation. For treatment, they choose clean, whole, medium-sized foliage, without any damage, black dots and signs of decay.

Then they wash it, cut the central thick vein and intensively knead. Some folk healers advise making several incisions so that healing juice appears. Others achieve this effect by heating the raw materials in warm water, over a stove or even in a microwave. The next step is to prepare a cabbage-honey compress.

A similar combination is recommended to enhance the result. An alternative to honey is butter or camphor oil, as well as mustard powder diluted with water. It is important that the leaf is well beaten, otherwise the juice will stand out poorly. The workpiece is generously lubricated with an additional ingredient and then applied to the sore knee.

Did you know? The Greeks believed in the miraculous properties of cabbage heads, using them to remove alcohol intoxication, so the plant has long been a symbol of sobriety in ancient Greece .

Then the compress is fixed with a bandage or a clean bandage of cotton cloth and wrapped in a warm blanket for the whole night. For the intensity of the allocation of medicinal juice, some housewives advise to put cabbage with table salt on the swollen joint. It will not be possible to get rid of the problem in a single procedure. The course of treatment lasts about a month. But you will feel significant relief after 3-4 compresses.

How to apply compresses from cabbage leaf

Poor-quality raw materials, especially if they are used to treat open suppurating wounds, can aggravate the condition of the patient, therefore, in the process of preparing cabbage compresses, it is important to follow the instructions below:

1. Use medium sized leaves. It is believed that it is in them that the concentration of nutrients reaches the desired level.
2. Leaves should be taken closer to the head of cabbage, as they are protected from the external pathogenic environment. Give preference to even copies.
3. Wash the workpiece in warm water.
4. Notches should be made not through, but only on the side that you are going to apply to the body.
5. If the selected sheet has excessively thickened areas that could not be removed with a knife, soften them with a kitchen hammer without fail.
6. Apply the compress directly to the affected area of ​​the body and always wrap it in heat as much as possible.
7. If necessary, use several sheets at the same time and keep them as long as possible, but not less than an hour.
8. In case of acute pain, you can change the dried leaf to a fresh one.

Video: treat joints with cabbage leaf

Contraindications

Excessive enthusiasm for cabbage will not bring serious complications. However, improper use of even a small amount of vegetable can worsen health.

• The internal intake of raw cabbage is strictly contraindicated in:
• acute form of enterocolitis;
• increased intestinal motility;
• tendency to intestinal cramps;
• pancreatic dysfunction;
• exacerbation of peptic ulcer;
• flatulence.

Strict restrictions on the use of a fresh product are associated with the properties of its juice to irritate the mucous membranes. As a result, pain and spasmodic attacks intensify. In cases of diseases of the pancreas, gastric and intestinal ulcers, small portions of boiled or stewed cabbage are allowed.

Useful Tips

The longer the cabbage compress will be on the affected area of ​​the body, the more effective the treatment will be. It is important that the cabbage leaf does not dry.

You can enhance its effect with additional ingredients, namely:

1. Raw chicken proteins. They are stirred with an equal part of finely grated cabbage head to get a mushy mass. The tool is used to treat burns that do not require line hospitalization.
2. Common salt. Whole, well-beaten, as well as cabbage leaves chopped on a grater are generously sprinkled with crystals. The method is suitable for external use in the treatment of diseased joints, mastopathy, advanced bronchitis.
3. Aspirin. The method is effective for relieving joint pain with arthrosis. For the compress, 2 tablets are enough. They are crushed, mixed with liquid honey (1 tsp) and spread on beaten cabbage leaf. To prevent the mixture from spreading, you can add a little flour.

Important! If the course of treatment involves the internal intake of grated cabbage foliage, be sure to rinse the heads of cabbage, and then dip them in salted cold water for half an hour. These manipulations will clean the vegetable from dirt and residues used in the processing of insecticides.

The healing properties of white cabbage have been tested for generations. However, you can not take the product as a panacea, neglecting the advice of qualified specialists. After all, advanced forms of the disease are difficult to treat and, as a rule, do not go away without a medical course.