*Horseradish is the name of the plant Cochlearia armoracia, of the family Brassicaceae, the roots of which are used as a spice and seasoning.

*Also called Mountain radish, Great Raifort and sometimes Western wasabi.

*The fresh roots are edible, and have a thick yellowy pulp.

*They have a cylindrical shape and somewhat enlarged at the crown part.

*Has a hot, spicy, pungent, biting taste and flavor.

*Whole roots do not have odor, but when bruised, crushed, grated or broken, the volatile sulphur compounds are release causing irritation of the eyes and nasal passages.

*Buying and storage: Select healthy looking, firm, uniformly sized onions with thin papery skins and without any bruises or cuts. Store them in a cupboard in a well ventilated place. Chopped onions can be refrigerated for up to 3 days or frozen for many weeks. Store dry onions or onion powder in an airtight container.

Is it raw?

Yes and No.
*Yes, fresh horseradish roots are raw.
*No, canned, pickled and prepared horseradish varieties are not raw, as vinegar is added as a preservative. Make sure you read the label.

Health Benefits

1. Horseradish is rich in sulphur-containing compounds called glucosinolates and isothiocyanates that are responsible for its pungency. They also have many beneficial effects on health. The horseradish has a glucosinolate called sinirgin, which combines with the enzyme myrosinase (released when grated) and is converted to allyl isothiocyanate.

2. These phytonutrients also have beneficial health effects. The glucosinolates are metabolized into thiocyanates, which have powerful anti-cancer properties. These compounds inhibit the growth of existing cancer cells reduce the risk of cancers of kidneys, bladder, prostate, GI tract and ovaries.

3. It acts as a stimulant when taken with oily foods like oily fish and meats, it stimulated the secretion of enzymes and improves the digestion.

4. Has medicinal properties and acts as an expectorant and bronchodilator, thus a syrup made from horseradish and honey reduces the cough, bronchitis, asthma, and chest congestion.

5. Applied topically, it is known in folk medicine to cause relief from pain of sciatica, gout, rheumatism, and joint aches.

6. Moderate source of folic acid, which promotes a healthy heart. It prevents the accumulation of homocysteine, an intermediary metabolite of protein metabolism, which promotes atherosclerosis by reducing the integrity of blood vessel walls and by interfering with the formation of collagen.

7. Good source of Vitamin C, a natural water soluble antioxidant, which fights against the free radicals that damage our cells, reduces the risk of heart diseases, cancer and other degenerative diseases, enhances the immunity, maintains the elasticity of blood vessels and skin, increases the absorption of iron from the intestines, improves would healing, and prevents the formation of clots in the blood.

8. Moderate source of minerals like calcium, iron, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc and manganese which play a very important role in maintaining proper metabolic activities of the body.

9. Horseradish juice, applied topically on the skin, cleans the pores, makes it healthy and removes the freckles.