December 15, 2018 at 11:02AM
Let me start by saying that this is probably the most sex-positive story about food waste you’ll ever read. Probably not a high bar there, but fair warning: There will be TMI. All in the name of wellness.
Let’s talk about radish greens.
As in, the leaves you probably toss in the trash before slicing the bright red bulbs and adding them to salads, tacos, and pretty much any other dish that needs a crisp, astringent burst of flavor and a shock of color. (If you regularly eat them the French way—giving each slice a swipe of butter and a sprinkling of salt—invite me over. I want to learn all your ways.)
But here’s the thing: As delicious and nutritious as radishes are, you’re missing the healthy boat if you ignore their greens. Eating sauteed radish greens (or, if I’m feeling lazy, using the leaves to brew a quick tea) is the most effective way I’ve found to get my skin, my gut health, and (here comes the TMI) my vaginal situation back in perfect balance.
I discovered this when a veggie-savvy friend brewed up some radish greens tea for me when I had a stomachache and felt generally off—like, either I’d eaten some bad takeout or a full-blown flu was on the way. After drinking the peppery, earthy tea (consider it a medicinal sip, not a culinary experience), I was feeling better within a couple of hours.
Fantastic! But the most surprising thing came later that evening, when I realized I was also completely rid of the not-quite-there yeast infection that had been threatening my genital life for days. Every morning, I’d wake up wondering if I’d nipped it in bud—and a couple of days of good results would inevitably be followed by a (pretty inflamed) setback. I never knew what to expect, and felt like nothing I did could keep the down-there diva happy.
It made me wonder: Why isn’t everyone talking about radish greens? If cauliflower is the A-list celeb of the veggie world right now, radish greens are like a Method-acting indie darling.
Post-greens, everything was…how can I say this? Perfect. I wasn’t in the ovulation week of my cycle, but the texture of everything was like a lighter version of the super-slick, eggwhite-y feel you get during that (glorious) third phase of your menstrual cycle. I was bursting with vag pride, I’m not ashamed to say—she and I were in full lovefest, completely in sync.
So it made me wonder: Why isn’t everyone talking about radish greens? If cauliflower is the A-list celeb of the veggie world right now, radish greens are like a Method-acting indie darling. In-the-know healthy cooks know about them—and they’ve even gotten shout-outs on hit shows like Iron Chef—but they’re hardly a household name.
In the West, that is. Radish greens—which are rich in vitamin C, vitamin B6, magnesium, phosphorus, iron, calcium, vitamin A, potassium, and folic acid—have long been used in traditional Ayurvedic cooking from India. They’re brewed in teas or added to sautés—and believed to purify the blood, cleanse the liver, and flush out stored toxins (known as ama), says Ayurvedic nutritionist Sahara Rose Ketabi.
“Radish greens are unlike other greens because of their pungent qualities, which enhance the digestive fire, or agni,” says Ketabi, who co-wrote the Idiot’s Guides book Ayurveda with Deepak Chopra and is the author of the cookbook Eat Feel Fresh.
According to Ayurveda, “heating” foods speed up digestion and “cooling” foods slow things down and calm inflammation. Ketabi explains that radish greens have an unusual balance of hot and cold. “Most greens are cooling for the digestion, but radish’s pungency enhances [the fiery energy known as] pitta in the digestion, while still cooling the blood,” she says. This means you get the digestion rev-up without creating other inflammation, like breakouts and rashes that, according to Ayurveda, comes with “hot” blood.
So, how did they work their yeast-busting magic on my body? It’s all about that fired-up digestive engine, Ketabi says.
“Yeast infections are caused from too much ama, or toxins, in the system, which is often the result of a sluggish digestion. Increasing the pitta in your digestion will make it more efficient, allowing your body to properly break down foods and get rid of the rest, preventing candida overgrowth,” she says.
Since my radish-related epiphany, I can attest to the greens’ gift in making whatever’s wrong in my body right. Obviously it’s not a cure-all—but when something feels off, the first thing I do is hit the market and look for the greenest, cleanest, unbroken radish leaves I can find. (Look for bunches with no breaks or wilting to get the most powerful plant punch.) Yes, they don’t have the buzz of wellness-world feel-better favorites like adaptogens, activated charcoal, or even apple cider vinegar. But these unsung greens are a gift you’ve been tossing in the trash for years.
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Author Erin Hanafy | Well and Good
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