The Multifaceted Health Benefits of Beetroot Juice: Historical and Modern Insights

Beetroot has a rich history of use in traditional medicine, dating back to Roman times when it was considered beneficial for cooling the blood. This belief was rooted in the observation that beetroot seemed to alleviate feverish conditions, particularly in growing children. Over time, further benefits of beetroot were discovered, including its strong regulatory effect on the digestive system.

Historical Perspectives and the Doctrine of Signatures

The Doctrine of Signatures, a historical concept suggesting that a plant's appearance indicates its medicinal use, also played a role in beetroot's reputation. The deep red color of beetroot led to the belief that it was beneficial for the blood. Although the iron content in beetroot is not exceptionally high, the form in which it is present is easily assimilated by the body, contributing to its reputation as a blood tonic.

Nutritional Composition and Caloric Content

The beet family, including sugar beet, is known for being rich in easily digested carbohydrates, while maintaining a relatively low calorie content. When boiled for two hours, red beetroot tends to concentrate its mineral content rather than lose it. However, this process does reduce the vitamin content, which is why beetroot is often consumed in raw juice form for therapeutic purposes.

Beetroot Juice: A Therapeutic Powerhouse

Beetroot juice is known for its stimulating effect on both the nerves of the tongue and the intestines. In Germany, beet juice is widely used in pasteurized form as a powerful restorative during convalescence. It is particularly effective for general weakness and debility. When combined with other juices, such as carrot and cucumber, beetroot juice becomes a potent blood builder and is used to treat sexual weakness, kidney stones, gallbladder issues, and liver and prostate troubles.

The effectiveness of beet juice lies partly in its chlorine content, which helps regulate digestion by controlling peristalsis, the natural rhythmic contractions of the gut. This regulation assists in the assimilation of food, especially during recovery periods.

Practical Considerations in Beetroot Preparation

Uncooked beets have a longer shelf life than many other vegetables. When cooking beets, it is crucial to avoid damaging or cutting the skin, as this will cause the red color to leach into the cooking water, resulting in a pale and unattractive beet. If the skin is accidentally damaged, adding a few drops of lemon juice or cider vinegar to the cooking water can significantly reduce the leakage of color.

Nutritional Value of Beet Tops

The dark green tops of beetroot should not be discarded, as they are rich in carotene and minerals. These tops can be juiced in small quantities as an addition to other juices or steamed to make a nutritious and cost-effective alternative to spinach.

Modern Insights and Ongoing Research

Recent studies have continued to explore the health benefits of beetroot. Research has shown that beetroot juice can improve athletic performance, reduce blood pressure, and enhance cognitive function due to its high nitrate content. These nitrates are converted into nitric oxide in the body, which helps to relax and dilate blood vessels, improving blood flow and oxygen delivery to tissues.

Despite the wealth of knowledge about beetroot, there remains much to discover about its full range of benefits. It remains, after carrot, one of the chief juices in the science of natural healing, valued for its wide range of therapeutic properties and nutritional benefits. As research continues, beetroot's role in natural medicine and health promotion is likely to expand further, unlocking even more of its potent secrets.
The Multifaceted Health Benefits of Beetroot Juice: Historical and Modern Insights

Beetroot juice can lower blood pressure

Beetroot and its product are a very good source of the chemical compound nitrate which can dramatically bring down high blood pressure. In fact, when the person consume the juice, the blood pressure drop instantly and stay lowered for up to twenty-four hours.

A study published by American Heart Association Journal shows that is the ingestion of the dietary nitrate in the beetroot juice is ultimately responsible for the lowered blood pressure. The researchers found that blood pressure levels were lowered within only one hour after dirking the beetroot juice.

It was believed by the researchers that nitrates are converted into nitric oxide by the body, and this chemical that eases up the blood vessel. In one study, researchers found that drinking just one glass of beetroot juice lowered systolic pressure by 4 to 5 points.

Research also shown that a daily intake of 300 to 500 (equal to cups of beetroot juice) milligrams of dietary nitrate can improve exercise performance and lower blood pressure.
Beetroot juice can lower blood pressure

Blood Pressure and Vegetable Juice

Blood Pressure and Vegetable Juice
Carrot juice is high in beta-carotene. It can reduce the risk of heart disease leading to high blood pressure. Carrot juice helps to maintain normal blood pressure by regulating heart and kidney functions. A recommended dose is an eight-ounce blend of one part celery juice, one part carrot juice and one part water, taken at least once a day.

Carrots are high in potassium, which can help prevent and control high blood pressure. Researchers have found that people who take potassium-rich diets have a low incidence of hypertension. Limiting sodium intake to 1,500 mg a day will have a dramatic effect on reducing your blood pressure. Another recipe is equal parts - carrot, celery, parsley and, spinach juice. This juice helps to alkalize the bloodstream and remove deposits from blood vessels. Drink 1 pint daily in 8oz or 4oz increments.

In February this year, researchers at London School of Medicine discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a can significantly reduce blood pressure.

Other vegetables used to treat high blood pressure include: garlic, which slows down the pulse rate and modifies the heart rhythm. Boiled Potatoes in their skins are a valuable food for lowering blood pressure. They absorb very little salt, are rich in potassium and magnesium but not in sodium salts. Parsley is very useful in high blood pressure as it contains elements, which help maintain the blood vessels.
Blood Pressure and Vegetable Juice

A Daily Dose Of Beetroot Juice Can Beat High Blood Pressure

A Daily Dose Of Beetroot Juice Can Beat High Blood Pressure
Researchers at Barts and The London School of Medicine have discovered that drinking just 500ml of beetroot juice a day can significantly reduce blood pressure. The study, published online in the American Heart Association journal Hypertension, could have major implications for the treatment of cardiovascular disease.

Lead by Professor Amrita Ahluwalia of the William Harvey Research Institute at Barts and The London School of Medicine, and Professor Ben Benjamin of Peninsula Medical School, the research reveals that it is the ingestion of dietary nitrate contained within beetroot juice - and similarly in green, leafy vegetables - which results ultimately in decreased blood pressure. Previously the protective effects of vegetable-rich diets had been attributed to their antioxidant vitamin content.

Professor Ahluwalia and her team found that in healthy volunteers blood pressure was reduced within just 1 hour of ingesting beetroot juice, with a peak drop occurring 3-4 hours after ingestion. Some degree of reduction continued to be observed until up to 24 hours after ingestion. Researchers showed that the decrease in blood pressure was due to the chemical formation of nitrite from the dietary nitrate in the juice. The nitrate in the juice is converted in saliva, by bacteria on the tongue, into nitrite. This nitrite-containing saliva is swallowed, and in the acidic environment of the stomach is either converted into nitric oxide or re-enters the circulation as nitrite. The peak time of reduction in blood pressure correlated with the appearance and peak levels of nitrite in the circulation, an effect that was absent in a second group of volunteers who refrained from swallowing their saliva during, and for 3 hours following, beetroot ingestion.

More than 25 per cent of the world's adult population are hypertensive, and it has been estimated that this figure will increase to 29 per cent by 2025. In addition, hypertension causes around 50 per cent of coronary heart disease, and approximately 75 per cent of strokes. In demonstrating that nitrate is likely to underlie the cardio-protective effect of a vegetable-rich diet, the research of Professor Ahluwalia and her colleagues highlights the potential of a natural, low cost approach for the treatment of cardiovascular disease - a condition that kills over 110,000 people in England every year.

Professor Ahluwalia said: " Our research suggests that drinking beetroot juice, or consuming other nitrate-rich vegetables, might be a simple way to maintain a healthy cardiovascular system, and might also be an additional approach that one could take in the modern day battle against rising blood pressure'.
A Daily Dose Of Beetroot Juice Can Beat High Blood Pressure
Source: http://www.medicalnewstoday.com