Il wild cabbage as its name already says is the cabbage that it grows spontaneously in nature and man recognizes it by the scientific name Brassica montana. The popular name for wild cabbage is also rock cabbage also known by the botanical name of Brassica oleracea.
This wild cabbage belongs to the cruciferous family as obviously all cabbages, broccoli, rocket and turnips, so much so that each of these vegetables is similar precisely in the appearance of its flower which has the shape of a cross: from this the botanical family is known as crucifers.
Wild cabbage is an annual plant that it grows spontaneously in the town along the fields, hedges and in the woods. Its height can reach 80 cm when it produces the flowering stem.
Its flowers are yellow intense and its flowering begins from late spring to late autumn. It has a fasciculated root from which they develop from early spring dark green leaves. When these leaves are still tender they are used like spinach and therefore for food use.
Properties of wild cabbage
Wild cabbage is an r foodicco of mineral salts, vitamins and fibers while it is poorer in proteins and carbohydrates. This is a good advantage for those who don't want to put on weight and want to keep fit.
The consumption of wild cabbage leaves is well balanced if together now we eat legumes rich in protein or cereals rich in carbohydrates.
In general the composition of nutraceutical substances and active ingredients give properties depurative, antiseptic, anti-inflammatory, anti-haemorrhagic, healing and anticancer to wild cabbage.
In particular the wild cabbage is a excellent depurative for the body especially because helps the expulsion of waste substances of the body and cleans both the intestine and the bloodstream.
moreover its emollient and refreshing properties are useful precisely to soothe intestinal problems of various origins. The presence of fiber helps to increase the fecal mass by softening it and drawing water that thus favors evacuation fighting constipation or irritable bowel problems.
Intestinal transit is favored and facilitated by the consumption of these wild cabbage leaves and his own properties such as emollient and antiseptic they also allow repair of the internal mucosa of the gastrointestinal tract.
Furthermore, in the leaves of this cabbage we find another excellent property that of being of aid for wound healing both external and internal.
Again eating cabbage leaves helps soothe problems of intestinal micro ulcers and any other internal tissue problems.
Instead at the level of the external epidermis and then of the skin these fCabbage sticks were once used as natural patches. In fact, they were lightly pounded and then applied to the skin in the painful area.
Its refreshing, emollient, anti-inflammatory and repairing properties therefore allowed to heal and soothe bruises, insect bites, redness and all other skin problems.
Read also Swede cabbage, properties and how to use it >>
In the kitchen: wild cabbage
In the kitchen, wild cabbage has been used since ancient times in various recipes of peasant cuisine. Similarly to the use of spinach and chard wild cabbage leaves are also excellent boiled and simply seasoned with oil and salt.
Or they can become filling for savory pies such as Erbazzone or as a side dish for other meat, cereal, legume or vegetable dishes.
Cabbage leaves were often inserted in soups from the 30 herbs that were typical broth dishes made with a mixture of wild herbs cooked all together. Similarly, these mixed wild herbs were used to prepare "the cake of herbs" which was different for each area of ​​the country which often included wild cabbage leaves among the wild herbs.
Cabbage leaves they can be eaten not only cooked but even fresh as long as you don't abuse this. Usually they were collected and finely cut to then be season with lemon juice.
This preparation made it possible to make large quantities of two essential substances for our body: vitamin C and iron. Naturally, wild cabbage leaves are rich in these two elements and the addition of lemon juice helps even more to assimilate iron within our body.
In this way, eating the green leaves of wild cabbage becomes an excellent food as well a protector from iron deficiency problems such as anemia.
At one time it was even used as food on ships that had to travel long distances and this it also served to prevent scurvy which is a disease that occurs due to a lack of vitamin C.
We remind you that the consumption of wild cabbage is recommended in your diet but the product collection area must be controlled because the fields and lands on which they grow must be free from pollutants.
Indeed plants fix heavy metals or they store pollutants and this can lead to problems for the body. So you have to make sure of collect wild herbs in fields cultivated under organic farming or biodynamic or buy from trusted farmers in the local markets where we can know the origin
Read also Recipes with varieties of cabbage >>
