Asparagus Officinalis Root Extract is an extract of the roots of the asparagus, Asparagus officinalis, Liliaceae.
Applications
Nutritional Value:
Good source of folic acid, vitamin A, B vitamins and vitamin C. A fair source of calcium and fiber. 100 g of asparagus provides 146mg of vitamin B9.
Pregnant Women:
Vitamin B9 is particularly important for pregnant women since not enough of it can cause the birth of a baby with spina bifida.
Internal Use:
The herb is used medically for cystitis, pyelitis, kidney disease, rheumatism, gout and edema from heart failure. Asparagusic acid contained in asparagus is used to treat schistosomiasis.
Uses:
Plant is Antibiotic; Antispasmodic; Aperient; Cancer; Cardiac; Demulcent; Diaphoretic; Diuretic; Laxative; Sedative; Tonic,
Root is diaphoretic, strongly diuretic and laxative. The roots considered diuretic, laxative, induce sweating, and are recommended for gout, dropsy, and rheumatism, lowers blood pressure, aids protein conversion into amino acids, benefits arthritic conditions and kidney stones.
Properties:
Its botanical species name, ‘officinalis’, indicates its recognition as an official therapeutic herb. The herb has been highly valued and prescribed to stimulate and strengthen kidney function. Eating fresh spears, or spears juiced, provides a strong diuretic action. This helps to clean and revitalize kidneys, bladder and relieve edema, especially arising from congestion around the heart. The effectiveness of this action may be experienced in strong odour and colour of urine, which is the body’s metabolism, speeding up the excretion of wastes. This action is also found helpful for people with painful, swollen joints and gout as the herb helps to dissolve uric acid deposits, and cholesterol build-up in blood vessels. Asparagus has long been considered an aphrodisiac in many different cultures, and there is some scientific truth behind this belief, as asparagus contains a compound, known to stimulate the production of sex hormones.
Asparagus is very alkalising to the body. Dr. Theodore Baroody, in his most informative book, ‘Alkalise or die’ says, “Asparagus is a very powerful acid reducer, and a known therapy for cancer. Its high ammonia content literally plummets one into alkalinity in a short period of time”.
Asparagus Root is a highly regarded herb worldwide. Asparagus is used by homeopaths in the treatment of rheumatism and edema due to heart failure. This herb is considered a diuretic, and will clear sediment from the bladder. It also has laxative properties. Asparagus is also high in folic acid, which is essential for production of new red blood cells.
The history of the word asparagus is a good illustration of one of the peculiarities of English etymology-one found in few other languages. After the rebirth of classical learning during the Renaissance, Greek and Latin achieved a lofty status among the educated. As a result, etymologists and spelling reformers of the 16th and 17th centuries tried to give English a classical look by Latinizing or Hellenizing the spelling of words that had Latin or Greek ancestry (and even some that didn’t). For example, Medieval Latin had a word sparagus, from Classical Latin asparagus, that was borrowed into Middle English and rendered as sparage or, more commonly, sperage. Botanists were familiar with the proper Latin version asparagus, and their use of that term together with the efforts of the etymologists caused the Latin form to become more widespread, eventually supplanting sperage. Thus, it is difficult to say whether the Modern English word asparagus is a direct continuation of Middle English sperage or a borrowing directly from Latin, a difficulty one encounters with hundreds of other words whose spellings and even pronunciations were Latinized during this time.The Latin form asparagus lives on in another guise as well; in the 1600s it was shortened in popular speech to sparagus, which became sparagrass, sparrowgrass by folk etymology.
Dosage: Infusion: 45~60 g of cut herb in 150 ml water. Fluid extract 1:1 (g/ml): 45~60ml. Tincture 1:5 (g/ml): 225~300 ml.
Safety and Toxicity:
Asparagus is generally regarded as safe when taken in the recommended doses; however, if your kidneys are inflamed or if you have diarrhea, do not use Asparagus. Do not take Asparagus supplements if you have kidney disease.
(2) Asparagus (Asparagus Racemosus)
The Flowers
It’s hard to say what the asparagus flower means. It’s totally discrete. Hard to see, hard to study. The botanists have included the asparagus in the family of the liliaceae. But, as it is known the other flowers of the liliaceae (like the hyacinth, lily of the valley, autumn crocus) are very pronounced and have nothing of the discretion of the asparagus flower. Even the color of the asparagus flower is discrete being a greenish yellow, barely seen from the context of the whole plant. Still, the asparagus flower is looked fro by the bees, the asparagus being honey-bearing.
The Leaves
The leaves of the asparagus are even harder to define. They can’t even remind of what usually defines a plant. The leaves barely have the shape of scales.
The Stalk
This is also hidden, being mostly under the earth. It’s hard to say what the asparagus stem is. All we can consider as a stem is the part beneath the earth which is the rhizome. At the surface all we meet are the offshoots which are usually cut and send to the kitchen.
The Seeds
It doesn’t even matter and few people know how they look. That’s because asparagus multiplies vegetative. The same offshoots that are so useful for our organisms are used for multiplying as well. They are planted, make roots and a new asparagus plant enters the amazing landscape of life on earth.
Scientific and Common Name
Living even up till 20 years, asparagus is frequently met in our spontaneous flora, but, being so important in the kitchen operations, it has become a crop plant. The general Latin name is Asparagus racemosus, the crop species being known as Asparagus officinalis. Currently this plant is known as asparagus.
Medicinal Preparations
Vegetable eaten raw or boiled, the asparagus has surprising medicinal properties. The asparagus is thought to treat some general illnesses like asthenia, anemia, rheumatism, diabetes, and renal lithiasis, as well as being a natural aphrodisiac. It is firstly a fortifier. From the asparagus offshoots decoction, juice, syrup and tincture are prepared. Very often used is the asparagus juice, a preparation practically accessible to anyone. It’s easy to prepare if we use a mixer. Thanks to its bitter taste the asparagus juice has a bitter effect of good quality. It has to be mentioned that the discovery of the asparagus as a medicinal plant is quite recent for us, but in other countries like Japan, China and other countries from the Far Orient, its position in the healing plants lists is established and renowned for a long time. Maybe also in the far Orient the uncontestable aphrodisiac properties of the asparagus were discovered. An important aspect must be mentioned here: in medicinal therapies not only asparagus offshoots are used but also the rhizome and sometimes the roots.
Usual Dishes
The bunches of asparagus offshoots (the offshoots and especially white offshoots represent the comestible part of this plant) are a common presence in many kitchens. And not for medicinal reasons, but because you can cook a lot of dishes using it, from salads and other greens to elaborated foods worthy of great feastings. It is remarkable that this vegetable allows the creation of a whole series of completely natural recipes. At a first glance the asparagus is not considered more than another vegetable from the long row of vegetables used in the kitchen and nothing more. Moreover, it can be said that it can be replaced with no trouble with other more accessible vegetables. Easy to say, easy to do, but€¦The specialists advice us not to judge this plant so lightly and here is why: the asparagus contains enzymes or substances that have the same action as enzymes and can produce very benefic transformations to the organism.
Aggressions
There haven’t been noticed any poisonous effects of the asparagus, just like usually there haven’t been noticed any poisonous effects regarding green beans, potatoes or peas.
Who Can Use The Asparagus?
The men as well as the women can take advantage of the asparagus, notable effects being noticed not only when asparagus is consumed raw or especially in shape of juice, but also when is prepared like any other food. Asparagus is not recommended to the ones with rheumatism or cystitis.
Active Principles
Having been demonstrated that it has a special role in the evolution of the processes regarding metabolism in the human organism, the asparagus is more and more looked for by the people who wish to maintain their health and make efforts to avoid illnesses. Then, which are the ingredients that build up the balance in of the enzymatic systems in the organism? Without doubt it’s hard to indicate the ingredient or the ensemble of ingredients in the asparagus that contribute to the good functioning of the machine called out organism. The asparagus contains proteins, glucides, lipids, cellulose, vitamins B1, B2, C, PP, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphor, sodium, iron, sulfur, and chlorine. Potassium is best represented in the offshoots of the asparagus. So, nothing surprising in this count and still the asparagus is a small rebel.
The Impulse
The asparagus is a regulator of the enzymatic processes. The asparagus is directly and beneficially implying itself in the structure of our organism. A long time ago, the asparagus awakened the esteem of Plinius the Old. Here is what the great encyclopedic said in the first century of out era: “the species of asparagus are considered among the most useful for the stomach. With an add of cumin they fight the swelling of the stomach and of the colon, offer clarity to the sight, have a mild laxative effect, help in the chest aches and backbone aches and also in the intestinal illnesses, if it is prepared in a mixture with wine. The seed in quantity of three mites (1 mite=0.75 grams), drank with an equal quantity of wine is calming for the back and kidney aches. They (the asparagus species) have an aphrodisiac effect and guaranteed diuretic only if the bladder does not have swellings; after the opinion of many the root has the same properties. Minced and drunk in white wine, it eliminates the kidney stones, treats the back pains and the kidney. Some recommend the root drank in white wine for the uterus pains. Plinius the Old comes back and insists upon the aphrodisiac effect of the asparagus noting some call the wild asparagus Libyan, and the inhabitants of Attica orminos. In the affections mentioned above it has a better effect than the cropped one, especially if it has a light color. It heals the jaundice. To obtain aphrodisiac effects the water in which it has been boiled should be drank, in the quantity of a hemin (1 hemin = 270 ml). The seed has the same properties as well if mixed with dill in quantity of three mites each. There weren’t many things to be said after Plinius. More than that, many of his words were forgotten.
Asparagus
Sparrow Grass, Sperage
Asparagus officinalis F. Liliaceae
Description
Although asparagus is native to Europe, it will also grow very well in the sub-tropics. It can also do well in the tropics according to Bruce French in his compendium Food plants of Papua New Guinea’. The new emerging shoots are eaten as a vegetable, harvested when 2-3cm thick and about15-20cm long. These shoots called spears, if left to keep growing, will develop into soft, ferny fronds a meter or more high. Cream/ green, bell-shaped flowers, form in stem axils of male plants. Female plants produce smaller, quite inconspicuous flowers, that develop into small, round, red 1cm berries, which are seed capsules, containing several round, black seeds. When grown from seed, plants usually require 2-3 years to develop a strong enough underground root system to cope with regular picking. Division of established plants, by digging the rhizome crowns, is the quickest way to get plants to picking stage. Divided rhizomes look like large, white, leggy spiders. The best time to divide roots is early spring, when plants are coming out of winter dormancy. When dividing, take care not to damage the tips of new shoots. If the division has put on a good growth in the first year, by the second year spears can be selectively cut. In the third year, cutting can start when the first spears appear in spring and kept up to the end of December (or even longer in sub-tropical climates). It is important to then allow the spears to develop into ferny tops. This allows the plant to regain strength and vigour underground, necessary for the following year’s crop. Plant asparagus in a well-drained, permanent position in the garden as it may grow for ten or more years. Loose, deep soil with compost and old manure added, is important, as asparagus is a heavy feeder. The more decomposing mulch material supplied during the formative period, the better. This will help develop the strong root system. Some growers plant the rhizome divisions in 20cm deep trenches, filling the trench with soil or humus as crowns develop. Stems that go dormant in winter are cut near the ground and the plants thickly mulched, even with seaweed straight from the beach as plants thrive on this mineral-rich, salty mulch. Feed plants regularly. Organic growers have observed that asparagus is a useful companion around tomatoes, pawpaws, parsley, rhubarb, raspberries, basil and comfrey. Planting comfrey nearby can provide a close source of leaves to pick for mulch, and I have observed that asparagus loves liquid manure made with comfrey.
As asparagus produces the substance asparagin, which is found to repel nematodes, growing asparagus near plants that are prone to attack by these root pests will help with control. To produce white (blanched), mild-flavoured spears, the plants need to be thickly mulched; the spears cut when the tips just appear through the mulch. Cut by inserting a long knife deep into the mulch, cutting at an angle just above the roots of the plant. The blanching can also be achieved by standing earthenware pipes, wooden tubes or bamboo joints, upright over the emerging spears. Personally, I like green asparagus – full of chlorophyll – so I let them get to 15cm above the ground, when they are crisp, crunchy and sweet with the flavour of fresh, green peas. In France, where folk are great connoisseurs of fine foods, the green asparagus is always preferred – they say it has the taste of the sun in it. If you wish to save seed for future planting, it is necessary to grow male and female plants nearby for pollination, to set seed. Male plants are usually taller than female plants, with the foliage beginning higher on the stems; while female plants have fronds starting closer to the ground. Only when plants flower, will it be definite what sex plants are. Both male and female plants have culinary and medicinal use. Some growers believe male plants produce more spears than their female counterparts and that the male plant will always grow bigger and thicker spears. This belief possibly has come from the doctrine of signatures theory: that the spear looks like an erect, male penis. Folklore also connected asparagus with increasing libido.
Constituents:
volatile oil, rutin and other flavonoids, saponins, tannins, asparagin, resin, gum, steroidal and bitter glycosides, albumen, coniferin, vanillin, tyrosin, sugar, arginin, asparagose, chelindonic acid, protein, fibre, protein
Vitamins:
A, B, folic acid, C, E
Minerals:
calcium, iron, phosphorus, potassium, sodium, zinc, selenium, iodine, magnesium, manganese, sulphur, silicon, florine
Actions:
aperient, diuretic, diaphoretic, antispasmodic, anti-inflammatory, tonic, laxative, sedative, demulcent, aphrodisiac, nutritive
Medicinal Uses
The use of asparagus was recorded before the time of Christ. In the first Century, Pliny wrote that, asparagus, of all the plants of the garden, receives the most praiseworthy care’. Its botanical species name, ‘officinalis’, indicates its recognition as an official therapeutic herb. The herb has been highly valued and prescribed to stimulate and strengthen kidney function. Eating fresh spears, or spears juiced, provides a strong diuretic action. This helps to clean and revitalise kidneys, bladder and relieve edema, especially arising from congestion around the heart. The effectiveness of this action may be experienced in strong odour and colour of urine, which is the body’s metabolism, speeding up the excretion of wastes. This action is also found helpful for people with painful, swollen joints and gout as the herb helps to dissolve uric acid deposits, and cholesterol build-up in blood vessels. Asparagus has long been considered an aphrodisiac in many different cultures, and there is some scientific truth behind this belief, as asparagus contains a compound, known to stimulate the production of sex hormones.
Asparagus is very alkalising to the body. Dr. Theodore Baroody, in his most informative book, ‘Alkalise or die’ says, “Asparagus is a very powerful acid reducer, and a known therapy for cancer. Its high ammonia content literally plummets one into alkalinity in a short period of time”.
Other Uses Have Included:
Sleeplessness, female hormone balance and to assist the reproductive system, to promote fertility, relieve menstrual discomfort and to increase breast milk for nursing mothers. It is used for respiratory diseases and for strengthening the lungs. Also for tuberculosis, AIDS, chronic fatigue, back pain, sports burnout, arthritis, rheumatism, gout, sciatica, coughs, to strengthen bones and marrow, hemorrhaging, stomach pains, kidney stones, cramps, convulsions, gall and liver ailments, to assist with weight loss, stress and nervous tension, intestinal worms, jaundice, skin diseases and to brighten vision. An old herbal recipe suggests macerating asparagus in white wine, then use as a massage liniment to rub into thighs and back for sciatica. Scientific research has found that asparagus contains a substance that can break up oxalate crystals. Asparagus, being a good source of fiber, is a useful bowel brush with a laxative action that stimulates lazy bowels.
Several years ago, I had a man seeking asparagus for a friend who had cancer. He gave me a photocopied copy of an article, entitled, ‘Asparagus for cancer’ printed in Cancer News Journal, December 1979. I will share it here, just as it was shared with me:
I am a biochemist, and have specialised in the relation of diet to health for over 50 years. Several years ago, I learned of the discovery of Richard R. Vensal, D.D.S. that asparagus might cure cancer. Since then, I have worked with him on his project, and we have accumulated a number of favourable case histories. Here are a few examples. Case No. 1, man with an almost hopeless case of Hodgkin’s disease (cancer of the lymph glands) who was completely incapacitated. Within 1 year of starting the asparagus therapy, his doctors were unable to detect any signs of cancer, and he was back on a schedule of strenuous exercise. Case No. 2, a successful businessman 68 years old who suffered from cancer of the bladder for 16 years. After years of medical treatments, including radiation without improvement, he went on asparagus. Within 3 months, examinations revealed that his bladder tumour had disappeared and that his kidneys were normal. Case No. 3, a man who had lung cancer. On March 5th 1971 he was put on the operating table where they found lung cancer so widely spread that it was inoperable. The surgeon sewed him up and declared his case hopeless. On April 5th he heard about the asparagus therapy and immediately started taking it. By August, x-ray pictures revealed that all signs of the cancer had disappeared. He is back at his regular business routine. Case No. 4, a woman who was troubled for a number of years with skin cancer. She finally developed different skin cancers which were diagnosed by a skin specialist as advanced. Within 3 months after starting on asparagus, her skin specialist said that her skin looked fine and no more skin lesions. This woman reported that the asparagus therapy also cured her kidney disease, which started in 1949. She had over 10 operations for kidney stones, and was receiving government disability payments for an inoperable, terminal, kidney condition. She attributes the cure of this kidney trouble entirely to the asparagus. I was not surprised at this result, as ‘The elements of materia medica’, edited in 1854 by a Professor at the University of Pennsylvania, stated that asparagus was used as a popular remedy for kidney stones. He even referred to experiments, in 1739, on the power of asparagus in dissolving stones. We would have other case histories but the medical establishment has interfered with our obtaining some of the records. I am therefore appealing to readers to spread this good news and help us to gather a large number of case histories that will overwhelm the medical skeptics about this unbelievably simple and natural remedy.
For the treatment, asparagus should be cooked before using, and therefore canned asparagus is just as good as fresh. I have corresponded with the two leading canners of asparagus, Giant Giant and Stokely, and I am satisfied that these brands contain no pesticides or preservatives. Place the cooked asparagus in a blender and liquefy to make a puree, and store in the refrigerator. Give the patient 4 full tablespoon twice daily, morning and evening. Patients usually show some improvement in from 2-4 weeks. It can be diluted with water and used as a cold or hot drink. This suggested dosage is based on present experience, but certainly larger amounts can do no harm and may be needed in some cases.
As a biochemist I am convinced of the old saying that what cures can prevent’. Based on this theory, my wife and I have been using asparagus puree as a beverage with our meals. We take 2 table sp. diluted in water to suit our taste with breakfast and with dinner. I take mine hot and my wife prefers hers cold. For years we have made it a practice to have blood surveys taken as part of our regular checkups. The last blood survey, taken by a medical doctor who specialises in the nutritional approach to health, showed substantial improvements in all categories over the last one, and we can attribute these improvements to nothing but the asparagus drink. As a biochemist, I have made an extensive study of all aspects of cancer, and all of the proposed cures. As a result, I am convinced that asparagus fits in better with the latest theories about cancer. Asparagus contains a good supply of protein called histones, which are believed to be active in controlling cell growth. For that reason, I believe asparagus can be said to contain a substance that I call cell growth normaliser. That accounts for its action on cancer and in acting as a general body tonic. In any event, regardless of theory, asparagus used as we suggest, is a harmless substance. The FDA cannot prevent you from using it and it may do you much good. It has been reported by the US National Cancer Institute, that asparagus is the highest tested food containing glutathione, which is considered one of the body’s most potent anticarcinogens and antioxidants.
