Botanical Name: Amoracia rusticana | Family: Cruciferae
Common name(s): Horseradish
GROWING
- Perennial; herbaceous | Zone 4-9 | 2-3 feet tall | White flowers when it blooms, which is infrequent
- Full sun/dappled shade | Adaptable to different soil types | Likes moisture | Propagate via root divisions (it does not produce seeds)
HARVESTING
Harvest the roots anytime. They are large and deep.
PREPARATION / DOSAGE
Infusion: Steep 1 tsp of powdered or chopped root in 1 cup boiled water for 5 minutes. Drink 3x/day or more often when treating the flu.
Food: Horseradish is a key component of fire cider and is used in other culinary ways. It will clear your sinuses when ingested!
External: Can be used as a poultice.
MEDICAL
Constituents: Essential oil, sinigrin, flavonoids, asparagine, resin, vitamin C.
Actions: Antioxidant, diaphoretic, diuretic, expectorant, stimulant. Also mildly antibiotic.
Uses: Stimulating digestion, colds & flus, bronchitis (poultice), rheumatism (poultice), classically used as a diuretic.
SOURCES
- Encyclopedia of Herbal Medicine, Andrew Chevallier
- Homegrown Herbs, Tammi Hartung
- Holistic Herbal, David Hoffmann
- plant photo credit: Edsel L horseradish via photopin (license)
- root photo credit: Fluffymuppet Horseradish thong via photopin (license)
I use horseradish in the fire cider (I call it “Flu Shot”) I make. So I’ve added it to my garden, to have an available supply of organic horseradish. I grate the whole root and store the extra in the freezer.
