Zastosowanie kapusty głowiastej białej w polskim lecznictwie ludowym
The use of white cabbage in Polish folk medicine

Summary/Abstract: White cabbage (Brassica oleracea var. capitata) was one of the staple food plants in ancient rural communities. It was not only the main ingredient of many dishes, but even a symbol of abundance. The high availability of this plant, both fresh and pickled, throughout the year, created great opportunities to use it not only as food but also as a medicinal plant. The aim of the study was to present the medicinal uses of raw materials obtained from white cabbage in Polish folk medicine. The available studies show that traditional Polish folk medicine not only used fresh cabbage leaves, but also fermented leaves or sauerkraut juice. Sometimes the use of seed, stalks and fresh leaf juice were recommended. Unlike most medicinal plants, dried raw material was used very rarely. The most commonly used raw materials were fresh or lacto-fermented without prior preparation, rarely before use they were crushed, roasted, made into infusions, boiled or soaked in vinegar. It was believed that cabbage provides health and strengthens the body, and children who eat cabbage grow quickly. For medicinal purposes, this plant was used for numerous ailments and parasites of the digestive tract: abdominal pain, constipation, stomach and liver diseases, gastric and duodenal ulcers, and hemorrhoids. It has also been used in dermatological problems and as an analgesic, e.g. for headaches and rheumatic pains. The properties of cabbage were also used in the treatment of female ailments related to pregnancy, childbirth and breastfeeding. The collected information indicates that white cabbage has been used in folk medicine in many ways, and its various applications should not escape the attention of modern medicine.

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