Daikon (the term "daikhon" is also often used) is a large root vegetable, shaped like a carrot, only white. The largest daikon specimens, with good care, can reach almost 50 centimeters in length and weigh more than 5 kilograms.
Daikon is a garden plant that originated in Japan. Therefore, this root vegetable is informally called Japanese radish. It really tastes like a radish, only without bitterness. Daikon is well stored, it is used for food fresh, boiled and salted, the plant can be used for making salads. This root vegetable is often used in Japanese cuisine, for example, when cooking pork or veal. Grated daikon is used as a side dish for fried fish.
This is a very useful plant. Daikon contains a lot of vitamin C, as well as a number of B vitamins and provitamin A. This vegetable is rich in such essential trace elements as calcium, magnesium, iron, phosphorus. It also contains other biologically active substances, thanks to which daikon has the ability to cleanse the liver and kidneys. For example, with regular use, kidney stones can dissolve. Of all the known vegetable plants, except daikon, only radish and horseradish have this ability, but they contain many mustard oils, which not only give them a bitter taste, but also irritate the mucous membrane of the digestive system.
Therefore, radish and horseradish are contraindicated in some people, especially the elderly. Daikon is devoid of this drawback.
Among the biologically active substances contained in daikon, there are phytoncides, which have a detrimental effect on pathogens and help prevent infectious diseases. Daikon is used in oriental folk medicine as an antiseptic and bactericidal agent for various diseases. This plant also helps to eliminate excess cholesterol from the body, so its regular consumption helps in the prevention and treatment of atherosclerosis and some other cardiovascular diseases. This root vegetable is used as a diuretic, sedative. It also has antibacterial and antiviral properties; the root of this plant is often used as a hangover cure.
Due to the content of esters of isorodanic (isothiocyanic) acid, daikon can be considered an effective means of preventing cancer.
Finally, daikon is a low-calorie product. 100 grams of this root vegetable contains only 21 kilocalories. In addition, the daikon is very rich in fiber, which is slowly digested, while creating a feeling of satiety. Therefore, "Japanese radish" is simply irreplaceable for those people who want to get rid of extra pounds.
Summing up everything that has been said, we can conclude: daikon is a very useful plant. However, for people with serious problems with the gastrointestinal tract, it is better not to eat this root vegetable, precisely because of its high fiber content. After all, then the use of daikon can bring not benefit, but harm. In any case, if you have problems with the gastrointestinal tract, you should consult your doctor.
