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Raphanus sativus niger
| Common name: |
Oriental Radish |
Family: |
Cruciferae |
| Author: |
J.Kern. |
Botanical references: |
200 |
| Synonyms: |
|
| Known Hazards: |
The Japanese radishes have higher concentrations of glucosinolate, a substance that acts against the thyroid gland. It is probably best to remove the skin[160]. |
| Range: |
A plant of cultivation. the origin of which is obscure. It probably arose through cultivation. |
| Habitat: |
Not known in the wild. |
| Edibility Rating (1-5): |
3 | Medicinal Rating (1-5): | 3 |
| Other Possible Synonyms: | From various places across the web, may not be correct. See below. |
| R. sativus var. longipinnatus[G]
R. sativus var. niger[G,H]
|
| Epithets: | From a Dictionary of Botanical Epithets |
|
niger = black
sativus = cultivated
|
| Systematics: | From a USDA Plants Database |
|
Order: Capparales. Renamed to Brassicaceae -- Mustard family
|
Physical Characteristics
Annual growing to 0.45m by 0.2m at a fast rate. It is not frost tender. It is in flower from June to August, and the seeds ripen from July to September. The flowers are hermaphrodite (have both male and female organs) and are pollinated by Bees and flies.
We rate it 3/5 for edibility and
3/5 for medicinal use.
The plant prefers light (sandy), medium (loamy) and heavy (clay) soils.
The plant prefers neutral and basic (alkaline) soils.
It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade.
It requires moist soil.
Edible Uses
Flowers
Leaves Oil Root Seed Seedpod.
Young leaves - raw or cooked[37, 52, 104, 183]. A somewhat hot taste,
and the texture is somewhat coarse[K]. As long as they are young, they make
an acceptable addition in small quantities to chopped salads and are a
reasonable cooked green[K]. A nutritional analysis is available[218].
Young flower clusters - raw or cooked[183]. A spicy flavour with a crisp
pleasant texture, they make a nice addition to salads or can be used as a
broccoli substitute[9, K].
Seeds - raw. The seed can be soaked for 12 hours in warm water and then
allowed to sprout for about 6 days[244]. They have a hot spicy flavour and go
well in salads[183, 244].
Young seedpods - raw[2, 37, 52, 104]. Crisp and juicy with a mildly hot
flavour[K]. They must be eaten when young because they quickly become tough
and fibrous[183].
Root - raw or cooked[2, 37, 52]. Large, crisp and juicy, many varieties have
a hot and spicy flavour, though there are also many of the Oriental forms
with much milder flavours. They can be sliced and eaten in salads or can be
cooked in soups etc. The roots store well and can be either harvested in
early winter for storage or be harvested as required through the winter[K].
An edible oil is obtained from the seed[2, 183].
Medicinal Uses
Disclaimer
Anthelmintic
Antibacterial Antifungal Antiscorbutic Antispasmodic Astringent Cancer Carminative Cholagogue Digestive Diuretic Expectorant Laxative Poultice Stomachic.
Radishes have long been grown as a food crop, but they also have
various medicinal actions. The roots stimulate the appetite and digestion,
having a tonic and laxative effect upon the intestines and indirectly
stimulating the flow of bile[254]. Consuming radish generally results in
improved digestion, but some people are sensitive to its acridity and robust
action[254].
The plant is used in the treatment of intestinal parasites, though the part
of the plant used is not specified[147].
The leaves, seeds and old roots are used in the treatment of asthma and
other chest complaints[218].
The juice of the fresh leaves is diuretic and laxative[240].
The seed is carminative, diuretic, expectorant, laxative and stomachic[176,
218, 240]. It is taken internally in the treatment of indigestion, abdominal
bloating, wind, acid regurgitation, diarrhoea and bronchitis[238].
The root is antiscorbutic, antispasmodic, astringent, cholagogue, digestive
and diuretic[21, 218]. It is crushed and used as a poultice for burns,
bruises and smelly feet[218]. Radishes are also an excellent food remedy for
stone, gravel and scorbutic conditions[4]. The root is best harvested before
the plant flowers[21]. Its use is not recommended if the stomach or
intestines are inflamed[21].
The plant contains raphanin, which is antibacterial and antifungal[218,
238]. It inhibits the growth of Staphylococcus aureus, E. coli, streptococci,
Pneumococci etc[176]. The plant also shows anti-tumour activity[218].
Other Uses
Green manure Repellent.
The growing plant repels beetles from tomatoes and cucumbers[20, 201].
It is also useful for repelling various other insect pests such as carrot
root fly[201].
There is a fodder variety that grows more vigorously and is used as a green
manure[87].
Cultivation details
Prefers a rich soil with ample moisture[16, 52]. Dislikes very heavy or
acid soils[16, 37]. Some of the Oriental radish cultivars have been selected
for growing in clay soils, the swollen part of the root is formed on the soil
surface[206]. Plants are susceptible to drought and require irrigation during
dry spells in the summer or the root quality will rapidly deteriorate and the
plant will go to seed.
The Oriental and winter radishes are often cultivated for their large edible
roots, which can be available from mid summer and all through the winter.
There are many named varieties. The plants are very winter hardy and can
normally be left in the ground all winter to be harvested as required, though
slugs might cause some damage to the roots.
Radishes are a good companion plant for lettuces, nasturtiums, peas and
chervil, tomatoes and cucumbers[18, 20]. They are said to repel cucumber
beetles if planted near cucumber plants and they also repel the vine borers
which attack squashes, marrows and courgettes[238]. They grow badly with
hyssop[18, 20] and with grape vines[201].
Propagation
Seed - sow outdoors in situ from spring to late summer. Most cultivars
are best sown in late summer in order to provide a crop in the winter and
early spring, though there are several cultivars that can be successfully
sown in the spring to provide a summer and autumn crop.
Cultivars
- 'Tokinaski'
- A very easy and versatile variety to grow, it can be sown at any time from the spring until late summer[264].
- 'Black Spanish Round'
- A fairly large round root with a black skin and a crisp white flesh with a hot flavour. It is very winter hardy and can be left in the ground to be harvested as required.
- 'Black Spanish Long'
- A fairly large cylindrical root with a black skin and a crisp white flesh with a hot flavour. It is very winter hardy and can be left in the ground to be harvested as required.
- 'April Cross'
- A very easy variety to grow, the root can be up to 38cm long and has a crisp flesh. It can be sown in the spring as well as late summer. Spring sown crops can be harvested about 2 months after sowing the seed[264]. Autumn sown crops can be left in the ground over winter and harvested as required[264].
Suppliers
For more details of plant suppliers please see our Suppliers Page which lists many more places to look.
Web References
- Details of Medicinal Uses, Habitats, etc. in M. Grieve A Modern Herbal (1931) [4]
References for Raphanus sativus var. niger (a possible synonym).
- [H] Details of Scandanavian and European Common names in Henriette's names database
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
- [G] Data
(Common Names, Uses, Distribution) from the USDA/ARS NPGS's GRIN taxonomic database.
See the PFAF Links Pages for other sources.
Also try Photos and info from the The Plants Database which has 14,000 images.
[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.
[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.
[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.
[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.
[16] Simons. New Vegetable Growers Handbook. Penguin 1977 ISBN 0-14-046-050-0
A good guide to growing vegetables in temperate areas, not entirely organic.
[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.
[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.
[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.
[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.
[52] Larkcom. J. Salads all the Year Round. Hamlyn 1980
A good and comprehensive guide to temperate salad plants, with full organic details of cultivation.
[87] Woodward. L. Burge. P. Green Manures. Elm Farm Research Centre. 1982
Green manure crops for temperate areas. Quite a lot of information on a number of species.
[104] RHS. The Garden. Volume 111. Royal Horticultural Society 1986
Snippets of information from the magazine of the RHS, including an article in Crambe maritima and another on several species thought to be tender that are succeeding in a S. Devon garden.
[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.
[160] Natural Food Institute, Wonder Crops. 1987.
Fascinating reading, this is an annual publication. Some reports do seem somewhat exaggerated though.
[176] Yeung. Him-Che. Handbook of Chinese Herbs and Formulas. Institute of Chinese Medicine, Los Angeles 1985
A very good Chinese herbal.
[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.
[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.
[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.
[206] Larkcom J. Oriental Vegetables John Murray 1991 ISBN 0-7195-4781-4
Well written and very informative.
[218] Duke. J. A. and Ayensu. E. S. Medicinal Plants of China Reference Publications, Inc. 1985 ISBN 0-917256-20-4
Details of over 1,200 medicinal plants of China and brief details of their uses. Often includes an analysis, or at least a list of constituents. Heavy going if you are not into the subject.
[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.
[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.
[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.
[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.
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