Asparagus: Spring's Super Food
/Healthy cell builder, hypertension reducer and hangover cure—this harbinger of spring is a 5,000 year old super food. Known to be cultivated by the Egyptians, the Greeks and Romans also prized asparagus for its health benefits. One of the earliest surviving cookbooks, from the third century, includes an asparagus recipe. What does science prove now that they knew then? Fire up your steamers, and read on:
- Asparagus racemosus, from India and the Himalayans, has been used as a medicinal plant for centuries in Ayurvedic practice. It wasn’t until the 15th century that Western Europe began taking note and using asparagus. It finally arrived in the United States around 1850.
- Asparagus is high in Vitamin C, contributing to the development of collagen for healthy cells and skin. It also contains a potent antioxidant called glutathione, which with asparagus’ Vitamin A, potassium and folate, renders strong anti-aging properties and fights cancer causing free radicals.
Asparagus is an excellent source of potassium, which neutralizes sodium, thus reducing the risk of hypertension. The high levels of B vitamins in asparagus have been shown to regulate both blood pressure and blood sugar, while a combination of folate and B12 contributes to improved cognitive ability and regulation of embryonic nerve cell development for healthy babies.
And, yes, recent studies in Asia have found that asparagus promotes production of an enzyme that breaks down alcohol, so it may even be an effective treatment for hangovers.
Of the nearly 300 types of asparagus recorded, only 20 are edible, and virtually the only commercially grown and most popular variety is Asparagus officionalis. In addition, all asparagus--with the exception of a genetically modified purple variety--is green. White asparagus is also Asparagus officionalis, but the new shoots are immediately covered with soil to stop photosynthesis, which produces green chlorophyll.
It is a good companion plant to tomatoes. Tomato plants naturally repel asparagus beetles, and asparagus plants repel some root nematodes that affect tomato plants.
Most of the asparagus in the stores and at markets is probably from middle aged plants, 6 or 7 years old. Asparagus plants are generally harvested for up to 15 years but have been known to live and produce to 30 years.
