ABSTRACT
Firm-leafed Brassica vegetable that may be consumed raw, cooked, or pickled and fermented to make sauerkraut (white or red cabbage) or kimchee (napa cabbage). Both white cabbage (pale green in color) and red cabbage (magenta and white in color) are good sources of vitamin C and vitamin K, and all members of the Brassica genus contain glucosinolates and antioxidants; additionally, red cabbage is a good source of vitamin A.1,2 In traditional medicine, cabbage juice has been used to treat peptic ulcer.3,4
An experimental study found that cabbage juice extract signicantly inhibited gastric ulcer formation in different animal models due to its ability to stimulate the synthesis of mucus, increase pH, and decrease hydrogen ions in the stomach.4 Brassinin in cabbage exerted chemopreventive properties during the initiation and promotion phases of carcinogenesis in a laboratory study.5 In a case-control study (n = 697 newly diagnosed bladder cancer cases compared to n = 708 healthy controls matched to cases by age, gender, and ethnicity), median isothiocyanate (ITC) intake from cabbage family vegetables containing ITCs was lower in bladder cancer cases compared to healthy controls. Median ITC intake was statistically signicantly lower in bladder cancer cases (1.41½-cup servings of cabbage family vegetables) than in healthy controls (who consumed 1.76½-cup servings of cabbage family vegetables). Controls’ intake was signicant for including cole slaw (from green and red cabbage) and sauerkraut.6
