Spinach

Botanically it is called Spinacia oleracea of the Goosefoot family (Chemopocliaceae), a leafy annual used as a vegetable. The edible leaves are arranged in a rosette from which a seedstock subsequently emerges. The leaves are somewhat triangular and may be flat or puckered. Spinach requires cool weather and deep, rich, well-lined soil to give quick growth and maximum leaf area. Seeds can be sown every two weeks in early winter in rows 12 inches apart; the plantlets being thinned in a row. The last sowing produces young plants that yield a crop.

Widely grown in Northern U.S., India and other parts of the world, spinach is marketed fresh, canned and frozen. It has a high content of iron, vitamins A, B, C, E, and K. Spinach is served as salad green and as a cooked vegetable. In classical cuisine, spinach is made into various soups, souffles and mousses and is used as an ingredient in various prepared dishes.

The fresh leaves are an excellent source of vitamin C, iron, calcium and phosphorus. As such, the leaves are valuable in cases of pernicious anaemia, low vitality, sterility, impotency, neuralgia, tired nerves and nervous debility. It is a nervine tonic.

Spinach is good for those who are in need of iron, taking spinach leaf juice either raw or by cooking as stew or soups. Spinach leaf juice is good for sore throat to be used as gargle. It is specially useful for pregnant women who need large amount of iron for health of the baby inside. You will find that doctors usually prescribe ferrous sulphate (iron salt) in time of pregnancy.

'The natural system for curing disease is based on a return to Nature in regulating the diet, breathing, exercising, bathing and the employment of various other natural forces to eliminate the poisonous substances in the system and so raise the vitality and health of the patient'.- Dr. John B. Lust.

Benefit and uses of Spinach.

• Spinach has only 13 calories per serving and packs a punch for Vitamin A as well as folic Acid and is rich in carotenoids and antioxidants.
• Spinach is a rich source of insoluble fiber. This insoluble fiber, found in some vegetables and found in abundance in spinach, has long been associated with protecting the heart from damage.
• Spinach has also shown promise in reducing the risk of many types of cancer, including such killers as lung cancer. The presence of high levels of vitamin K has long been associated with a reduced risk of cancer, and spinach is one of the best sources of vitamin K available.
• Spinach also contains beta-carotene, iron, Vitamin B6, calcium, magnesium and is a source of thiamin.
• Spinach provides an excellent source of both Vitamin A and folacin, and a source of fibre, sulfur, potassium and Vitamin C.
• Spinach is versatile, and it can be used in a wide variety of recipes, from soups to salads, from side dishes to main courses.
• The magnesium content of spinach may help to lower high blood pressure.
• Spinach is a rich source of iron. In reality, a 60-gm serving of boiled spinach contains around 1.9 mg of iron. A good many green vegetables contain less than 1 mg of iron for an equivalent serving. Hence, spinach does contain a relatively high level of iron.