Broccoli

by Gudrun Maybaum
Autumn 2002

Common name: Broccoli
Botanical name: Brassica Oleracea
Family name: Cruciferae

Broccoli has been around for more than 2000 years. It was first cultivated by the Rasenna, or Etruscans, who lived in what is today named Turkey and who actively traded with the Greeks, Phoenicians, Sicilians, Corsicans, and Sardinians.

Around 8 B.C. the Etruscans began migrating to Etruria, known today as Tuscany, Italy. And so broccoli spread over the southern Mediterranean area.

According to Pliny, the Roman naturalist and write, the Romans took to broccoli very quickly. Supposedly, the son of the Roman emperor Tiberius loved it so much that he ate it exclusively until his urine turned green.

When Catherine de Medici married King Henry II in 1533, she took not only her chefs but also a variety of vegetables, including broccoli, with her and introduced them to France. From there, it found its way throughout the rest of Europe.

In the United States, broccoli was first mentioned in a book called A Treatise on Gardening by a Citizen of Virginia, written by John Randolph in 1775. Thomas Jefferson mentioned in his garden diary in 1767 that he planted broccoli. Many Italian immigrants planted it in their backyards. It was not grown commercially in the U.S. until 1920.

Broccoli is a vegetable with one of the highest known nutritional contents. It has about 3 times as much vitamin C as oranges. Even cooked, it has more vitamin C than raw oranges. It contains about the same amount of calcium as milk and it is rich in antioxidants, beta carotene, folic acid, potassium and about 30 types of phytochemicals. One serving of broccoli provides 25% of the vitamin A and 15% of the daily amount of potassium needed by humans.

Almost a decade ago the John Hopkins University School of Medicine isolated a compound called sulforaphane from broccoli. Today sulforaphane is one of the most researched phytochemicals. First, it was found to be an anti-cancer remedy. In later research, it was found to be highly effective in defending cells for two to three days against toxic molecules. Sulforaphane's anti-cancer and anti-oxidant derive from its ability to let cells create detoxifying enzymes that neutralize cancer-causing chemicals and free radicals. Sulforaphane also protects against cancer by blocking certain chemicals from becoming carcinogens.

In later studies, researchers found that sulforaphane even killed bacteria that are resistant to a number of antibiotics. Tests with helicobacter pylori, an antibiotic-resistant bacteria that causes stomach ulcers and cancer, show that sulforaphane will kill the bacteria even when already in the cells.

Sulforaphane is found in the whole broccoli plant, but is especially concentrated in 3-day-old broccoli sprouts.

Though broccoli is a cold-season vegetable, it can be found in most stores year round. It is best stored in a plastic bag in the refrigerator and should be used within 3 days after purchase. To grow well, broccoli needs a well-drained, moist soil. Transplants can be started for early harvest in April and, for a fall crop, in the beginning of July. Broccoli needs some space to grow and should be set about 18 inches apart.

References:
Healing Foods by Miriam Polunin
Medical Value of Natural Foods by W.H.Graves, M.D.
http://www.vegparadise.com/highestperch44.html
http://www.suite101.com/article.cfm/natural_remedy/37229
http://www.klikka.net/klikkaweb.nsf/Health/
ACA7BE5140E969B7C1256BC8002A954C
http://www.azcc.arizona.edu/nutrition/food-boosters/broccoli-sprouts.htm
http://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/press/2001/DECEMBER/011218A.htm