Beta vulgaris or the beet is a plant in the amaranth family with the most recognizable being the red beet. The beet is also an old world plant and varieties of it have grown wild all over China, India, and the Mediterranean.
The beet’s medicinal properties are the following: asthenia or weakness, functioning of the liver, antibiotic, lessen cholesterol, and blood pressure.
According to the Tramil database during a controlled clinical trial 20 patients between the ages of 54-50 were administered 120 ml of beet juice for one month and at the end of the trial were shown to have lowered blood pressure and the hemoglobin count, count of leukocytes, and uric acid were shown to be below average levels compared to the group who was only administered syrup.
A breakdown of the beet shows the nutrients to be within the root, leaves and every part of the beet contains oxalic acid, which is a reducing agent thus its effects are more understandable. The most effective form is the juice. The juice is said to stimulate cellular respiration, metabolism, and normalizes liver function as the study on rats indicated.
The beet’s venture into the Caribbean can be attributed to sugar. Well before the 19th century sugarcane was a cash crop and during this century a German scientist had discovered the sugar beet, from which sugar could be extracted, thus it provides an alternative to the sugarcane. So it’s possible cultivation in the Caribbean could be related. Cultivation of cash crops such as the beet leads to a greater understanding of the plants by the slaves, who worked with the cash crops such as Macandal in The Kingdom of This World, “To his surprise he discovered the secret life of strange species given to disguise, confusion, and camouflage, protectors of the little armored beings that avoid the pathways of the ants” (17).
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