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Cabbage, Brassica oleracea var. capitata. Botanical plate: 147 of 'The History of Progress in Great Britain ... With ... illustrations by William New
Plate: 147 of 'The History of Progress in Great Britain ... With ... illustrations by William New. The British Library. No restrictions.

Cabbage

Brassica oleracea var. capitata

Vegetables. Folk & home remedies and Modern nutrition.

Also called Green cabbage, Red cabbage, Coleslaw cabbage, Cabbage juice

Pinyin: Juǎn Xīn Cài

Spanish: Repollo

A round leafy vegetable eaten raw in slaw or cooked, and fermented into sauerkraut and kimchi.

Did you know? Cabbage leaves were used as cold wraps on sore breasts in old European folk care, and a few small studies have tested this idea.

What it may help, and how strong the proof is

  • Heart health. Diets rich in cabbage-family vegetables are linked to lower heart disease in large studies.
    Early proof
  • Digestion & gut health. Cabbage juice is a folk remedy for stomach ulcers. Modern proof is weak.
    Traditional proof
  • Women's health. Small studies of cabbage leaves on swollen breasts in nursing mothers gave mixed results.
    Traditional proof

Parts of the body

Gut & intestines, Stomach, Hormones & reproduction, Heart & vessels

Traditional use

Folk healers used cabbage leaves as wraps for bruises, swelling and sore breasts. Cabbage juice was a folk drink for stomach ulcers.

How it is classified

Herbal actions
Nutritive, Anti-inflammatory. Energy: neutral.

How people take it

Eat raw as slaw or cook it. Some people drink cabbage juice, but no dose is proven for any health goal.

Food and juice.

Where to get it

Grown in cool seasons worldwide. Sold fresh (green, red and Savoy) and fermented as sauerkraut and kimchi. Fermented cabbage is very salty.

Be careful

Safe as food for most people, though raw cabbage can cause gas and bloating. Large amounts of raw cabbage can slow the thyroid in people short of iodine. Fermented cabbage is high in salt, so watch sodium if you have high blood pressure.

Mixing with other things

  • Works well together

    Garlic is a key flavor in kimchi, a fermented cabbage dish from Korea.

  • Works well together

    Ginger is another key kimchi flavor, along with garlic.

  • Worth knowing
    Blood thinners (warfarin, Eliquis, Xarelto, Plavix, daily aspirin)

    Vitamin K in cabbage can lower warfarin's effect.

  • Worth knowing
    Thyroid medicine (levothyroxine (Synthroid))

    Large amounts of raw cabbage may slow the thyroid in people low in iodine.

The honest take

Cabbage is a healthy food. Its folk uses for ulcers and breast swelling have weak proof, so do not rely on them. Most of the health evidence comes from vegetables in general, not from cabbage juice.