TCM Basics 101: Supermarket Herbs - Brussel Sprout
TCM Nature: Warming
TCM Taste: Sweet, Pungent
TCM Meridian Affinity: Liver, Stomach
Benefits:
· Expels cold
· Balances coolness of body
· Enhances digestion
· Nourishes Spleen
· Protects against cancers of the stomach, lungs, kidney, breast, bladder, and prostate
· Reduces inflammation
· Improves eyesight
· Helps alleviates and prevents high blood pressure, high cholesterol, heart disease and diabetes
Spirituality:
Brussel sprouts are symbols of prosperity and endurance. In some cultures, their sturdy stalks and bountiful yield are seen as a metaphor for abundance. Each sprout, like a tiny globe, can represent potential and new beginnings.
In Medieval times, it was believed that evil spirits and demons lived between the leaves of the vegetable, and they would enter anyone who ate them, making them ill. A cross cut into the base of the sprouts was thought to drive the evil spirits away.
