I love beetroot, they're so tasty and they were even used a treatment for some ailments in the Middle Ages!
What's beetroot?
Beetroot
The beetroot is the taproot portion of a beet plant, usually known in North America as the beet, and also known as the table beet, garden beet, sugar beet, red beet, or golden beet. It is one of several cultivated varieties of "Beta vulgaris" grown for their edible taproots and leaves (called beet greens); they have been classified as "B. vulgaris" subsp. "vulgaris" 'Conditiva' Group.
Besides being used as a food, beets have uses as a
a wide variety of ailments. Ancient Romans used beetroot as a treatment for fevers and constipation, amongst other ailments. Apicius in "De re coquinaria" gives five recipes for soups to be given as a laxative, three of which feature the root of beet. Platina recommended taking beetroot with garlic to nullify the effects of 'garlic-breath'.
Beet greens and Swiss chard are both considered high oxalate foods which are implicated in the formation of kidney stones.
Uses Phytochemicals and research.
Betaine and betalain, two