LEAFY vegetables, their stems, roots and fruits occupy a significant importance in our daily diet. Their use as they provide roughage is also emphasised by doctors and ‘hakeems’ and other health conscious people. The secret of long life and keeping sound health is often attributed to greater consumption of vegetables and meat in moderation. Vegetables like carrots, turnip, sugar-beet and radish are more beneficial than other leafy vegetables.

Radish, popularly known in Urdu as `mooli’, is actually a root crop. Its botanical name is Raphanus sativus. It belongs to the family Cruciferae, which includes oil-yielding crops like mustard, taramira and toria etc, vegetables like cauliflowers, cabbage, turnip, some ornamental plants and some troublesome weeds. Radish is grown throughout the world and is eaten both as raw or cooked and pickled.

The July-January sown crop in the Punjab is harvested in September–March. The October–November sown crop in Sindh is harvested in December–January. The crop takes about three months to mature. In hilly tracts the crop is sown from February 15 to April 30 and July 15 to August 30.

Radish leaves are deeply lobed, and broad at the end. The leaves are spread in a rosette. The pods are small and indehiscent, 1-2 inches long and even longer tapering into a pointed beak. The pods are relished raw and are also cooked in more than one way. The radish leaves, roots and seeds contain a compound `allyl - isothiocynte’ which is mostly responsible for its hot taste.

Radish varies in size, shape and colour. It is smooth, milky white and elongated (10 to 12 inches). Others are small, oblong, globular and red-skinned and are mostly used to garnish ‘salad’ tables in hotels or functions where food is served. Radish pickled in vinegar is eaten by our people with great gusto. Radish is stuffed to make mouth-watering `parathas’ in every home of our society.

Radish helps in digestion of the other food, but itself takes time to assimilate. It contains very little of fat and does not allow to enhance cholesterol, provides protein, carbohydrates, calcium, phosphorus, iron and vitamins C, B and E. It also contains sodium, magnesium, and potash. Due to its hordes of health benefits, radish salt is one of the ingredients of stomach powders given by ‘hakeems’ to their patients.

Radish juice is recommended in internal, external ailments, and skin diseases. It helps to treat the urinary disorders, syphilitic problems and piles. It is beneficial in liver complaints and acts as a laxative, expectorant and relives in hoarseness of throat. It removes stones formed in the urinary tracts. It is stimulating, lithotriptic and emmenagogue.

Radish grows with equal success in hilly tracts as well as in plains. It can be easily grown in backyards or kitchen gardens where a bit fertile soil is available with good drainage and free from weedy growth. It can be worked into small beds and sown both on ridges or flat beds. Being inexpensive, it is consumed both by the rich and the poor for its known health benefits.

Some locally improved, high yielding, short-duration and better in taste are under cultivation in Punjab and Sindh.

Japanese and the Chinese varieties are under cultivation in some parts of the country which give as much eight to ten tones yield per hectare. These varieties are better in taste and are becoming popular with progressive growers in Punjab, Sindh and other hilly areas of the country with considerable success.