Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E
Horseradish
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Latin Name: Armoracia rusticana
Pharmacopeial Name: Armoraciae rusticanae radix
Other Names: n/a
Overview
Horseradish is a perennial plant native to southeastern Europe and western Asia, now naturalized in North America (Budavari, 1996; Grieve, 1979; Lust, 1974). It was brought westward to North America by colonists (Mills, 1985). Today, horseradish is one of Germany's most important domestically cultivated medicinal plant and spice crops (Lange and Schippmann, 1997). Horseradish has been used traditionally to treat both bronchial and urinary infections, joint and tissue inflammation, and swelling (Mills, 1985). It has been cultivated since ancient times. Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (ca. 2379 C.E.) described a plant by the name of Amoracia, which was probably horseradish (Grieve, 1979). In his book The Herball (1597), Elizabethan herbalist John Gerard referred to horseradish as Raphanus rusticanus and reported on its culinary and therapeutic uses (Bown, 1995; Grieve, 1979). Nicholas Culpepper, the seventeenth century English herbalist, reported its use as a poultice for local application to treat sciatica, gout, joint-aches, and hard swellings. In the eighteenth century, it entered the London Pharmacopoeia as R. rusticanus. Linnaeus later renamed it Cochlearia armoracia (Grieve, 1979). In Germany, horseradish root is approved in the Commission E monographs for treatment of infections of the respiratory tract and as supportive treatment in urinary tract infections. In the United States, horseradish root is the active ingredient of Rasapen, a urinary antiseptic drug (Budavari, 1996). It is listed as generally recognized as safe (GRAS) in the FDA's Code of Federal Regulations. It has also been used somewhat in North American aboriginal medicine. The Cherokee people use it as a urinary aid for gravel, as a diuretic, as a gastrointestinal aid to improve digestion, and as a respiratory aid to treat asthma (Moerman, 1998). Although there are no recent modern human clinical studies, some older German studies investigated its effect on non-specific urinary tract infections (Schindler et al., 1960) and the antibacterial action of its essential oils (Kienholz and Kemkes, 1960). One animal study determined that its therapeutic activity was due mostly to its peroxidase enzymes, which act by triggering arachidonic acid metabolites. Intravenous administration of horseradish peroxidase to cats produced a significant hypotensive effect (Sjaastad et al., 1984). Horseradish peroxidase also serves as a catalyst of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) peroxidation (Natella et al., 1998). The approved modern therapeutic applications for horseradish are based on its long history of use in well established systems of traditional medicine, pharmacological studies in animals, and on its well documented chemical composition. A pharmacopeial grade horseradish root has not been defined at this time.
Description
Horseradish consists of the fresh or dried roots of Armoracia rusticana Ph. Gaertner, B. Meyer et Scherbius (syn. Cochlearia armoracia L.) [Fam. Brassicaceae], and their preparations in effective dosage. The root contains mustard oil and mustard oil glycosides.
Chemistry and Pharmacology
Horseradish root contains volatile oils: glucosinolates (mustard oil glycosides) gluconasturtiin and sinigrin (S-glucosides), which yield allyl isothiocyanate on hydrolysis with peroxidase or myrosinase (Budavari, 1996; Hansen, 1974; Newall et al., 1996); coumarins (aesculetin and scopoletin); phenolic acids, including caffeic acid derivatives and hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives (Newall et al., 1996; Stoehr and Herrman, 1975); ascorbic acid; asparagin; resin; and peroxidase enzymes (Budavari, 1996; Karnick, 1994; Newall et al., 1996). The Commission E reported antimicrobial and hyperemic activity.
Uses
The Commission E approved the internal use of horseradish for catarrhs of the respiratory tract and supportive therapy for infections of the urinary tract. It was approved externally for catarrhs of the respiratory tract and hyperemic treatment for minor muscle aches.
Contraindications
Internal: Stomach and intestinal ulcers, kidney disorders. No administration to children under the age of 4.
Side Effects
Internal: Discomforts of the gastrointestinal tract.
Use During Pregnancy and Lactation
Not recommended during pregnancy and lactation.
Interactions with Other Drugs
None known.
Dosage and Administration
Unless otherwise prescribed: 20 g per day of fresh or dried, cut or ground root, freshly pressed juice as well as other equivalent galenical preparations for internal use. External: Preparations with a maximum of 2% mustard oil. Internal: Fresh root: 2-4 g before meals (Mills, 1985; Newall et al., 1996). Infusion: Steep 2 g in 150 ml boiled water for 5 minutes, several times daily (Hoffmann, 1992). Succus: Fresh pressed juice from 20 g. Syrup: First prepare a concentrated infusion by steeping 2 g root in 150 ml boiled water in a covered cup for two hours. Strain and add an equal amount of sugar (150 g) to liquid (150 ml) to thicken (Cowper, 1996; Lust, 1974). External: Poultice: Grate the fresh root and spread it onto a linen cloth or thin gauze. Apply locally with cloth against the skin, until a burning sensation is experienced (Hoffmann, 1992; Lust, 1974).
References
Bown, D. 1995. Encyclopedia of Herbs and Their Uses. New York: DK Publishing, Inc. 242. Budavari, S. (ed.). 1996. The Merck Index: An Encyclopedia of Chemicals, Drugs, and Biologicals, 12th ed. Whitehouse Station, N.J.: Merck & Co, Inc. 812. Cowper, A.B. 1996. Manufacturing Handbook for Herbal Medicines. Morisset, Australia: Anne B. Cowper. 21. Grieve, M. 1979. A Modern Herbal. New York: Dover Publications, Inc. Hansen, H. 1974. Content of glucosinolates in horseradish (Armoracia rusticana). Tidsskr Planteavl 73:408410. Hoffmann, D. 1992. The New Holistic Herbal. Rockport, MA: Element Books Limited. 163, 207. Karnick, C.R. 1994. Pharmacopoeial Standards of Herbal Plants, Vol. 2. Delhi: Sri Satguru Publications. 69. Kienholz, N. and B. Kemkes. 1960. [The antibacterial action of ethereal oils from horseradish root (Cochlearia armoracia L.)] [In German]. Arzeneimforsch 10:917918. Lange, D. and U. Schippmann. 1997. Trade Survey of Medicinal Plants in GermanyA Contribution to International Plant Species Conservation. Bonn: Bundesamt f r Naturschutz. 3234. Lust, J.B. 1974. The Herb Book. New York: Bantam Books. 4041, 233. Mills, S.Y. 1985. The Dictionary of Modern Herbalism. Wellingborough: Thorsons. Moerman, D.E. 1998. Native American Ethnobotany. Portland, OR: Timber Press. 92. Natella, F. et al. 1998. Oxidative modification of human low-density lipoprotein by horseradish peroxidase in the absence of hydrogen peroxide. Free Radic Res 29(5):427434. Newall, C.A., L.A. Anderson, J.D. Phillipson. 1996. Herbal Medicines: A Guide for Health-Care Professionals. London: The Pharmaceutical Press. Schindler, E.H. Zipp, I. Marth. 1960. [Comparative clinical studies on non-specific urinary tract infections with an enzyme-glycoside mixture obtained from horseradish roots (Cochlearia armoracia L.)] [In German]. Arzeneimforsch 10:919-921. Sjaastad, O.V., A.K. Blom, R. Haye. 1984. Hypotensive effects in cats caused by horseradish peroxidase mediated by metabolites of arachidonic acid. J Histochem Cytochem 32(12):13281330. Stoehr, H. and K. Herrman. 1975. Phenolic acids of vegetables. III. Hydroxycinnamic acids and hydroxybenzoic acids of root vegetables. Z Lebensm-Unters Forsh 159:219224.
Additional Resources
Flocco, C.G., M.A. Alvarez, A.M. Giulietti. 1998. Peroxidase production in vitro by Armoracia lapathifolia (horseradish)-transformed root cultures: effect of elicitation on level and profile of isoenzymes. Biotechnol Appl Biochem 28(1):3338. Foster, S. 1993. Herbal Renaissance: Growing, Using and Understanding Herbs in the Modern World. Salt Lake City: Gibbs-Smith. Mabey, R. (ed.). 1988. The Complete New Herbal. London: Elm Tree Books. Tisserand, R. and T. Balacs. 1995. Essential Oil Safety. Edinburgh: Churchill Livingstone. van der Want, J.J. et al. 1997. Tract-tracing in the nervous system of vertebrates using horseradish peroxidase and its conjugates: tracers, chromogens and stabilization for light and electron microscopy. Brain Res Brain Res Protoc 1(3):269279. Wren, R.C. 1988. Potter's New Cyclopaedia of Botanical Drugs and Preparations. Essex: The C.W. Daniel Company Ltd. This material was adapted from The Complete German Commission E MonographsTherapeutic Guide to Herbal Medicines. M. Blumenthal, W.R. Busse, A. Goldberg, J. Gruenwald, T. Hall, C.W. Riggins, R.S. Rister (eds.) S. Klein and R.S. Rister (trans.). 1998. Austin: American Botanical Council; Boston: Integrative Medicine Communications.
1) The Overview section is new information. 2) Description, Chemistry and Pharmacology, Uses, Contraindications, Side Effects, Interactions with Other Drugs, and Dosage sections have been drawn from the original work. Additional information has been added in some or all of these sections, as noted with references. 3) The dosage for equivalent preparations (tea infusion, fluidextract, and tincture) have been provided based on the following example: - Unless otherwise prescribed: 2 g per day of [powdered, crushed, cut or whole] [plant part]
- Infusion: 2 g in 150 ml of water
- Fluidextract 1:1 (g/ml): 2 ml
- Tincture 1:5 (g/ml): 10 ml
4) The References and Additional Resources sections are new sections. Additional Resources are not cited in the monograph but are included for research purposes. This monograph, published by the Commission E in 1994, was modified based on new scientific research. It contains more extensive pharmacological and therapeutic information taken directly from the Commission E.
Excerpt from Herbal Medicine: Expanded Commission E Monographs
Copyright 2000 American Botanical Council
Published by Integrative Medicine Communications
Available from the American Botanical Council.
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