Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous Vegetables

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Cruciferous vegetables

Edible plants in the family Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae or Cruciferae, also known as the crucifers, the mustard family or cabbage family is a Family of flowering plants ....
(also called Cruciferae) are termed Cruciferous vegetables. For a botanical description of plants in this family (whether or not used for food), see Brassicaceae
Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae or Cruciferae, also known as the crucifers, the mustard family or cabbage family is a Family of flowering plants ....
. Ten of the most common vegetables eaten by people are in a single species

Species

In biology, a species is one of the basic units of biological classification and a taxonomic rank. A species is often defined as a group of organisms capable of interbreeding and producing fertile offspring....
(B. oleracea
Brassica oleracea

Brassica oleracea or Wild Mustard, is a species of Brassica native to coastal southern and western Europe, where its tolerance of sodium chloride and calcium carbonate and its intolerance of competition from other plants typically restrict its natural occurrence to limestone sea cliffs....
), and are not distinguished from one another taxonomically

Taxonomy

Taxonomy is the practice and science of classification. The word comes from the Greek language ', taxis and ', nomos .Taxonomies, or taxonomic schemes, are composed of taxonomic units known as taxa , or kinds of things that are arranged frequently in a hierarchical structure....
, but only by the horticultural category of cultivar group

Cultivar group

Under the botanical nomenclature of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants , a cultivar group is any gathering of cultivars designated by common traits....
s.

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Edible plants in the family Brassicaceae

Brassicaceae

Species

Taxonomy

Cultivar group

Under the botanical nomenclature of the International Code of Nomenclature for Cultivated Plants , a cultivar group is any gathering of cultivars designated by common traits....
s. Numerous other genera

Genus

A genus is a low-level taxonomic rank used in the classification of living and fossil organisms. The taxonomic ranks are domain , kingdom , phylum, class , order , family , genus, and species....
and species in the family are also edible. Cruciferous vegetables are one of the dominant food crops worldwide. Widely considered to be healthful foods, they are high in vitamin C

Vitamin C

Vitamin C or ascorbic acid is an essential nutrient for humans, a large number of simian species, a small number of other mammalian species , a few species of birds, and some fish....
and soluble fibre

Dietary fiber

Dietary fiber, sometimes called "roughage", is the indigestible portion of plant foods that pushes food through the digestive system, absorbing water and easing defecation....
and contain multiple nutrient

Nutrient

A nutrient is a chemical that an organism needs to live and grow or a substance used in an organism's metabolism which must be taken in from its environment....
s with potent anti-cancer properties: diindolylmethane, sulforaphane

Sulforaphane

Sulforaphane is an anticancer, antidiabetic, and antimicrobial compound that can be obtained by eating cruciferous vegetables such as brussel sprouts, broccoli, cabbage, cauliflower, bok choy, kale, collards, broccoli sprouts, chinese broccoli, broccoli raab, kohlrabi, Mustard plant, turnip, radish, Eruca sativa, and watercress....
and selenium

Selenium

Selenium is a chemical element with the atomic number 34, represented by the chemical symbol Se, an atomic mass of 78.96. It is a nonmetal, chemically related to sulfur and tellurium, and rarely occurs in its elemental state in nature....
. Both diindolylmethane, sulforaphane, and many other sharp-tasting substances in these vegetables are produced from substances called glucosinolates.

Researchers at the University of California, Berkeley

University of California, Berkeley

The University of California, Berkeley is a public university research university located in Berkeley, California, California, United States. The oldest of the ten major campuses affiliated with the University of California, Berkeley offers some 300 undergraduate and graduate degree programs in a wide range of disciplines....
, have discovered that 3,3'-Diindolylmethane

3,3'-Diindolylmethane

3,3'-Diindolylmethane or DIM is an anticarcinogen compound derived from the digestion of indole-3-carbinol, found in Brassica vegetables such as broccoli and cauliflower....
in Brassica vegetables is a strong androgen receptor antagonist in human prostate cancer cells.

Cruciferous vegetables can potentially be goitrogen

Goitrogen

Goitrogens are substances that suppress the function of the thyroid gland by interfering with iodine uptake which can, as a result, cause an enlargement of the thyroid, i.e....
ic (inducing goiter formation). They contain enzymes that interfere with the formation of thyroid hormone. Cooking for 30 minutes significantly reduces the amount of goitrogens and nitrile

Nitrile

A nitrile is any organic compound which has a -Carbon=Nitrogen functional group. The -C=N functional group is called a nitrile group....
s. At high intake of crucifers, the goitrogens inhibit the incorporation of iodine

Iodine

Iodine , is a chemical element that has the symbol I and atomic number 53. Naturally-occurring iodine is a single isotope with 74 neutrons....
into thyroid hormone

Thyroid hormone

The thyroid hormones, thyroxine and triiodothyronine , are tyrosine-based hormones produced by the thyroid gland. An important component in the synthesis of thyroid hormones is iodine....
and also the transfer of iodine

Iodine

Iodine , is a chemical element that has the symbol I and atomic number 53. Naturally-occurring iodine is a single isotope with 74 neutrons....
into milk by the mammary gland

Mammary gland

Mammary glands are the organ s that, in mammals, produce milk for the sustenance of the young. These exocrine glands are enlarged and modified sweat glands and give mammals their name....
.

Cruciferous vegetables have recently been implicated in some pharmacological drug interactions. These vegetables are powerful inducers of the microsomal cytochrome P450 enzyme CYP1A2, which is responsible for the metabolism of many pharmacological agents. By causing induction of the enzyme, it may incidentally increase the rate of phase I transformations (see pharmacokinetics
Pharmacokinetics

Pharmacokinetics is a branch of pharmacology dedicated to the determination of the fate of substances administered externally to a living organism....
) of pharmocological agents that are normally metabolized by this enzyme, expediting the process of drug metabolism. This, in turn, could produce drug plasma concentration that is less than the desired therapeutic range.

List of cruciferous vegetables

Extensive selective breeding

Selective breeding

Selective breeding in domesticated animals is the process of a Breeder developing a cultivated breed over time, and selecting qualities within individuals of the breed that will be best to pass on to the next generation....
has produced a large variety of cultivar

Cultivar

A cultivar is a cultivated plant that has been selected and given a unique name because of its decorative or useful characteristics; it is usually distinct from similar plants and when Plant propagation it retains those characteristics....
s, especially within the genus Brassica
Brassica

Brassica is a genus of plants in the mustard family . The members of the genus may be collectively known either as cabbages, or as mustards....
. One description of genetic factors involved in the breeding of Brassica species is the Triangle of U

Triangle of U

The Triangle of U is a theory about the evolution and relationships between members of the plant genus Brassica. It says that the genomes of three ancestral species of Brassica combined to create three of the common contemporary vegetables and oilseed crop species....
.

**The taxonomy of common cruciferous vegetables**
common name	genus	specific epithet	Cultivar Group
kale Kale Kale or Borecole is a form of cabbage , green in color, in which the central leaves do not form a head. It is considered to be closer to wild cabbage than most domesticated forms....	Brassica	oleracea	Acephala Group
collard greens Collard greens Collards are various loose-leafed cultivars of Brassica oleracea , the same species that produces cabbage and broccoli. The plant is grown for its large, dark-colored, greens and as a garden ornamental, mainly in Brazil, Portugal, the Southern United States, many parts of Africa, Montenegro, Spain and in Kashmir....	Brassica	oleracea	Acephala Group
Chinese broccoli (kai-lan Kai-lan Kai-lan, also known as Chinese broccoli or Chinese kale, is a slightly bitter leaf vegetable featuring thick, flat, glossy blue-green leaves with thick stems and a small number of tiny, almost vestigial flower heads similar to those of broccoli.... )	Brassica	oleracea	Alboglabra Group
cabbage Cabbage The cabbage is a leafy garden plant of the Family Brassicaceae , used as a Leaf vegetable. It is a herbaceous, biennial plant, dicotyledonous flowering plant distinguished by a short stem upon which is crowded a mass of leaves, usually green but in some varieties red or purplish, forming a characteristic compact, globular cluster ....	Brassica	oleracea	Capitata Group
brussels sprout Brussels sprout The Brussels sprout of the Brassicaceae family, is a cultivar of Brassica oleracea cultivated for its small leafy green buds, which resemble miniature cabbages....	Brassica	oleracea	Gemmifera Group
kohlrabi Kohlrabi Kohlrabi is a low, stout cultivar of the cabbage that will grow almost anywhere. It has been selected for its swollen, nearly spherical, Sputnik program-like shape....	Brassica	oleracea	Gongylodes Group
broccoli Broccoli Broccoli is a plant of the cabbage family Brassicaceae .It is classified as the Italica cultivar group of the species Brassica oleracea. Broccoli possesses abundant arboreal, luscious, fleshy, flower heads, usually green in color, arranged in a tree-like fashion on branches sprouting from a thick, edible, sturdy, meaty stalk....	Brassica	oleracea	Italica Group
broccoflower Broccoflower Broccoflower is an Eating plant of the species Brassica oleracea. The edible portion is the immature flower head of the plant. The word broccoflower is used to describe two different forms with light green heads....	Brassica	oleracea	Italica Group × Botrytis Group
broccoli romanesco Romanesco broccoli Romanesco broccoli is an Eating flower of the species Brassica oleracea and a variant form of cauliflower.Romanesco broccoli was first documented in Italy in the sixteenth century....	Brassica	oleracea	Botrytis Group / Italica Group
cauliflower Cauliflower Cauliflower is one of several vegetables in the species Brassica oleracea, in the family Brassicaceae. It is an annual plant that reproduces by seed....	Brassica	oleracea	Botrytis Group
wild broccoli Brassica oleracea *Brassica oleracea* or Wild Mustard, is a species of Brassica native to coastal southern and western Europe, where its tolerance of sodium chloride and calcium carbonate and its intolerance of competition from other plants typically restrict its natural occurrence to limestone sea cliffs....	Brassica	oleracea	Oleracea Group
bok choy Chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage , also known as snow cabbage, is a China leaf vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine. The vegetable is related to the Western cabbage, and is of the same species as the Turnip ....	Brassica	rapa	chinensis
komatsuna Komatsuna Komatsuna is a type of leaf vegetable. It is a variant of the same species as the Turnip . It is grown in Japan, Taiwan and Korea. It is also known as Japanese Mustard Spinach and can be stir-fried, pickled, boiled and added to soups or used fresh in salads....	Brassica	rapa	pervidis or komatsuna
mizuna Mizuna 'Mizuna' is a Japanese language name used primarily for cultivation Variety of Brassica rapa nipposinica but also for Brassica juncea var....	Brassica	rapa	nipposinica
Rapini Rapini Rapini is a common vegetable in Galician cuisine, Chinese cuisine, Italian cuisine, and Portuguese cuisine cuisine. The plant is a member of the Brassiceae tribe of the Brassicaceae, whose taxonomy is very difficult.... (broccoli rabe)	Brassica	rapa	parachinensis
flowering cabbage	Brassica	rapa	parachinensis
chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage , also known as snow cabbage, is a China leaf vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine. The vegetable is related to the Western cabbage, and is of the same species as the Turnip .... , napa cabbage Chinese cabbage Chinese cabbage , also known as snow cabbage, is a China leaf vegetable commonly used in Chinese cuisine. The vegetable is related to the Western cabbage, and is of the same species as the Turnip ....	Brassica	rapa	pekinensis
turnip Turnip The turnip is a root vegetable commonly grown in temperate climates worldwide for its white, bulbous taproot. Small, tender, varieties are grown for human consumption, while larger varieties are grown as fodder for livestock.... root; greens	Brassica	rapa	rapifera
rutabaga Rutabaga The rutabaga, swede , or yellow turnip is a root vegetable that originated as a cross between the cabbage and the turnip. Its leaves can also be eaten as a leaf vegetable....	Brassica	napus	napobrassica
siberian kale	Brassica	napus	pabularia
canola Canola Canola is one of two cultivars of rapeseed or Field mustard . Their seeds are used to produce edible oil that is fit for human consumption because it has lower levels of erucic acid than traditional rapeseed oils and to produce livestock feed because it has reduced levels of the toxin glucosin.... /rape Canola Canola is one of two cultivars of rapeseed or Field mustard . Their seeds are used to produce edible oil that is fit for human consumption because it has lower levels of erucic acid than traditional rapeseed oils and to produce livestock feed because it has reduced levels of the toxin glucosin.... seeds; greens	Brassica	napus	oleifera
wrapped heart mustard cabbage	Brassica	juncea	rugosa
mustard seed Mustard seed Mustard seeds are the small seeds of the various mustard plants. The seeds are about 2 mm in diameter, and may be colored from yellowish white to black.... s, brown; greens	Brassica	juncea
mustard seeds, white White Mustard White mustard is an annual plant of the family Cruciferae. It is sometimes also referred to as Brassica alba or B hirta or yellow mustard....	Brassica (or Sinapis)	hirta
mustard seeds, black Brassica nigra *Brassica nigra* is an annual plant Weedy species plant cultivated for its seeds, which are commonly used as a spice. The plant is believed to be native to the southern Mediterranean region of Europe, and has been cultivated for thousands of years....	Brassica	nigra
tatsoi Tatsoi *Tatsoi* , also called spinach mustard, spoon mustard, or rosette bok choy, is an Asian variety of Brassica rapa grown for greens....	Brassica	rosularis
ethiopian mustard	Brassica	carinata
radish Radish The radish is an Eating root vegetable of the Brassicaceae family that was domesticated in Europe in pre-Roman Empire times. They are grown and consumed throughout the world....	Raphanus	sativus
daikon Daikon is the Japanese name for a mild-flavored, very large, white, East Asian radish. Despite being known most commonly by its Japanese name, it did not originate in Japan, but rather in continental Asia....	Raphanus	sativus	longipinnatus
horseradish Horseradish Horseradish is a perennial plant of the Brassicaceae family, which also includes Mustard plant, wasabi, and cabbages. The plant is probably native to southeastern Europe and western Asia, but is popular around the world today....	Armoracia	rusticana
Real wasabi Wasabi Wasabi is a member of the Brassicaceae family, which includes cabbages, horseradish and Mustard plant. Known as "Japanese horseradish", its root is used as a spice and has an extremely strong flavour.... (not horseradish)	Wasabia	japonica
rocket (arugula)	Eruca	vesicaria
watercress Watercress Watercresses are fast-growing, aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial plants native from Europe to central Asia, and one of the oldest known leaf vegetables consumed by human beings....	Nasturtium	officinale
garden cress Garden cress Garden cress is a fast-growing, edible plant botanically related to watercress and Mustard plant and sharing their peppery, tangy flavor and aroma....	Lepidium	sativum

Cruciferous vegetables

List of cruciferous vegetables

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