Beta vulgaris

Scientific name: Beta vulgaris L.

Botanical family: AMARANTHACEAE

Vernacular names

(In territories with significant traditional TRAMIL use)

Haiti:

bètrouj

Dominican Republic:

remolacha

Other vernacular names

Haiti:

bèt rav; bèt rouj
bèt rouj
bètrav
betrav

remolacha

Geographical distribution

Native to Europe. Cultivated in much of the world.

Botanical description

Herbaceous biennial or annual, acaulescent, with red-purple succulent root. Ovate to ovate-oblong leaves, long petiolate, green, red or purple, forming a rosette on the ground. Scape of up to 2 m with numerous flowers grouped in a large and diffuse panicle. Fruits joined in groups of two or more.

Voucher(s)

Jiménez,684,JBSD

asthenia, weakness

root, juice, orally with sugar and/or with honey and/or with milk^1-3

amenorrhoea

root, juice, taken orally¹

The tuber (root) of Beta vulgaris is a food of relatively widespread human consumption and is an industrial source of sucrose.

For asthenia, weakness or delayed menstruation:

Wash the fresh raw tuber well. Prepare 100 millilitres of juice. Drink fresh 1 or more times a day³⁰.

Preparations must never be stored for more than 24 hours, even if refrigerated.

According to the information available:

The use for delayed menstruation (amenorrhoea), asthenia and weakness is classified as REC based on the significant traditional use documented in the TRAMIL surveys and the scientific information published.

Due to the health risk of asthenia and weakness, an initial medical assessment is recommended. The use of this resource must be considered complementary to medical treatment, unless contraindicated.

Because of its antithyroid activity, boiled root administered orally may interact or potentially interfere with thyroid treatments.

Not for use during pregnancy because it can cause miscarriage, nor while breastfeeding.

TRAMIL Work²²
The fresh root juice taken orally (120 ml/day), in patients between 50 and 64 years of age, suggests good systemic tolerability.

The hydroalcoholic extract (70%) from the root taken orally (200, 400 and 800 mg/kg) in female rats did not show any abortive effects or embryotoxicity²⁵.

The fresh root in the diet of rats of both sexes, 1.96%/14 days26 and 2000 ppm/7 days²⁷ did not cause any evident toxic effects.

The fresh root taken orally (13.2 kg/animal) in sheep for 5 days did not cause any evident toxic effects²⁸.

The boiled root taken orally (502 g/person) in adult humans, in a study where iodine uptake by the thyroid was measured, showed antithyroid activity²⁹.

No data are available to recommend medicinal use during breastfeeding or in children.

The tuber (root) contains alkaloids: allantoin⁴, melatonin⁵, choline⁶, norepinephrine⁷ and amine derivatives⁸; carbohydrates: pectin⁹, sucrose¹⁰; betalains¹¹; phenylpropanoids: caffeic acid¹², ferulic acid, ρ-coumaric acid¹³; organic acids: oxalic acid¹⁴, 4-hydroxybenzoic acid¹²; flavonoids: betagarin and derivatives^15-16; triterpenes: betavulgaroside and derivatives^17-18; ferulic acid ester (β-D-fructofuranosyl-α-D-(6-O-(E)-feruloylglucopyranoside)¹⁹; catechin hydrate, epicatechin¹².

Proximal analysis of 100 g of tuber (root)²⁰: calories 44; water: 87.4%; protein: 1.6%; fat: 0.2%; carbohydrates: 10%; fibre: 0.9%; ash: 0.8%; alcium: 23 mg; phosphorus: 35 mg; iron: 1.1 mg; sodium: 36 mg; potassium: 330 mg; carotene: 0 μg; thiamine: 0.02 mg; riboflavin: 0.04 mg; niacin: 0.30 mg; ascorbic acid: 6 mg.

TRAMIL Work²¹
The fresh raw root juice (20, 50 and 100 μl/ml), in vitro in the mebendazole-induced mitotic segregation model in Aspergillus nidulans showed antimutagenic effect. In isolated organ models of guinea pig ileum and rat uterus, it induced increased intestinal and uterine motility respectively, an effect attributed to the potassium content of the juice.

TRAMIL Work²²
In a controlled clinical study, 20 asthenic patients (50-64 years old) with more than 30 days of progression received root juice (120 ml/day). After 9 days there was a significant improvement in comparison to 12 asthenic patients who received syrup. The values of haematocrit, haemoglobin, erythrocyte sedimentation, polymorphonuclear leukocyte count, monocytes and reticulocytes; glycaemia, urea, creatinine, uric acid, cholesterol and triglycerides remained equivalent to baseline.

The root extract administered to mice induced acceleration of intestinal transit and partially protected against experimental infection in vivo by the influenza virus²³.

The adenine in the root is attributed with antianaemic action (1.5 g/day), the betaine with emmenagogue and abortive effect and the allantoin with immunostimulant activity⁴.

Choline, betaine and pigments contained in the juice are attributed with stimulating activity of cellular respiration; glutamine, metabolism stimulating and antiasthenic activity; betaine is a lipotropic factor, it stimulates and regularises hepatic function; bethanidine, after being injected in rats, caused a temporary increase of blood pressure and heart rate²⁴.

Pharmacopoeia

Ed.3

References

1 WENIGER B, ROUZIER M, 1986
Enquête TRAMIL. Service Oecuménique d’Entraide SOE, Port au Prince, Haïti.

2 GERMOSEN-ROBINEAU L, GERONIMO M, AMPARO C, 1984
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

3 WENIGER B, 1987-88
Encuesta TRAMIL. enda-caribe, Santo Domingo, Rep. Dominicana.

4 CHIERICI L, 1953
Allantoin and tyrosine in beets. Ateneo Parmense 24:185-188.

5 DUBBELS R, REITER RJ, KLENKE E, GOEBEL A, SCHNAKENBERG E, EHLERS C, SCHIWARA HW, SCHLOOT W, 1995
Melatonin in edible plants identified by radioimmunoassay and by high performance liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry. J Pineal Res 18(1):28-31.

6 TYIHAK E, 1964
Effective component in the effect of the red beet (Beta vulgaris var conditiva) on tumors. Naturwissenschaften 51:315-316.

7 IKEKITA M, MORIYA H, MORIWAKI C, RURIKAWA T, 1979
Some properties of anti-bradykinin substance from beet (Beta vulgaris L. var rapa Dumort. f rubra DC.) roots. Yakugaku Zasshi 99:607-611.

8 NEURATH GB, DUNGER M, PEIN FG, AMBROSIUS D, SCHREIBER O, 1977
Primary and secondary amines in the human environment. Food Cosmet Toxicol 15(4):275-282.

9 PARFENENKO VV, BUZINA GV, LUTSENKO OK, 1974
Production of gel-forming beet pectin in the presence of 1.1% hydrochloric acid. Khlebopek Konditer Prom 1974(10):20.

10 CHOLLET MM, 1950
Sucrose and raffinose in beets. Bull Soc Bot Fr 1950:173-177.

11 PIATTELLI M, MINALE L, PROTA G, 1965
Pigments of centrospermae. III. Betaxanthins from Beta vulgaris L. Phytochemistry 4:121-125.

12 GEORGIEV VG, WEBER J, KNESCHKE EM, DENEV PN, BLEY T, PAVLOV AI, 2010
Antioxidant activity and phenolic content of betalain extracts from intact plants and hairy root cultures of the red beetroot Beta vulgaris cv. Detroit dark red. Plant Foods Hum Nutr 65(2):105-111.

13 HERRMANN K, 1957
Oxidative enzymes and phenolic substrate in vegetables and fruit. I. Hydroxycinnamic acids. Z Lebensm-Unters Forsch 106:341-348.

14 BURBA M, NITZSCHKE U, 1974
Oxalic acid in sugar beet roots. Int Sugar J 76:326.

15 TAKAHASHI H, SASAKI T, ITO M, 1987
New flavonoids isolated from infected sugar beet roots. Bull Chem Soc Japan 60(6):2261-2262.

16 ELLIGER CA, HALLOIN JM, 1994
Phenolics induced in Beta vulgaris by Rhizoctonia solani infection. Phytochemistry 37(3):691-693.

17 YOSHIKAWA M, MURAKAMI T, KADOYA M, MATSUDA H, MURAOKA O, YAMAHARA J, MURAKAMI N, 1996
Medicinal foodstuffs. III. Sugar beet. (1): Hypoglycemic oleanolic acid oligoglycosides, betavulgarosides I, II, III, and IV, from the root of Beta vulgaris L. (Chenopodiaceae). Chem Pharm Bull 44(6):1212-1217.

18 YOSHIKAWA M, MURAKAWI T, KADOYA M, YAMAHARA J, MATSUDA H, 1998
Medicinal foodstuffs. XV. Sugar beet. (2): Structures of betavulgarosides V, VI, VII, VIII, IX, and X from the roots and leaves of sugar beet (Beta vulgaris L., Chenopodiaceae). Chem Pharm Bull 46(11):1758-1763.

19 KUJALA TS, LOPONEN JM, KLIKA KD, PIHLAJA K, 2000
Phenolics and betacyanins in red beetroot (Beta vulgaris) root: distribution and effect of cold storage on the content of total phenolics and three individual compounds. J Agric Food Chem 48(11):5338–5342.

20 DUKE JA, ATCHLEY AA, 1986
Handbook of proximate analysis tables of higher plants. Boca Raton, USA: CRC Press, p26.

21 MORON F, 1990
Actividades biológicas de Beta vulgaris. Informe TRAMIL. Laboratorio Central de Farmacología, Facultad de Medicina “Dr. Salvador Allende”, Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas de La Habana, La Habana, Cuba.

22 CARBALLO A, RODRIGUEZ A, RODRIGUEZ O, LLENDERROZOS A, 1992
Efectividad de la administración del zumo de raíces de remolacha (Beta vulgaris L.) en el control de la astenia. Estudio clínico controlado. Informe TRAMIL. Instituto Superior de Ciencias Médicas. Santa Clara, Cuba.

23 PRAHOVEANU E, ESANU V, ANTON G, FRUNZULIC S, 1986
Prophylactic effect of a Beta vulgaris extract on experimental influenza infection in mice. Rev Roum Med Virol 37(2):121-124.

24 JOSEPH H, GRANDGUILLOTTE M, 1986
Recherches bibliographiques. SNPG, Guadeloupe. TRAMIL II, Santo Domingo, República Dominicana, UASD/enda-caribe.

25 RAO VSN, DASARADHAN P, KRISHNALAH KS, 1979
Antifertility effect of some indigenous plants. Indian J Med Res 70:517-520.

26 NAVRATIL B, ZEMAN L, 1976
Effect of the daily ration and the type of complete mixed feed fed to pregnant sows on the number and weight of piglets. Zivocisna Uyrpba 21:295-303.

27 ELBE JH, SCHWARTZ SJ, 1981
Absence of mutagenic activity and an short-term toxicity study of beet pigments as food colorants. Arch Toxicol 49:93-98.

28 VAN DER WALT SJ, STEYN DG, 1946
Recent investigations into the toxicity of plants, etc.XV. Onderstepoort J Vet Sci Animal Ind 21(1):45-55.

29 GREER MA, ASTWOOD EB, 1948
The antithyroid effect of certain foods in man as determined with radioactive iodine. Endocrinology 43:105-119.

30 VANACLOCHA B, CAÑIGUERAL S, (eds.) 2003
Beta vulgaris. En: Fitoterapia. Vademecum de Prescripción. 4ta Edición. Editorial MASSON, Barcelona, España, p428.

Disclaimer

The information provided is for educational purposes only for the benefit of the general public and health professionals. It is not intended to take the place of either the written law or regulations. Since some parts of plants could be toxic, might induce side effects, or might have interactions with certain drugs, anyone intending to use them or their products must first consult with a physician or another qualified health care professional. TRAMIL has no responsibility whatsoever towards the user for any decision, action or omission made in relation to the information contained in this Pharmacopoeia.

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Beta vulgaris

Vernacular names

Haiti:

Dominican Republic:

Haiti:

Geographical distribution

Botanical description

Voucher(s)

Pharmacopoeia

References

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