Fermented Daikon Cut Liver Fat in Mice

Daikon / White Radish — หัวไช้เท้า (hua-chai-thao) — Raphanus sativus.

Fermented daikon lowered liver fat, liver enzymes, and triglycerides in one mouse study. Daikon — หัวไช้เท้า, hua-chai-thao — is the white radish root used in soups, pickles, and fried radish cake. It contains vitamin C, folate, and potassium. Folate supports normal cell division and blood formation, especially before and during pregnancy. Kaeng Juead Hua Chai Thao (a clear soup) simmers daikon slices with pork ribs until the radish turns soft and translucent, which you eat with steamed jasmine rice. For Khanom Phak Kat (fried radish cake), cooks grate radish into rice flour, steam it into cakes, then pan-fry the slices with egg and garlic chives, dipping each bite into sweet black soy sauce. The peppery tops are edible and cook like other tender leafy greens. For the root, loose deep soil matters; compacted ground leaves it stunted.

Kaeng Juead Hua Chai Thao — แกงจืดหัวไชเท้า (kaeng-juead-hua-chai-thao)
Khanom Phak Kat — ขนมผักกาด (ka-nom-phak-kat)

Food and nutrients

Rich in: vitamin C, folate, potassium

Research context

Radish reduced liver fat and liver-enzyme markers in mice with fatty liver — Food Science & Nutrition, 2019 (animal study)

Sources

Source: Ahn M et al. (2019). Fermented radish attenuates NAFLD in mice. Food Sci Nutr 7(11):3712-3722. PMC6804762

Narration transcript

Opening

It looks like a fat white carrot, but this is a radish — a mild, juicy one, without the sharp bite of the little red kind. Daikon — หัวไช้เท้า, hua-chai-tao. You eat the crisp white root, simmered soft in pork-rib soup, shredded into fried radish cake, or salted down into pickles.

Kaeng Juead Hua Chai Thao (Thai Clear Radish Soup) (แกงจืดหัวไชเท้า)

Kaeng juead hua chai thao is a clear soup that simmers daikon slices with pork ribs in a light broth until the radish turns soft and translucent. Eat it with steamed jasmine rice.

Khanom Phak Kat (Fried Radish Cake) (ขนมผักกาด)

For fried radish cake, cooks grate radish into rice flour, steam it into cakes, then pan-fry the slices with egg and garlic chives. Serve it with sweet black soy sauce.

Nutrition summary

For a pale crunchy root, daikon carries a decent amount of vitamin C, along with some copper and folate.

Vitamin C

Vitamin C is used to build collagen and helps protect cells from oxidative stress.

Folate

Folate supports normal cell division and blood formation, and plays an especially important role before and during pregnancy.

Potassium

Potassium helps with normal fluid balance and muscle function.

Closing

Don't waste the leafy tops — they're peppery and good cooked like any tender green. The trick to a long, straight root is loose, deep soil; pack it into hard ground and it comes out stunted and forked. Follow Longevity Biome, and LIKE this video for regular updates.

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