The artichoke (Cynara cardunculus subsp. scolymus) is a plant belonging to the family of Asteraceaegenus Cynarain many texts reported, at times, simply as Cynara scolymus. The species in question identifies the domesticated artichoke plant, which is distinguished from the Cynara cardunculus subsp. sylvestris (or the wild artichoke), and whose immature flowers are widely used in numerous recipes of the Italian culinary tradition.
Not everyone knows that artichokes not only have appreciable nutritional values, but are also rich in active ingredients that are beneficial for health, easily exploited in home herbal medicine.
In this article we know its botanical characteristics, properties and uses.
Regional names of the artichoke
The artichoke has ancient Mediterranean origins and its common name derives from the Arabic ḵuršūf (خرشوف ). From this term all the regional nomenclatures of our country have evolved, including: arcicotaro in Liguria, articioch in Piedmont, ardisciocch in Friuli, artichokes And scarciofel in Emilia, artichoke mazza ferrata in Tuscany, artichoke And scarciofera in Abruzzo, black artichoke And carcioffola in Campania, sgalera in Puglia, cacciòffulu And artichoke In Calabria, cacòcciula, carcioffula And carduna in Sicily, cardu de orto And iscarzoffa in Sardinia.
This wide variety of local names suggests how widespread this plant is in our peasant culture.
Description of the artichoke plant
The artichoke is a perennial plant, cultivated with a multi-year cycle in the artichoke field. It has a robust underground cylindrical rhizome which, together with the secondary roots, forms a root system capable of deepening into the ground up to 1 m. The vegetative cycle is autumn-spring. In autumn, the rosette of basal leaves and the stems, more or less branched and longitudinally striated, originate from the buds present on the rhizome. These, until spring, lengthen in flower stems, and complete the annual cycle with flowering. Subsequently, in late spring or early summer, the plant enters vegetative rest, drying out the aerial part.
The artichoke develops a large bush, in particular the stems that end with the flowers can easily exceed one meter in height.
Leaves
The leaves of the artichoke are very variable in shape and size, depending on where they are born on the plant. The basal ones are very large (up to 1 m in length), bi-pinnatosette, with the lobes, sometimes, terminated by a spine. They are green and not very hairy on the top page. White in color and widely tomentose in the lower one.
The leaves on the stem, on the other hand, are simpler and smaller, the lower ones pinnatosette, the upper ones whole near the flower.
Flowers
The inflorescence of the artichoke is very particular. The flowers are gathered in large terminal flower heads, typically of a purplish-blue color at the opening. The flowers are surrounded and protected by numerous fleshy scales, botanically closely imbricated bracts that may have a thorny apex.
Well, the unopened flower heads, formed by the bracts and the receptacle of the flower (the “heart”), are the artichokes commonly used in cooking. The shape can be rounded or oval.
Fruits
The fruit is an oval-oblong, slightly ribbed, hairless achene (seed) with a pappus formed by feathery bristles.
Vegetable rennet and artichoke flowers
Did you know that the flowers of the artichoke and the thistle are obtained vegetable rennet? These, in fact, contain proteolytic enzymes capable of curdling milk, a technique used for millennia in the Roman countryside to produce a typical cheese, the caciofiore.
The flowers to extract the vegetable rennet must be harvested in summer, when they have reached the maximum of ripeness and more intense color. They are gathered in bunches and dried in the dark for about a month, to then extract the individual pistils which will in turn macerate in water to obtain the rennet. Sheep’s milk is then used to obtain a soft and aromatic cheese, considered the ancestor of pecorino romano.
Food properties and active ingredients of the artichoke
The artichoke is a food rich in nutritional elements, suitable for those who follow a low-calorie diet, for people with diabetes, for those who want to detoxify the liver and for those with cholesterol problems. Its nutritional values tell us that it is a vegetable low in calories, fat and carbohydrates, but rich in mineral salts (potassium, sodium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, iron), fiber and to a lesser extent vitamins C and A.
In addition to these nutritional components, the artichoke is rich in active ingredients that carry out a beneficial action on the body, contained above all in the leaves. Specifically theinulina fructose polymer, phytosterols and other polyphenolic compounds, including cinarina.
Cinarina
Chemically, cynarin is a dicaffeic ester of quinic acid (C25H24O12), identified and isolated in the 1960s, to which diuretic, choleretic and hepatoprotective properties have been attributed. This substance is responsible for the typical bitter taste of artichokes and is the basic ingredient of the famous Cynar amaro.
Cynarin has found extensive use in pharmacology in the treatment of liver dysfunction. However, it has been found that even with the simple aqueous extraction obtained from the leaves it is possible to benefit from its positive action, together with that of the other numerous active ingredients.
Beneficial properties of artichokes
The artichoke is attributed with diuretic, purifying, hypocholesterolemic, choleretic, contrast to obesity, liver protectors, digestive, bittering. In herbal and medicinal use, the tasty floral part is not used, but the real leaf (formerly also the roots), richer in active ingredients, but which is discarded in the kitchen.
Artichoke extracts stimulate diuresis, lower the level of cholesterol in the blood, promote the secretion of bile making it more fluid, protect and detoxify the liver. This sum of properties also indirectly has a good aesthetic effect, as the purifying action helps to keep the skin healthy and radiant.
For sale is located especially as a supplement.
Home herbal medicine
At home it is simple to prepare the decoction of artichoke leaves and use it as a diuretic, purifying and hepatoprotector. To do this, 2 g of dried leaves are used in 100 ml of water, to be taken in cups (1 or 2 a day).
In herbal medicine, yes they sell the dried leaves from organic productions.
How to prepare artichokes
The artichoke is the protagonist of many traditional recipes, but not all artichokes are the same. To prepare them you need to understand the degree of ripeness. Keep in mind that the plant has a long seasonality, as there are numerous varieties with different harvesting cycles and periods.
Young artichokes have the smallest flower head and are tender, so they can be eaten whole and with part of the stem, without removing the outermost bracts.
Those that are very mature and larger in size, on the other hand, must be cleaned of the harder and more fibrous external bracts, up to the “heart”. Once cleaned, to prevent them from turning brown when in contact with the air, they are rubbed with vinegar or lemon at the cut point. The simplest cooking is done in boiling water, always adding a little lemon or vinegar to preserve the light color.
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