A Is for Artichoke

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A Is for Artichoke

By Ralph Moss, Ph.D.

The Moss Report

http://cancerdecisions.com

Back in the Fifties, I read a story called "The Heart

of the Artichoke." As a lugubrious teenager, the

artichoke seemed like an appropriate metaphor for

life: the bitter leaves and "choke" had to be

discarded before one could reach and savor the

delicious core. The trouble was that, at fifteen, I

had no idea what an artichoke was, had never seen or

tasted one. Boiled peas were my mother's idea of an

exotic vegetable. Years later, I ate my first

artichoke and I was hooked. I put artichokes, fresh,

canned, or best of all, marinated onto and into

everything.

The artichoke is technically Cynara scolymus L., a

perennial plant in the thistle group of the sunflower

family. In its full growth, it covers an area six

feet in diameter and reaches a height of three to four

feet. The "vegetable" that we eat is actually the

unopened bud of a spectacular seven-inch violet-blue

flower.

* See illustration of Artichoke (Cynara scolymus L.) at:

http://www.cancerdecisions.com/images/artichoke.jpg

Artichokes originally hail from North Africa (the name

is derived from the Arabic 'Al-kharshuf'). From North

Africa it jumped to the tables of ancient Greece and

Rome. Artichokes remain popular in Italy, where they

even make an artichoke aperitif, Cynar which

incidentally is where I draw the line in my artichoke

mania.

Artichokes favors a cool and moist climate. This makes

them perfect for the Central Coast of California. A

sign girdling the main street in Castroville

proclaims it "The Artichoke Center of the World."

Every May, Castroville holds an Artichoke Festival. In

1947, a young woman named Norma Jean Baker became the

country's first Artichoke Queen. It is said that her

success as Artichoke Queen gave her the confidence to

take on Hollywood as the blonde bombshell, Marilyn

Monroe.

I would eat artichokes even if they had the

nutritional value of Mallomars. But, as it turns out,

they are very healthful and even show promise as a way

of preventing cancer. Artichokes contain silymarin, a

flavonoid that has powerful antioxidant activity.

Silymarin is widely used in Europe as nutritional

support for the liver. Just last month, Japanese

scientists found that adding just one part per

thousand of silymarin to the diet of mice

significantly decreased their incidence of bladder

cancers and prevented precancerous growths as well.

For years, Dr. Rajesh Agarwal of the University of

Colorado School of Pharmacy has also investigated the anticancer properties of artichokes. He has shown that silymarin provides almost complete inhibition of carcinogens on the skin. "Silymarin could be a useful anti-tumor promoting agent a wide range of tumor promoters," he wrote.

Last September, Mayo Clinic scientists also showed

that two substances found in artichokes inhibited the

growth of prostate cancer . They didn't kill cells

outright, but arrested their ability to divide and

grow.

You may be wondering why an entrepreneur doesn't

develop an artichoke extract as a potential cancer

treatment. The answer is mainly economic. The total

gross value of the American artichoke harvest is $46

million. Yet, according to the Tufts Center for the

Study of Drug Development in Boston, "the average cost

to develop a new prescription drug is $802 million."

The entire artichoke industry in twenty years couldn't

afford to develop silymarin as an FDA-approved drug.

It seems obvious to me that people should incorporate artichokes into their diet. Admittedly, they are not for everyone. Seeing me repeatedly buy out their supply, the cashier at a local store finally wondered aloud what I possibly could do with all those weird jars. I explained that I ate artichokes hot or cold, in salads, pasta or pizza. I have even been known to eat them straight from the jar at two in the morning. She studied me for clues to my food deviance. Finally, she said, "Not for me. I eat with my eyes." For her, the artichoke's lack of appeal was too obvious to require commentary. As for me, I was salivating already.

 

 

 

"I never told my religion, nor scrutinized that of another. I never attempted to make a convert, or wished to change another's creed. I have judged of other'sreligion by their lives, for it is from our lives, and not from our words, that our religion must be read." ~Thomas Jefferson

 

 

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