Cruciferous vegetables

Cruciferous vegetables are vegetables of the family Brassicaceae with many genera, species, and cultivars being raised for food production such as cauliflower, cabbage, kale, garden cress, bok choy, broccoli, Brussels sprouts, mustard plant and similar green leaf vegetables. The family takes its alternative name from the shape of their flowers, whose four petals resemble a cross.
Ten of the most common cruciferous vegetables eaten by people, known colloquially in North America as cole crops and in the UK, Ireland and Australia as brassicas, are in a single species ; they are not distinguished from one another taxonomically, only by horticultural category of cultivar groups. Numerous other genera, and species in the family are also edible.
Cruciferous vegetables are one of the dominant food crops worldwide. They are best grown in temperatures between 15 and 21 °C. They are high in vitamin C and soluble fiber and contain multiple nutrients and phytochemicals.

List of cruciferous vegetables

Extensive selective breeding has produced a large variety of cultivars, especially within the genus Brassica. One description of genetic factors involved in the breeding of Brassica species is the Triangle of U.

common name	genus	specific epithet	cultivar group
Horseradish	Armoracia	rusticana
Land cress	Barbarea	verna
Ethiopian mustard	Brassica	carinata
Kale	Brassica	oleracea	Acephala group
Collard greens	Brassica	oleracea	Acephala group
Gai lan / jie lan	Brassica	oleracea	Alboglabra group
Cabbage	Brassica	oleracea	Capitata group
Savoy cabbage	Brassica	oleracea	Savoy Cabbage group
Brussels sprouts	Brassica	oleracea	Gemmifera group
Kohlrabi	Brassica	oleracea	Gongylodes group
Broccoli	Brassica	oleracea	Italica group
Broccolini	Brassica	oleracea	Italica group × Alboglabra group
Broccoflower	Brassica	oleracea	Italica group × Botrytis group
Broccoli romanesco	Brassica	oleracea	Botrytis group / Italica group
Cauliflower	Brassica	oleracea	Botrytis group
Wild broccoli	Brassica	oleracea	Oleracea group
Bok choy	Brassica	rapa	chinensis
Komatsuna	Brassica	rapa	perviridis or komatsuna
Mizuna	Brassica	rapa	nipposinica
Rapini	Brassica	rapa	parachinensis
Choy sum	Brassica	rapa	parachinensis
Napa cabbage	Brassica	rapa	pekinensis
Turnip root; greens	Brassica	rapa	rapifera
Rutabaga	Brassica	napus	napobrassica
Siberian kale	Brassica	napus	pabularia
Canola/rapeseed; oil	Brassica	rapa/''napus	oleifera
Head mustard	Brassica	juncea	rugosa
Brown mustard seeds; Mustard greens	Brassica	juncea
White mustard seeds	Brassica	alba
Black mustard seeds	Brassica	nigra
Tat choy	Brassica	rapa	rosularis
Wild arugula	Diplotaxis	tenuifolia
Arugula	Eruca	vesicaria
Wasabi	Eutrema	japonicum
Field pepperweed	Lepidium	campestre
Maca	Lepidium	meyenii
Garden cress	Lepidium	sativum
Watercress	Nasturtium	officinale
Radish	Raphanus	sativus
Daikon	Raphanus	sativus	longipinnatus

Further relationships inside the family Brassicaceae can be described by tribes, a grouping of genera. Armoracia, Barbarea, and Nasturtium belong to the tribe Cardamineae; Brassica, Sinapis, Diplotaxis, Eruca, and Raphanus belong to Brassiceae; Lepidium belongs in Lepidieae; and finally Wasabia'' belongs in Eutremeae.

Research

According to an umbrella review of 41 systematic reviews and meta-analyses of 303 observational studies, there is suggestive evidence for beneficial associations in gastric cancer, lung cancer, endometrial cancer, and all-cause mortality.

Cancer

Cruciferous vegetables contain glucosinolates, which are under research for their potential to affect cancer. Glucosinolates are hydrolyzed to isothiocyanates by myrosinase. ITCs are being investigated for their chemopreventive and chemotherapeutic effects.

Drug and toxin metabolism

Chemicals contained in cruciferous vegetables induce the expression of the liver enzyme CYP1A2.
Alliaceous and cruciferous vegetable consumption may induce glutathione S-transferases, uridine diphosphate-glucuronosyl transferases, and quinone reductases all of which are potentially involved in detoxification of carcinogens such as aflatoxin. High consumption of cruciferous vegetables has potential risk from allergies, interference with drugs such as warfarin, and genotoxicity.

Taste

People who can taste phenylthiocarbamide, which is either bitter or tasteless, are less likely to find cruciferous vegetables palatable due to the resemblance between isothiocyanates and PTC.

Contraindications

Although cruciferous vegetables are generally safe for human consumption, individuals with known allergies or hypersensitivities to a certain Brassica vegetable, or those taking anticoagulant therapy, should be cautious.