The healing power of capers

Capers were already consumed 6,000 years ago in Syria. The plant itself probably does not come from the Mediterranean, but has been imported. It is a great addition to a meal or salad. Capers are the flower buds of the caper plant. This plant offers healing power, especially for rheumatic diseases and cancer.

General information

Capers grow in the Mediterranean, East Africa, Madagascar, Central Asia, the islands of the Pacific Ocean, the Himalayas and Oceania. Capers probably come from the tropics and have been introduced to the Mediterranean and have become wild. From Arab culture, capers ended up in Europe.

The Latin name of capers is Capparis spinosa. The Latin word Capparis comes from the Arabic word qabbār. Capers are the flower buds of the caper plant. In English-speaking countries this plant is also called flinders rose and the capers are called capers.

100 grams of capers contain 8% of the Recommended Daily Allowance (RDA) of fiber. It contains generous amounts of vitamin K: 21% of the RDI. It also contains a reasonable amount of vitamin B2: 11% of the RDI. Other RDA percentages for vitamins are: folic acid or B11: 6%, vitamin C: 7%, vitamin E: 6%, vitamin B3: 5%. Other vitamins that reside in capers are present with lower percentages than 5%. In terms of minerals, the caper contains the most sodium. One ounce contains 197% of the RDI for sodium. Incidentally, this is because refined sea salt is often used to put the capers in. It would be much better to use unrefined sea salt such as Celtic Sea Salt. Unfortunately, Italian sea salt has always been refined and contains only one mineral: sodium. Copper is there with 42% of the RDI and iron has exactly half of that: 21%. the mineral magnesium is contained in this olive-colored flower bud with 8% of the RDI. Other mineral percentages are less than 5% of the RDI.

In ancient Greece, capers were used as a carminative. Athenaeus but also Pliny and Theophrastus wrote about this. In Hebrew, the meaning of the word capers is close to the word "desire." Capers are said to have been an aphrodisiac in the old days. It is also a blood pressure lowering agent and diuretic; or a diuretic.

In modern Greek and Southern Italian folk medicine, the young sprouts, leaves, seeds and roots of the caper plant are used to treat rheumatic diseases such as gout, osteoarthritis and arthritis. A tea is made from the plant parts. This tea contains all kinds of healthy phytonutrients such as rutin, kaemferol and quercetin. In fact, it contains more quercetin in relation to weight than many other edible plants; capers are number 1 when it comes to quercetin! Quercetin is even known to fight cancer. But that's not all, because capers also contain a lot of glucosinolates, which also fight cancer. In addition, this plant contains a relatively large amount of the mineral selenium, which is also an anti-cancer agent. In 2011, a study was published by a university in Bologna that found that caper root has bactericidal properties. With this, a large number of applications from folk medicine use are endorsed by scientific research.

In the Old Testament people like to speak in pictures. The image that the earth is impermanent is clarified with the short flowering time of a caper (preacher).

There are all kinds of flavonoids with antioxidant properties in capers. Italian research from 2005 shows that capers have all kinds of anti-inflammatory properties that are especially good for the joints. Its use in folk medicine is supported by this research. Another Italian study from 2005, conducted at the University of Messina, found that capers have anti-allergenic properties. An extract of capers was used and it was seen that the histamine production is reduced when this caper extract is administered to test animals. The same university had published a study in 2002 which showed that rutin is mainly responsible for the antioxidant properties; glucosinolates have other properties (they are substances that purify the body) but are not antioxidants, as the Italian researchers saw ..

In April 2005 a study was published in Morocco showing that capers can be very helpful for people with diabetes or diabetes mellitus. It turned out that rats deliberately given diabetes had a much lower lipid level after ingesting caper extract.

Progressive systematic sclerosis is a disease of connective tissue; the connective tissue thickens and abnormalities develop in the blood vessels of organs. Chinese research published in March 2008 shows that a caper-based ethanol extract may counteract the adverse effects of progressive systemic sclerosis. The cells that have grown incorrectly are invaded and these deformities die.

Capers are totally integrated in the Italian kitchen; therefore many people think they are Italian in origin. Capers are mainly pickled in vinegar. These capers can be added to green salads but are also an addition to some pasta sauces or meat dishes. Capers should be in a good tartar sauce or remoulade. Capers fit perfectly in an egg salad, pasta salad or on a pizza. The leaves of capers are also eaten. These can be inlaid just like the flower buds, but they can also be eaten cooked. Caper leaves are difficult to obtain outside of Greece and Cyprus. In some areas of Greece, capers are used and eaten as a snack.