Jerusalem Artichoke (Helianthus tuberosus) is a species of sunflower. Native to central North America, early european settlers brought it back in the XVI. century.

A herbaceous perennial plant growing to 1.5–4 m tall and develops continually until the late autumn frosts. The tubers are often elongated and uneven, typically 7.5–10 cm long and 3–5 cm thick, and vaguely resembling a ginger root in appearance, with a crisp and crunchy texture when raw. They vary in colour from pale brown to white, red, or purple. The most popular variety in Hungary is the white one.

The plant’s flower doesn’t grow seeds, so you have to plant the tubers for reproduction. The tubers grow on the 5-20 cm long roots, not on the stem. The artichoke and products made from artichoke can be important food ingredients. It tastes like potato, but a lot sweeter. Its fiber content is 5-6 times bigger than potato’s, which helps to regulate how much carbohydrate your body processes, gives you a sated feeling, and helps to avoid constipation. Its enzyms help with digestation, and it is rich in potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphor and zinc, plus the vitamin B1, B2, C, niacin and beta-carotene. The aminoacid profile contains lysin, arginin, histidine, cystine, tryptophan, asparagine

The tubers have 20-28% dry matter content, which contains 14-16% inulin and polyfructtonases. The latter builds up fructose, which is digested faster and easier than sucrose. Inulin is the main carbohydrate in the artichoke. It is a water soluble big sized fiber, which is resistant to digestation enzyms, so it travels through the colon unharmed, where it helps the useful bacterial life, also known as probiotics, making it harder for harmful bacterias to strive. This is the prebiotic effect. Inulin is useful for diabetics products, to feed babies and the sick. The fibers help in digestation, it makes you sated faster, so you won’t eat more than neccessary , to absorb and faster removal of cholesterol and harmful, cancerous materials, The tubers have a unique regenerating, hydrating, body care and refreshing effect, so it is used in the cosmetics industry as well.

It only contains 76 kcal (318 kJ) / 100 grams

Diabetes and obesity

Inulin is not to be confused with insulin which plays a vital role in the bloodsugar in the body, and which absence or efficiancy is responsible for the diabetes.Inulin is safe to consume even for people with diabetes as it won’t raise your bloodsugar levels, because it is not digested in your stomach or guts, only partly digestible for your colon. In multiple researches the inulin helped with the bloodsugar balance, and decreased the energy intake with food. The artichoke is useful for the general population, also for obese, diabetic, and sick people.

Heart and cardiovascular diseases

In various studies inulin and other prebiotics decreased the blood’s triglycerides and cholosterol level also helped against liver fat to build up. The inulin’s positive effect on fat metabolism may help to prevent cardiovascular conditions. Regular artichoke consumption may decrease the blood’s uric acid’s level, which helps to prevent arthritis and cardiovascular diseases.

Childhood food allergies

Consuming prebiotics (inulin) helps to reach a balance in gutflora, to reduce, eliminate allergic reactions. It has been discovered that prebiotics, which can be found in the mothermilk, have a major influence in the babies food intake, as they reach the colon without digestation where the prebiotics ferment, and become a food source for Bifidobacterias and Lactobacilluses, so their growth is improved. As they get consumed small chained fatty acids release, which help promote the gutflora. Children that consumed mother milk have less chance to develop allergic diseases, so prebiotics are even added to baby food, to reap these benefits.

Cancerous diseases

Researches found that fiber rich food helps to decrease the chance to develop cancer. Studies show that Bifidusbacterias and prebiotics may help to eliminate breast and liver tumor. If you include undigestable carbohydrates (inulin) to your diet, it may decreases the growth speed of tumour by increasing the eliminiation of tumour cells. Inulin can easily and safely be introduced to your diet to aid the cancer treatment. Prebiotics help the „useful bacterias” thrive so they hinder the growth of cancerous materials in your gut system.

Contagious diarrheas and vaginal inflammation caused by candida

Animal experiment’s data shows that probiotics (Bifidobacteria) and prebiotics (galacto-oligosaccharide) given together helps to fight antibiotics resistant contagious diarrheas. Travellers using prebiotics also reported that they had less abdominal issue, diarrhea, and they had less discomfort. Candida caused issues are usually present with younger woman, who use estrogen based birth control, or erythromycin based body lotions in larger quantities. Antibiotics may also help to develop inflammation caused by candida, as it weakens the immune system, and instead of normal, healthy bacterial flora (which would fight the Candida bacteria) candida bacterias grow. As soon as you restore bacterial flora, and candida’s symptoms disappear.

Digestation system

Amongst its many function, colon is the store for the most toxic materials in your body. By the time a human being reaches age 50, he/she has 5 kg toxic material in the colon. These toxins reshape the gutflora to a harmful enviroment which may cause bad digestation, constipation, cancer, complete immune system failure. But consuming inulin can help to avoid or may even fix these issues. Apart from feeding and maintaining the proper gutflora, inulin also balances the ph in the guts and the weight of the stool. As the gut system’s pH level decreases, many essential mineral salt’s solubility increases, which helps to improve the body’s calcium, zinc, and magnesium balance, so it may decrease or eliminate the chance for osteoporosis. Inulin also help to avoid constipation, and increases the frequency of bowel movement, so it reduces the time that toxic materials spend in your gut, making it harder for it to build up. The artichoke help you feel sated sooner, so it decreases the chance for obesity and any other related conditions.

Bone and muscular system

As the tubers help to increase the calcium uptake from the gutsystem, it helps to fight osteoporosis, its high potassium content may help to increase muscle performance.

The benefits of Inulin:

• Natural sugar alternative, doesn’t increase blood sugar level and it doesn’t need insuline
• Balances the sugar metabolism, promotes and optimises the mineral salt uptake, helps to fight osteoporosis.
• Reduces the fat levels in the blood, so it may help to prevent cardiovascular diseases
• Improves the digestation system, it may recude the chance to develop cancer
• Its positive effect on the immunesystem and probiotics it may help with contagious diarrhea and candida

Who should consume jerusalem artichoke

• people with diabetes
• active athletes
• people who try to lose weight
• if you are under antibiotics treatment
• if you have high cholesterol
• if you have issues with your gutsystem
• people with cardiovascular issues
• if you have food or skin allergy

Researchers from Food Science Research Institute and National Institute of Pharmacy and Nutrition of Hungary studied the positive effects the artichoke has on your body. Their results are very promising, as the artichoke and its products have a positive effect to prevent many diseases.

The inulin, apart from its many direct benefits has a vital role in the probiotics production, which may mean that it has a similar vital role with the prebiotics as well. And many studies showed promising results of pre-, and probiotics vital role in disease prevention.