The little vegetable asparagus has amazingly wide range of health benefits.

Let's first have a look at the nutritional facts of asparagus:

A serving of six cooked fresh asparagus spears has:

Folate -                        131 mcg

Vitamin A -                  490 IU

Vitamin C -                  10 mg

Dietary Fiber -              1 gm

It is rich in Vitamin K and low in sodium. It is also low in fat, with almost no cholesterol.

The benefits of asparagus are:

1. It helps greatly in maintaining a healthy heart.
2. It is very good for the colon and the entire gastrointestinal tract.
3. It is beneficial for women with fertility problems.
4. Women, who suffer from menstrual cramps, benefit greatly from consumption of asparagus.
5. It helps in the detoxification of the body.
6. It alleviates depression.
7. Pregnant women or women planning to conceive, should eat asparagus in abundance, as the high folic acid content will help in the prevention of serious birth abnormalities like spina bifida.
8. It prevents scurvy.
9. It helps in the prevention of urinary tract and bladder infections.
10. It stimulates urination and cleanses the body, thus preventing kidney stones.
11. It is believed to raise the success rate of chemotherapy.
12. It combats high blood pressure.
13. It has anti-cancer properties and particularly helps in the prevention of lung cancer.
14. It aids in the lowering of cholesterol.
15. It stimulates milk production in lactating women.
16. It is known to be a laxative, and eases constipation. It also helps in diarrhea.
17. It has antioxidant properties and delays ageing.
18. It has anti-viral and anti-fungal effects.
19. It is believed to prevent multiple sclerosis.
20. Adding asparagus to the diet helps in combating abnormal hair-loss.
21. It prevents cataracts.
22. One, who bruises easily, should have plenty of asparagus, as the high Vitamin K content will help in the quick clotting of blood.
23. It helps in getting rid of warts.
24. It fights chronic fatigue syndrome.
25. It has strong anti-inflammatory actions helping in rheumatism, asthma and arthritis.
26. It helps in toothaches.
27. It is good for the capillaries and abundant consumption may prevent varicose veins.
28. It is an aphrodisiac agent.
29. Studies have found that it helps in the treatment of HIV.

Risks of having asparagus are:

a)      The high Vitamin K content of asparagus helps in the clotting of blood, which may adversely affect the functioning of the anti-coagulants, whose work is to dissolve clots and liquefy blood.

b)      Urine, excreted after consumption of asparagus, carries a foul smell.

Asparagus is best eaten fresh, boiled and strained. Those, whose buds have opened, should be avoided. It is best to store asparagus in the refrigerator, first wrapped in a damp paper towel and then packed in a plastic bag.