Varieties ~
Spinach is believed to have originated in southwestern Asia or Persia.  It has been cultivated in many areas of the world for hundred of years, not only as a food but also as an important medicinal plant in many traditional systems of medicine.

Key Benefits~
There is much lore surrounding spinach.  It was regarded historically as a plant with remarkable abilities to restore energy, increase vitality, and improve the quality of the blood.  There are sound reasons for such results, primarily the fact that spinach contains twice as much iron as most other greens.  Spinach, like other vegetables that contain chlorophyll and carotene, is a stong protector against cancer.

(Spinach is one of the most valuable of our leafy vegetables.  It contains more than 88% water and is particularly rich in the finest quality of organic iron obtainable.  It is also rich in sodium, potassium and calcium, while the magnesium content is very high.)

(The juice of this vegetable, when raw and fresh, is one of the most nourishing foods for the entire digestive and particularly the eliminative organs.  While cathartics and laxatives operate as a result of irritation of the lower intestines, spinach juice follows the natural course of nourishing the cells and tissues as well as nerves and muscles so that eventually normal elimination may be established.  The addition of fresh raw carrot juice to spinach juice is a particularly good aid to re-establish the normal tone of the intestines.)

(Spinach contains a valuable quality of oxalic acid.  When the spinach is raw, this oxalic acid in its natural form is organic and in combination with the other natural elements present in the spinach, stimulates the peristaltic action of the intestines.  When spinach is cooked, however, the organic principle of all of the elements is destroyed and this applied equally to the oxalic acid, which is then converted into an inorganic acid and as such, has the tendency to form oxalic acid crystals in the kidneys.)

Selection~
Fresh spinach should be dark green, fresh-looking, and free from any evidence of decay.  Slightly wilted spinach can be revived to freshness in cold water.

(In salads, raw spinach should be added as an important ingredient.  After washing thoroughly, the leaves can either be chopped fine or ground through a machine of the meat grinder type, using the coarsest possible knife.  After one has become accustomed to eating it raw in this manner, its flavor and value is usually more fully appreciated than that of the cooked spinach.)

Thanks to~
(The Vegetarian Guide to Diet & Salad)
by Dr. N.W. Walker, D.Sc., pp. 100-101.

The Complete Book of Juicing: Your Delicious Guide to Youthful Vitality
by Michael T. Murray, N.D., Jay Kordich, pp. 174-175.