I know this has been mentioned anecdotally before and it is not an article, but I thought I would add my personal experience with cabbage leaves. Last March, after I had broken my ankle when I crashed my van head on into a tree, I put cabbage leaves on my ankle and wrapped it with an ACE bandage. I changed the leaves morning and evening for about 3 days, and although my ankle changed to beautiful colors, it never did swell. The X-ray showed a fracture, though, so I am now even more convinced than ever that cabbage can at least prevent swelling. Kris Rogers, RN, IBCLC Crystal Lake,IL