Herb with a turnip-shaped rhizome. The leaves can be 4-18 in (10.2-45.7 cm) or more in length, and dark shiny green to red. Beets produce a flowering stalk in the second growing season that can stand up to 4 ft (1.2 m) tall. It bears small greenish or reddish flowers which lack petals. The fruit develops from aggregates of two or more flowers.

Antifertility (root extract); emmenagogue (leaves and roots).

Botanical.com
Floridata

Adenine, adipic acid, allantoin, arginine, beta-carotene, beta-sitosterol, betaine, citric acid, cystine, folacin, formaldehyde, GABA, glutamic acid, glycine, linoleic acid, lysine, methionine, MUFA, oleic acid, ornithine, oxalic acid, p-hydroxy benzoic acid, palmitic acid, pantothenic acid, phenylalanine, salicyclic acid, stearic acid, syringic acid, tartaric acid, tryptophan, tyrosine, vanillic acid, vanillin (root); betanin, p-coumaric acid, quercetin (plant); alpha-linolenic acid, caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, chlorobenzene, chloroform, ferulic acid, octane, phenylacetonitrile and phenylacetaldehyde (leaf); alpha-tocopherol, ascorbic acid, niacin, riboflavin, thiamin (leaf, root); farnesol (root essential oil); kaempferol (plant).

Blood plasma substitute (pulp); provides vitamin A source (plant); to open obstructions of the liver and spleen, for the headache and swimmings therein and all affections of the brain, to help tumors, leukemia and other forms of cancer, e.g. cancer of the breast, esophagus, glands, head, intestines, leg, lip, lung, prostate, rectum, spleen, stomach, and uterus (juice); for tumors of the intestines (seeds)

Chandel et al., Biodiversity in Medicinal and Aromatic Plants in India.