In recent years, urban horticulture has become an increasingly important part of the world’s food supply. It has been shown that some vegetables grown near to major highways have a heavy metal content between 2 and 10 times higher than those sold in supermarkets. Here, we refute this hypothesis and demonstrate the beneficial health effects of over-consumption of plants from urban crops near major highways. This major discovery leads us to completely rethink horticulture and its impact on human development.