Watercress
Parts Usually Used
Leaves, roots, young shoots
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
Watercress is a succulent, perennial plant that is cultivated for its leaves, which are principally used as salad greens or garnishes. Forms large colonies in cool running water; a creeping, weak, stem with root at the nodes and turns up to form leafy shoots, 1-2 feet in length, generally extends with its leaves above the water. The smooth, somewhat fleshy, compound, dark green leaves are odd-pinnate with 1-4 pairs of small, oblong or roundish leaflets.
The small, white or pale purple, four-petaled flowers bloom in elongating terminal racemes from May to September. The fruit is a long, curved, linear-cylindric, partitioned pod borne more or less upright.
Where Found
Native to Europe and naturalized in the United States and some parts of Canada. It thrives in clear, running, cold water and is found in ditches, springs, and streams everywhere. Widely cultivated for use in salads.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic, expectorant, purgative, stimulant, stomachic, tonic
Biochemical Information
Calcium, chlorine, cobalt, copper, tannin, fluorine, iodine, iron, manganese, phosphorus, sulfur, vanadium, vitamins A, B1, B2, C, D, and zinc.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Watercress is high in favor with nutritional advisors to the armed forces for soups and salads for the energy it produces. Good for dieters, has low carbohydrate content and more iron than spinach. Fed to children with weak bones and soft teeth because it contains lime high in sulphur content. Given in tablet form for eczema. ”
Uses
Traditional herbalists recommended watercress for urinary bladder issues and to promote kidney function, as well as for fluid retention associated with heart conditions. It was historically taken as a spring tonic, an appetite stimulant, and an aid for metabolism, mild digestive disturbances, indigestion, and gas. Historical sources also suggested watercress for gout, scurvy, anemia, eczema, and catarrh of the upper respiratory tract, where it was valued as an expectorant.
Folk practitioners utilized the plant as a dietary remedy for thyroid enlargement and related symptoms such as palpitations and fatigue, attributing these benefits to its mineral, iron, and iodine content. Topically, the juice was applied for localized hair loss. In Indian clinical traditions, leaf extracts were employed to address vitamin deficiencies. Culinarially, the fresh leaves were eaten raw in salads, deep-fried, used as a garnish, or chopped into dishes containing eggs, cheese, and fish.
How Sold
Fresh plant in grocery
Warning
Do not harvest leaves from polluted waters. Poisonings have resulted from eating leaves from plants growing in polluted waters, from which the plant has absorbed heavy metals and toxins. Excessive or prolonged use can lead to stomach upset and kidney problems. It should not be taken daily and no longer than 4 weeks even with interruptions. The juice should not be taken undiluted, because it can produce inflammations in the throat and stomach.
Some doctors caution against use during pregnancy.
Bibliography
The Herb Book , by John Lust, Bantam Books, 666 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY. copyright 1974. Eastern/Central Medicinal Plants , by Steven Foster and James A. , Houghton Mifflin Company, 215 Park Avenue South, New York, NY 10000 The Herbalist Almanac , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, copyright 1988, fifth printing, 1994 The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr.
A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. Vogel, Teufen (AR) Switzerland 1952, 1991 The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England. , Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R.
, Horticultural Hall, 300 Massachusetts Avenue, Boston, Massachusetts 02115, 1973 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).
The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974