Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a plant with a radish-lke taste and smells tangy when rubbed.
This hot-tasting aquatic plant has been gathered and eaten as a food since ancient times. Noted for its liver-cleansing properties, watercress supplies iron, and is packed with antioxidant nutrients and ohytonutrients, including plenty of vitamin C and beta carotene. It also contains 230mg of potassium, 2g of fiber. A 4-cup serving of watercress supplies 170 mg of calcium.
Watercress is a natural antibiotic. Its peppery taste is caused by a benzyl mustardoil, which is also present in nasturtium leaves. This oil is a powerful natural antibiotic which, unlike modern synthetic antibiotics, is not harmful to the body's intestinal flora.
In tests on smokers, one substance in tobacco smoke that causes lung cancer, called NNK (nicotine-derived nitrosaminoketone), was partly neutralized by eating 2 cups of watercress three times a day. It is the isothiocyanate in this plant that appears to have this effect. A number of laboratory studies reveal that isothiocyanates inhibit other enzymes involved in causing DNA damage and cancer.
Watercress is one of the richest vegetable sources of calcium which helps to reduce muscle crumps.
When choosing watercress, look for crisp, deep green stems and leaves. Keep the vegetable wrapped in a paper towel and store in the refrigerator for up to 5 days. wash watercress thoroughly before use and shake to remove any excess water. Use in salads, soups, sandwiches, and for making vegetable juice.
Wild watercress grows mainly in polluted waters and may carry liver flukes. Only buy commercially produced watercress that has been grown on filtered, shallow, gravel bottom beds.
HT29 cells were used to investigate the protective effects of the extract on DNA damage and the cell cycle. The extract was not genotoxic but inhibited DNA damage induced by two of the three genotoxins used, namely hydrogen peroxide and fecal water, indicating the potential to inhibit initiation. It also caused an accumulation of cells in the S phase of the cell cycle indicating (possible) cell cycle delay at this stage. The extract was shown to significantly inhibit invasion of HT115 cells through matrigel. Component analysis was also carried out in an attempt to determine the major phytochemicals present in both watercress leaves and the crude extract. In conclusion, the watercress extract proved to be significantly protective against the three stages of the carcinogenesis process investigated.