Apart from its aphrodisiac properties, watercress prevents cancer, preserves DNA and helps you get rid of a hangover
If watercress is served as garnishment in a restaurant, don’t throw it out. Eat it with the food served. It will help digest meal and provide many more benefits than most of us know about. As a matter of fact, you’d be wise to mix it in salads or juice it with other veggies often.
For those still wondering what watercress is, it is a leafy green cruciferous that’s been around for a long time. It gets its name from the fact that it originally grew wild along the banks of streams and slow moving rivers. Essentially it is a water plant. They have long green stems with small roundish bright green leaves.
The early Romans and ancient Persians used watercress as a brain food, a nerve tonic, and an aphrodisiac. Perhaps they overdid the latter. It is often used as a throw-away garnish. But its nutrient value is so high its bitter peppery tasting leaves deserve to be eaten uncooked often.
Naturally, raw leaves offer the highest nutrient value. But watercress can be juiced with other vegetables or even used for soups. For soups, place watercress in the water after reaching a boiling point to avoid destroying the nutrients by overheating.
Here are some of its health benefits:
Anti-anemic effect: Watercress is particularly helpful in treating different types of anemia due to its high content in iron.
Anti-inflammatory properties: Watercress is rich in vitamin C, which has an anti-inflammatory action and can help prevent or relieve the symptoms of cold, flu and other types of inflammation.
Anti-oxidant and anti-cancer effects: Just as many other herbs, watercress is rich in anti-oxidants. Anti-oxidant substances help prevent or fight the damage caused by free radicals to body tissues, thereby contributing to prevent premature ageing, as well as lower the risk of developing cancer and many other diseases.
Bone: The right proportion of calcium, magnesium, manganese, vitamins A, C and K in watercress helps promote and maintain healthy and strong bones.
Digestive function: Watercress does improve digestive function, due to its high content in vitamin C and fiber, which stimulate salivary and gastric secretions and the motility of the intestinal tract respectively.
DNA preservation: In a laboratory test, it was found that daily consumption of watercress increase the ability of cells to resist DNA damages to lymphocytes (white blood cells).
Eye: The high content in phytonutrients lutein and zeaxanthin are potent anti-oxidants; together with vitamin A and zinc all in this herb help greatly improve eye health.
Hair: Watercress can be used topically to treat dandruff and prevent hair loss, due to its sulfur, iron, zinc and vitamin A content. The best results are obtained by rubbing the scalp and the hair with a watercress tincture.
Hangover: A hangover happens when the liver gets overloaded with toxic alcohol. Watercress juice is so concentrated with so much cleansing goodness that it activates the detoxifying enzymes in the liver for detoxifying a hangover.
Skin: When used topically, watercress juice can be helpful in relieving skin eczema, as well as other skin conditions. Its high content of vitamin A and C best obtained by juicing are also beneficial for healthy skin.
Teeth: Chewing watercress makes teeth stronger. It also cures bleeding of the gum or gingivitis.