Open AccessA REVIEW ON PHYTOCHEMICAL AND PHARMACOLOGICAL POTENTIAL OF WATERCRESS PLANT
Author(s) -
Sachin Chaudhary,
Hazar Hisham,
Doha A. Mohamed
Publication year - 2018
Publication title -
asian journal of pharmaceutical and clinical research
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
eISSN - 2455-3891
pISSN - 0974-2441
DOI - 10.22159/ajpcr.2018.v11i12.29422
Subject(s) - watercress , traditional medicine , phytochemical , ingredient , antispasmodic , polyphenol , biology , expectorant , vitamin , ascorbic acid , botany , food science , antioxidant , medicine , biochemistry , endocrinology
Nasturtium officinale (family: Brassicaceae) that is commonly known as watercress is a fast-growing aquatic or semi-aquatic perennial plant native to Europe, Central Asia. It is a highly significant food supplement, extensively consumed with salad, juices, or other dishes as an ingredient, flavor, or garnish. The leaves are traditionally used as stomachic, depurative, diuretic, expectorant, hypoglycemic, odontalgic, and stimulant. Meanwhile, it has been used to treat jaundice, asthma, bronchitis, scurvy, tuberculosis, urinary tract infection, and calculi. N. officinale is rich in glucosinolates, carotenoids, polyphenols, as well as Vitamin C, Vitamin A, and α-tocopherol. It is the main source of iron, calcium, iodine, and folic acid.