He cress or garden cress It is a bitter and somewhat spicy plant that, although it is quite unknown in our country, has very healthy properties. In fact, it was already used in ancient times to combat scurvy.

Nowadays you can enjoy its healthy properties by adding it to your dishes as an alternative to watercress or drinking it as an infusion. digestive, remineralizing and vitamin.

Mastuerzo or garden cress: origin and characteristics

He cress (Lepidium sativum L.), also known as garden cress or garden cressis a garden plant, originally from the Middle Eastwhich has been cultivated in Europe since the time of classical Greece, where it arrived from Persia and Egypt.

It is cultivated in orchards and medicinal nurseries, and rarely appears subspontaneously in field margins and barren land. It looks a lot like watercressbut unlike this one, it does not grow in or next to water.

It has compound leaves, with triangular and awned segments and white flowers, gathered in clusters terminals. The fruit is a soft capsule, called silicle, oval in shape, with wings, which contains several black seeds inside. It has a slightly foul odor and a bitter and very spicy tastebut even so it has been widely consumed in salads and vegetable juices.

It should be taken into account that In South America they know the nasturtium as nasturtiumand this is how you can find information on the internet.

Properties of the bush

The bush should be harvested when it is about to bloom or when it already has some open flowers. For medicinal purposes, the leaves, flowers and also the seeds are used. and to a lesser extent the roots.

It is a little studied plant, but it is known that it contains benzyl-glucosinolate, essential oil, vitamin C, vitamin B6 and mineral salts (calcium, potassium, magnesium, sodium, iron).

They are attributed digestive, appetizer, nutritional, vitamin, remineralizing, antioxidant, diuretic and hypoglyceminate properties.

What is the mastuerzo for?

As a medicinal plant, cress is used in a similar way to watercress.

• It is intended for stimulate appetite and to fight the states of weakness, fatigue and in periods of convalescence.
• It can be a natural support for young people affected by anorexia when they actually show a refusal to be fed, because it stimulates the secretion of gastric juices.
• It has been used as a digestive plant, to treat indigestion, slow digestion and abdominal heaviness.
• Like watercress, it has been used as diuretic and detoxifying plantto treat fluid retention and different genitourinary conditions, such as cystitis.
• He is attributed a slight hypoglycemic effect and it has been taken as a traditional resource to support the diets of diabetic people.
• Also like watercress, it has been used as expectorantin case of pharyngitis, bronchitis and mild asthmatic states.
• The cress, like watercress and other plants rich in vitamin C, had been destined to combat scurvy.

Externally, the stump is used in the following cases:

• It is applied in poultices and creams on muscle painosteo-articular pain and low back pain.
• It has also been applied about sores and woundstraditional remedy in disuse.
• Like watercress, it has also been destined to stimulate the scalp and to treat seborrheic dermatitis and to prevent alopecia.

How to take the mastuerzo

The bush can be taken as a digestive infusionmixed with other herbs and a good flavor corrector, up to two glasses a day.

You canadd it to your saladsas an alternative to watercress, to give them a crunchy touch, or you can use cooked in a soup.

It is also found, although not easily, in the form of liquid extract and tincture, and also in fresh plant juice.

The seeds are applied in a poultice on muscle pain, and the decoction in the form of compresses and rubs to relieve muscle and rheumatic pain. Crabgrass extract has also been incorporated into some skin ointments and creams.

Herbal tea to combat weakness, fatigue and asthenia

This infusion provides the vitamin and remineralizing power of the bush. To prepare it you will need mastuerzo, rosemary, horsetail, dandelion and licorice.

Use two tablespoons of the mixture in equal parts per half a liter of water. Boil it for 2-3 minutes and let it sit for another 10 minutes, then add lemon juice to taste.

You can take the herbal tea during the day, in small doses, or 3 glasses spaced apart and preferably on an empty stomach. It is a somewhat spicy and bitter herbal tea..

Precautions with the bush

Cranberry should be avoided if you suffer from hypothyroidism.. Although their effects are not well known, it is believed that glucosinolates can induce the development of goiter, presenting a certain antithyroid action.

Prolonged treatments with this plant should also be avoided and it is important to adhere to the recommended doses.

On the other hand, you must have a very spicy flavorwhich cannot please everyone.