Watercress facts

Watercress is a perennial herb in the family Cruciferae, which is inherent to Europe. The leaves are consumed as salad greens or steamed and processed as vegetables. It possesses a huge amount of Vitamin C, folic acid, iron, iodine, protein, calcium well as sulphur. Watercress also possesses anticancer and anti-oxidant properties. It could be found clumps, flowing and freshwater.

Name Watercress
Scientific Name Nasturtium officinale
Native Native to Western Asia, Europe, India and Africa. Today it is distributed around the whole world.
Common/English Name Water cress, Common cress, Garden cress
Name in Other Languages Arabic: barbeen,
Armenian:  jhri godem,
Cantonese: sai yeung choi,
Dutch: waterkers,
Farsi: tazer alaf shesmeh,
Finnish: isovesi krasi,
French: cresson de fontaine,
German: brunnenkresse,
Greek: nerokardamo,
Hebrew: garga hanazir,
Indonesian, Malaysian:  selada air/ayer,
Japanese: votakuresu,
Lithuanian: vaistino rezuiko,
Mandarin: shui jee cai,
Norwegian: bronnkarse,
Portuguese: agriao,
Russian: kress vodianoj,
Slovenian: vodna kresa,
Spanish: berro di agua/crenchas,
Swedish: kallfrane,
Tagalog: lampaka,
Thai: phakat nam,
Turkish: su teresi
Sanskrit: Waspushpa,
Hindi: Chansur,
Punjabi: Halo,
Marathi: Ahaliv,
Gujrati: Ashelio,
Sindhi: Thahio,
Malayalam: Ahanlive,
Bengali: Halim,
Arabic: Vajrul,
Pharsi: Tukht Ispandan
Plant Growth Habit Aquatic or semi-aquatic, perennial
Soil Wet, rich
Plant Size 16 inches (41 cm)
Root Thin, fibrous, white, thin and abundant
Stem 10-60 cm
Leaf color Shiny, green
Leaf shape and size Alternate, pinnate, alternate; Length: 6 inches
Flowering Season Spring, summer
Flower White, 4 pedals; Length: 3-5 mm
Fruit size Length: 10-25 mm; Width: 2 mm
Flavor/aroma Peppery
Taste Pungent or bitter (Leaves)
Varieties/Types
  • Garden cress
  • Korean Watercress
  • Nasturtium
  • Upland cress
  • Cuckoo flower
  • Winter cress
Major Nutritions (Raw) Vitamin K (phylloquinone) 85 µg (70.83%)
Vitamin C (Ascorbic acid) 14.6 mg (16.22%)
Vitamin A, RAE 54 µg (7.71%)
Calcium, Ca 41 mg (4.10%)
Manganese, Mn 0.083 mg (3.61%)
Vitamin B6 (Pyridoxine) 0.044 mg (3.38%)
Vitamin B2 (Riboflavin) 0.041 mg (3.15%)
Copper, Cu 0.026 mg (2.89%)
Phosphorus, P 20 mg (2.86%)
Vitamin B1 (Thiamin) 0.031 mg (2.58%)
Health Benefits
  • Eliminates carcinogens
  • Prevent breast cancer
  • Colorectal cancer
  • Thyroid ailments
  • Prevent cardiovascular conditions
  • Strong bones
  • Calcium
  • Folate
  • Antidepressant activity
  • Prevent strokes
  • Healthy pregnancy
  • Cognitive health
  • Vitamin C
  • Brain health
  • RBC
  • Eye health
  • Cures common cold
  • Treats asthma
Calories in 1 cup chopped (34 gm) Raw 4 Kcal.

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