Among garden and indoor plants, more and more popularity is gaining Watercress is a very unusual plant that has a rich vitamin composition and unusual taste. Therefore, below we tell about the healing properties of watercress and its other features.
The chemical composition of watercress
The use of watercress in the first place is provided by its rich vitamin and mineral composition, which causes the unusual taste of this plant. Externally, watercress is a common green plant, which, when grown, produces branched stems capable of being pulled up to a height of 0.6 m. The main part of the stems occupy small leaves of watercress, which are valuable for culinary. It is they contain rich chemical composition of lettuce:
- Essential oils.
- Fatty oils (cress oil can be used for dressing dishes).
- Flavonoids.
- Important minerals are calcium, phosphorus, iodine and magnesium.
- Vitamins (as the most common - C, A, PP, B, and very rare, such as vitamin D and K).
Did you know? Unlike other vegetable greens, watercress has greater precocity, as well as good resistance to low temperatures. This allows you to grow this plant throughout the year, both in the beds and in the apartment.
The beneficial effects of watercress on the human body
Useful properties of watercress allow using this food product as for prevention, so for treatment of complex diseases of the human body.
For the respiratory system
Watercress is a unique natural remedy recommended for people who want to quit smoking. Due to the content of flavonoids in this plant, nicotine particles are not only quickly eliminated from the body, but the smoker loses the craving for their new preparation. For the same reason, watercress is very useful for residents of cities, who do not often have the opportunity to travel to nature and breathe clean air. This plant is able to cope with the influence of harmful ecology on the human body.
A very useful salad for asthmatics, since fresh juice from this plant is able to organize cleaning for the bronchi and all respiratory tracts, thereby greatly facilitating asthma breathing. With regular use of juice reduces the risk of asthmatic cough, as well as asthmatic attacks with suffocation.
To provide such a beneficial effect on the body, A person suffering from asthma can drink juice three times a day, 2-3 tbsp. l In difficult cases, the dose received such a drug may be increased or replaced by infusion. For this purpose, 2 tsp. fresh or dried plants should be placed in a thermos, pour a glass of boiling water and infuse for at least 2-3 hours. Take as prescribed by your doctor.
Important! Regular consumption of watercress can be an excellent prevention for people with poor eyesight, as well as for those who have an increased risk of developing cataracts.
For the gastrointestinal tract
Cress vitamin has a beneficial effect on the digestive process. It is recommended to eat it to those people who suffer from poor and unstable appetite, as well as have poor digestion.
In addition, the regular use of watercress can normalize the work of the stomach and intestines, its components and structure contribute to a very rapid cleansing of the body from toxins and other accumulations. This in turn leads to the normalization of metabolism in the body, allowing a person to lose weight.
However, this does not mean that every day you need to make salads only from watercress. This plant is much more useful to mix with other useful and light vegetables, getting vitamin salads without dressing and using spices. Such a recipe is indispensable for maintaining the functioning of the stomach during the diet and speeding up the desired result regarding body shaping.
Important! Watercress has a rather specific taste, which is in many ways similar to the taste of fresh radishes. For this reason, it can even be used as a means of combating parasites that live in the gastrointestinal tract. This plant disinfects the mouth well.
For the nervous system
Watercress is an excellent tool for the prevention of diseases of the nervous system, even if they are chronic. Do not forget about the high content of essential oils in cress, which together with vitamins and minerals act as building components for the nervous system, and With the regular inclusion of this plant in the diet contribute to:
- eliminate sleep disorders;
- stabilization of the functioning of nerve cells;
- normalization of pressure;
- out of protracted depression;
- the formation of an optimistic attitude to the world.
For the thyroid gland
The use of watercress in food allows you to improve the activity such an important hormonal center of the human body, as thyroid. First of all, this beneficial effect is due to the high content of iodine in it. If you suffer from problems with the thyroid gland, which has ceased to produce the required amount of hormones, the use of this green will help you correct this difficulty.
Also, watercress allows you to prevent such problems as hyperthyroidism and its high content of iodine and other minerals contributes improve brain function and thought processes.
Did you know? It is believed that the use of watercress can affect the body to prevent cancer, in particular in the area of the thyroid gland, as well as contribute to the improvement of prostatitis. To improve masculine strength, it is recommended to include in the diet not only the greens of this plant, but also its seeds, from which it is also possible to prepare an alcohol tincture.
For skin
But the masses with watercress will be useful for the skin at any age, due to whichThat plant in recent years has become very common in cosmetology. But besides cosmetic improvement of the epidermis, such masks can have a beneficial therapeutic effect in the presence of purulent formations, acne and inflammatory rashes. In this case, you will need not just masks, but saturated compresses of crushed leaves and stems of the plant. Leave them on the skin for only 10 minutes, so as not to cause the opposite result.
The impact of cress on the skin is a deep cleansing, as well as the removal of infections, which contributes to the rapid recovery. Thanks to these features This plant is used even in the treatment of wounds and burns.
For cosmetic purposes Watercress is used not only fresh:
- To improve the condition of the skin they prepare special decoctions of watercress leaves, which are boiled in a crushed state for 5 minutes, cooled and left on the skin as a mask for 15 minutes. After such a mask should wash with clean cool water.
- For smoothing wrinkles and skin elasticity freshly grated watercress is mixed in equal proportions with yogurt. As a result, there should be no more than 3-4 articles. l mask that is applied to the face for 10-15 minutes. After washing off the face mask, it is also recommended to wipe it with a piece of ice.
Did you know? Watercress is also effective for colds. In particular, it can be used if there are no mustard plaster in the house. To do this, you need the seeds of the plant, which should be crushed and used as well as mustard powder.
Contraindications to the use of watercress
But the features of watercress do not make it a universal remedy for treating and improving the health of the body, since This plant also has its contraindications. In particular, it is not recommended to use watercress to those people who suffer from acute ulcers and gastritis. It will not be useful for colitis, and also in those cases if a person has an individual intolerance to the components that are part of this plant.
But if you have no contraindications to the use of watercress, you can grow it on the windowsill throughout the year and always have on hand fresh and healthy herbs. After all from the moment of sowing the seeds to the moment when the watercress becomes suitable for consumption, it takes only 1-1.5 weeks.
