Health Benefits to Eating Watercress

Vitamin Rich

Watercress also has all of the following vitamins to benefit your health:

• Vitamin A: Improvement and maintenance of immune system, vision and skin
• Vitamin B: Support of the nervous system, skin and energy from food
• Vitamin C: Noted antioxidant, support of connective tissue, muscles and blood
• Vitamin K: Positive effect on blood clotting, red blood cell count and bone health

DID YOU KNOW? The scientific name of watercress is Nasturtium officinale. It used to be classified as a member of the Rorippa genus but is now classified in its own genus, Nasturtium, and the ‘officinale’ is a nod to its medicinal history. Nasturtium officinale in fact means medicinal nose-twister!

The Health Benefits

The consumption of vegetables in the Brassicaceae family – to which watercress belongs – has been linked to a decrease in the risk of disease across cohorts studied. Research specifically targeting watercress has suggested the following:

• Anti-inflammatory

  Watercress helps decrease inflammation in our bodies – inflammation is the cause of many chronic diseases.

• Detoxifying

  Watercress protects us from the effect of toxins by increasing the detoxifying ability of our cells. This includes reducing damage from exercise or protecting us from external toxins, such as those associated with smoking. 

• Anti-cancer

  Watercress fights cancer cells by acting on their ability to grow, migrate and call for new blood vessels. This has been shown in many types of cancer cells.

• Immunity enhancing

  Watercress also contains high amounts of ascorbic acid, or Vitamin C, and was historically used to cure scurvy, so it is good for our immunity too.