Watercress salad on the windowsill: how to grow. Watercress: we will tell you all about the benefits, harms and uses of vegetable crops in various fields

Jan-12-2017

What is watercress?

What is watercress, the benefits and harms of watercress for human health, what medicinal properties does it have, all this is of great interest to those who lead a healthy lifestyle, monitor their health, and are interested in folk methods of treatment, including with the help of vegetables. So we will try to answer these questions in the following article.

Bed bug, or Watercress (Lepidium sativum) is an edible annual or biennial herbaceous plant, a species of the genus Bed bug (Lepidium) of the Cabbage or Cruciferous (Brassicaceae) family.

Iran is considered the birthplace of this plant. In the wild, the plant is found in Africa (Egypt, Ethiopia), as well as in Asia - from the eastern coast of the Mediterranean Sea to Pakistan.

The stalk of watercress is erect, hairless. Its height is from 30 to 60 cm. The root system is simple. The leaves located below are pinnately dissected, linear in the upper part, and three times dissected in the middle. Flowers pink or white. Flowering occurs from June to July. The fruit is a pod. Fruiting continues from June to November.

Watercress belongs to the group of early ripening and cold-resistant garden crops. Sites with light loamy soils are suitable for its cultivation.

Seeds are sown in rows, leaving an interval of 45 cm between rows.

With proper care, the first shoots appear already 2-3 days after sowing is completed. After their thinning, the beds are watered, loosened and cleared of weeds.

The seed plants of the plant are harvested on the 35-50th day after the start of flowering. They are kept in a cool room, after which they are threshed and sorted. For long-term storage, watercress leaves are also harvested, which are dried and crushed.

Watercress is a herbaceous plant, a vegetable crop, which is used in cooking exclusively fresh.

Useful properties of watercress:

Watercress leaves contain vegetable protein, carbohydrates, mineral salts of iron, potassium, phosphorus, calcium, iodine, copper, magnesium and sulfur, as well as carotene, ascorbic acid, riboflavin, glycosides, mustard oil. The roots contain bitterness, the seeds contain fatty oil.

Watercress contains vitamins C, K, E, A, D and group B, as well as important minerals such as potassium, calcium, copper, iron, iodine and magnesium.

Crushed leaves and roots of watercress stop fever. An ointment prepared on the basis of dried and powdered plant seeds is indicated for scabies, allergies, poorly healing festering wounds.

Contraindications:

It has been proven that only fresh watercress has beneficial properties. The dried plant has no nutritional value and even begins to smell unpleasant. Its use in dry form is useless. Among the contraindications to the use of lettuce, several of the most important can be distinguished.

Hypotension patients need to limit the use of lettuce leaves, since the substances contained in the plant help to lower blood pressure.

Watercress should not be included in the diet of people with gastritis, ulcers and other diseases of the stomach and intestines.

Watercress has the ability to absorb toxins. That is why you should not collect it along the highway and railroad tracks.

In folk medicine, watercress is used mainly for cancer prevention and as a remedy for wrinkles.

Recently, the positive effect of watercress preparations on impotence, frigidity and thyroid diseases has been proven.

Watercress has a mild diuretic and mild laxative effect. There is evidence that the regular use of this plant in food prevents the development of leukemia and a number of other cancers.

It is believed that watercress normalizes blood pressure, increases potency and promotes rejuvenation. The presence of a large amount of iodine makes watercress an effective drug for thyroid diseases.

Watercress is indicated in the treatment of the following diseases: cancer, hypertension, erectile dysfunction, thyroid disease.

Recipes:

Treatment of leukemia and prevention of cancer:

Cut 200 g of watercress, pour in a small amount of boiling water, squeeze thoroughly. Mix the resulting juice with 2 tablespoons of beetroot juice, 1 tablespoon of chokeberry juice and 2 teaspoons of sesame oil. Drink during the day in three doses for leukemia. The course of treatment is 21 days. Take a break for 14 days, then take only watercress juice: 1 tablespoon 4 times a day.

Mix 100 ml of watercress juice with beet and carrot juices in a ratio of 2: 1: 1. Take 2 tablespoons 3 times a day for 30 minutes for meals during a course of chemotherapy.

100 g of watercress, 3 cloves of garlic, 5 g of pomegranate peel and 10 g of onion peel pour 0.5 liters of vodka, leave for 7 days, shaking occasionally, strain. Take 2 teaspoons 2-3 times daily 1 hour before meals for cancer prevention. The course of prevention is 28 days. Prevention is carried out 2-3 times a year.

Treatment and prevention of hypertension:

With a persistent increase in blood pressure, eat 100 g of fresh watercress daily. Treatment is carried out until the pressure normalizes.

Mix 100 ml of watercress juice with chokeberry juice in a ratio of 2: 1. Take 50 ml 3 times a day 30 minutes before meals to prevent hypertension. The course of prevention is 21 days. Prevention is carried out 3 times a year.

Treatment of erectile dysfunction with watercress:

Cut 50 g of watercress and mix with 1 bunch of chopped parsley, add 50 g of crushed cashews and 1 tablespoon of lemon juice. Eat two or three meals. At night, drink 2 tablespoons of watercress juice. The course of treatment is 14 days.

Mix the juice of watercress, parsley, cilantro and lime in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 3. Take 1 tablespoon 4 times a day. At night, drink 2 tablespoons of the drug. The course of treatment is 7 days.

Masks for wrinkles from watercress:

Finely chop the watercress, mix with raw egg yolk, apply on the skin of the face, neck and décolleté for 15 minutes, rinse with warm water. Wipe your face daily with watercress juice mixed with moisturizing lotion in a 2:1 ratio.

Freeze watercress juice. Wipe the face with ice cubes once a day (preferably in the morning).

Mix watercress, cucumber, pumpkin and zucchini juices in a ratio of 2: 1: 1: 1, add a few drops of lime juice to the mixture, mix and freeze. Wipe the cleansed skin of the face, neck and décolleté with ice cubes once a day (preferably in the morning).

Mix 2 tablespoons of crushed watercress with 1 teaspoon of honey and 1 tablespoon of mashed strawberries. Apply the mask on the face, neck and décolleté for 15 minutes, rinse with cool water. The procedure should be carried out at least 1 time per week for 2 months or longer.

Prevention of thyroid diseases:

Grind 100 g of watercress, mix with feijoa pulp and 1 tablespoon of honey. Take 3 tablespoons 3 times a day 1 hour before meals. The course of prevention is 21 days. Prevention is carried out 2-3 times a year.

Three times a week, eat 50 g of watercress. Can be used as part of vegetable salads. Prevention should be carried out for at least 3-4 months.

Recipes from the book by D. Nesterova “We are treated with vegetables. Healers from the beds.

Cooking use:

Watercress has long been used as a spicy supplement.

The leaves of the plant, which have a bitter taste, can be consumed both raw and stewed. They are added to salads, meat and fish dishes, soups, omelettes and sauces.

Broccoli and orange salad with watercress

Ingredients

• Broccoli - 500 g
• Orange - 300 g
• Watercress leaves - 400 g
• Onion (bulbs) - 50 g
• Vegetable oil - 10 ml
• Honey - 10 g
• Ground white pepper and salt to taste

Wash broccoli, disassemble, put in boiling salted water, boil until tender, drain in a colander and rinse with cold water.

Squeeze oranges and mix the resulting juice with the remaining pulp, add melted honey, vegetable oil, ground pepper, salt and mix everything thoroughly.

Put the boiled broccoli in a deep bowl, add onion cut into half rings, finely chopped watercress leaves. Mix the salad and season with orange sauce.

An interesting video about the beneficial properties of watercress!

Use in weight loss diets:

It has been proven that eating watercress leads to weight loss. This plant is 90% water and also contains healthy fiber. Therefore, the product can be eaten in unlimited quantities, without worrying that its use will affect the figure.

Young lettuce leaves improve digestion, normalize bowel function, remove excess water, toxins and toxins from the body. All this contributes to healthy weight loss and getting rid of extra pounds that will never come back if you eat right.

The value of watercress in dietary nutrition is explained by the vitamin and mineral composition. In nature, there are not many plants that can offer the same vast amount of nutrients. Thanks to such support, any diet goes smoothly, since the presence of biologically active substances contributes to the normalization of the body and nervous system, as well as weight loss.

Good afternoon friends! This plant is very easy to grow at any time of the year, and it does not require any special place and conditions. And then add to any dishes that will benefit not only in taste, but will also become much healthier. Watercress salad, about the benefits and dangers of which today's story is an opportunity available to everyone to please themselves and loved ones with fresh herbs all year round.

Watercress - what is it and how to eat it

Botanists will say about this plant that it is an annual herb of the cruciferous family. In the people, because of the special taste of the plant, the salad is called horseradish or pepper. And in Transcaucasia, he is better known as tsitsman.

The history of the plant is no less rich than its composition and benefits. More than 3 thousand years ago, a Cretan legend was born, according to which Zeus ate a salad to gain strength before an important duel with his father, the cruel Kronos.

He was known in Ancient Rome, appreciated in Ancient Egypt. The ancient Greeks assured that the plant adds the power of thought, even the saying is still known: "Eat watercress - you will get smart."

Interestingly, in their homeland, in Ancient Iran, watercress was considered food for the poor, but among the Egyptians it became the food of the pharaohs and his entourage. And not only proudly adorned the dishes, but was also a recognized medicine. Hippocrates treated the plant with respect, considering it the best way to purify the blood.

Watercress - lettuce - photo and description

An annual plant from a large cabbage family, watercress is not tall, only 30 - 60 cm, has a branched stem and numerous white flowers. The fruit is an egg-shaped pod, the seeds are red-brown, smooth.

Watercress is an early ripening and cold-resistant crop, which allows it to be grown literally everywhere. He is not afraid of frost, and he is not at all picky about the soil.

How to eat watercress

Many people like grass leaves because of a slightly spicy, spicy-bitter taste. For many, with its light sharpness, it resembles horseradish, which I wrote about in one of my articles.

Watercress is easy to eat: add it to salads, always fresh, and I will show a few of these recipes below. In recent years, watercress sprouts have become very popular.

In addition to salads, the plant is used by adding to meat dishes, fish, crumbled into soup or a side dish. In European cuisine, where cress is more popular than ours, lettuce is added to sauces, omelettes, casseroles, and soufflés. Vegetarians even blanch weed with wine and sugar. Very often, a sprig of lettuce can be found as a sandwich decoration - they look beautiful.

For medicinal purposes, on the 10th - 12th day after germination, the leaves of the plant are collected and juice is made from them.

Watercress: benefits and harms

The beneficial properties of lettuce, as well as its contraindications for use, are due to the natural chemical composition of the plant.

Herb Composition

The vitamin range is represented by almost all health benefits - A, C, E, K, D, PP, group B. Add to them substances that have a beneficial effect on the general condition of a person and are involved in the treatment of many diseases - iodine, magnesium, calcium, phosphorus and iron.

There are sugars, carbohydrates and proteins, glycoside propsoline and lepidin - an alkaloid, bioflavonoids, essential and fatty oils. A real natural first-aid kit for preserving the beauty and health of people! Importantly, the benefits of the plant are recognized not only by traditional medicine, the official one also recognizes the participation of watercress in the healing of the body.

What is the benefit of cress?

• Able to remove harmful toxins from the body.
• Regulates high blood pressure.
• Improves appetite and regulates the process of digestion.
• It is used as a general tonic that improves the functioning of the immune system.
• Reduces depression and improves sleep.
• Has an antioxidant effect.
• Promotes rapid healing of wounds, burns.
• Treats certain skin conditions.
• With a strong cough and bronchitis, it is used as an expectorant.
• Has a diuretic effect.
• It is a good prophylactic for eye diseases. Recent studies have shown that the plant successfully treats cataracts.
• Traditional medicine uses the property of watercress to relieve joint pain.
• In case of dental disease, in particular periodontal disease, it is very useful to eat fresh lettuce or plant sprouts daily.
• A recent scientific study showed that there are substances in the plant that ensure the integrity of the structure of blood cells. This proves the effectiveness of the plant for the prevention and treatment of blood cancer.
• Due to the presence of a large amount of iodine, watercress will benefit the activity of the thyroid gland and will be an excellent prophylactic that prevents the development of endocrine diseases.

Benefits for women

It is very useful for women to use watercress because of its rejuvenating effect. Herb oil evens out wrinkles, especially small, mimic ones, helps to treat skin problems.

• Ice cubes with a decoction of herbs are used to improve skin tone, get rid of pimples.
• Dandruff. Rub the fresh juice of the plant into your scalp.

Combined with honey, lemon and oil, watercress can be the basis of a mask recipe for moisturizing and whitening the skin. For oily and acne prone skin, the following mask will come in handy:

1. Chop the leaves and mix with the egg white. The applied mask is washed off after 5 minutes. You can also add honey to the mask.
2. With normal skin, to smooth wrinkles and improve the color of your face, make a pulp from the leaves and combine it with yogurt.

In confirmation, I suggest you watch a video about a miracle salad and about the unique benefits of watercress for the beautiful half of humanity of the “velvet” age.

Benefits for men

For men, the use of salad in food is especially recommended. Herbalists have long used the plant to treat prostatitis. And if it was necessary to enhance the sexual activity of the stronger sex, it was recommended to eat not quite ripe seeds of the plant. For the same purpose, alcohol tincture on cress seeds is used.

Watercress for weight loss

Watercress is useful for everyone who wants to part with extra pounds. It does not have any weight loss properties, but if you combine watercress juices with your diet, weight loss will be much easier. The plant compensates the body for the lack of useful substances, the amount of which decreases with a diet, especially a strict diet, and will help satisfy hunger.

Folk salad recipes

Traditional healers prepare tinctures, decoctions, water infusions, make healing oil from the leaves, roots, seeds of cress, which have been successfully used for several centuries to treat many diseases.

• Acne, pustular diseases. Grind lettuce leaves into gruel and apply to the affected areas, fixing with a plaster or bandage. A good effect is given by a bath with a decoction of the plant.
• Cold. Make something like mustard plasters, but from lettuce seeds and put them on the chest area for warming up. When coughing or bronchitis, make a decoction and drink hot.
• Edema, mastopathy, prostatitis, peeling and redness of the skin. Make compresses from chopped lettuce and at the same time take the infusion of the plant inside.
• Insomnia, irritability. Take a third of a glass before meals, and the same amount shortly before bedtime.

Oil cress—lettuce:

It is impossible to prepare oil from lettuce seeds in its pure form, since this requires special equipment. But you can make one of its options, endowed with no less health benefits.

To do this, pour lettuce seeds crushed in a coffee grinder with vegetable oil in a ratio of 1 part to 2, and insist in a dark place for a week.

How to make an ointment from watercress:

Dried roots and leaves, grind into powder and mix 1 part of it with 3 parts of petroleum jelly. The ointment will be ready for use in a week.

Lettuce infusion:

To prepare a water infusion, take 3 large spoons of fresh leaves or 2 dry leaves and brew with a glass of boiling water, leave to stand for 2 to 3 hours.

A decoction of the leaves of the plant:

Pour water over the leaves and bring to a boil, cook for five minutes and cool. Drink before meals, a third of a glass.

Harm and contraindications

Watercress also has a reverse side of the coin, sometimes instead of being useful, it can be harmful to health. Fortunately, there are very few contraindications:

• An allergic reaction, unfortunately, is quite common.
• With uncontrolled use, the plant can cause insomnia and even migraines.
• If your blood pressure is low, eating watercress will be harmful, as it will lower it even more.
• Frequent urination is also a contraindication to the use of the plant.

Salads - recipes

I offer you two unusual recipes for making salads, which, with the addition of watercress, will become more piquant and brighter in taste.

Salad with cabbage and watercress

Chop cabbage, onion, cucumbers and watercress. Add basil, parsley and drizzle with olive oil. and if you want - season with sour cream, it will also be good. When following a diet, use some kind of sour juice instead of salt.

Salad with pumpkin seeds

1. Combine juice from half a lemon, a spoonful of olive oil - this will be a salad dressing. Fry pumpkin seeds (large spoon) for a couple of minutes in a small amount of oil, add a small spoon of honey and cool.
2. Mix chopped eggs, watercress, add finely grated carrots and pumpkin seeds, season everything and serve - very tasty!

I suggest you watch another video about the benefits and harms of wonderful watercress, which tells what it is and what it is eaten with. Be healthy! With love… Galina Nekrasova.

Watercress- a representative of the genus Klopovnik, an annual vegetable plant that is widely used in cooking and medicine. Watercress has a thin stem with many green leaves (see photo). Lettuce flowers come in white or pale purple hues. Young leaves of watercress are eaten, the stem of the plant should be white.

A green vegetable native to the Middle East region. Due to its high taste and unpretentious care, this herb is grown almost all over the world. In many African countries, special varieties of vegetables are grown that contain a lot of oil, they are used to prepare medicinal oil, which is used for cosmetic and medical purposes.

Varieties of watercress

Watercress cultivars are almost indistinguishable by seed to the inexperienced gardener, and their characteristic features are noticeable after sowing. For example, the "curly" variety fully justifies its name.

Growing: planting and care

Growing watercress is easy. The fact is that it is one of the most unpretentious plants. At home, it can be grown on the windowsill, watercress grows well in cool, bright areas.

March is considered the most optimal landing time. But on the windowsill, this greenery can be grown year-round. Watercress is grown from seeds, they are densely sown in small boxes and filled with biosoil. The plant is considered early maturing, the upper leaves can be cut off after a few weeks. For good growth of a green vegetable, the air temperature should not exceed 10 degrees. At temperatures above 15 degrees, watercress blooms and loses its taste.

It is better to eat a young plant. The lack of light has a detrimental effect on the plant, in which case watercress can shed its leaves and stretch. The plant needs to be watered abundantly. Cut the lettuce leaves with a sharp knife.

Experts recommend using germinated watercress seeds: this way more biologically active substances will enter the body. To do this, the seeds are placed on wet paper or gauze, after 3-6 days the germinated seeds are eaten. Thus, grass can be grown even without soil, simply by wrapping the seeds in wet gauze.

Beneficial features

Useful properties of watercress are explained by its composition. Almost 90% of it consists of water, which determines the low calorie content of the plant and its value in dietary nutrition. The calorie content of the product is only 32 kilocalories per 100 grams. Watercress contains essential vitamins, making it an important addition to your spring diet.

The vitamin composition of watercress is represented by vitamins A, B, C, D, K, PP. The plant contains many essential minerals, among them phosphorus, magnesium, iron, calcium. The use of a green vegetable stimulates appetite, removes toxins from the body, normalizes blood pressure.

Traditional medicine recommends using the juice from the plant to prevent anemia. Watercress juice is considered an effective anti-scorbutic, general tonic. This vegetable is also used for heart diseases. The juice of the plant is good for colds, in some recipes it is recommended to gargle with a sore throat. Lettuce detoxifies and cleanses the body. Useful substances of watercress act as antioxidants, slow down the aging process.

Use in cooking

In cooking, watercress is used as a green ingredient in many dishes. For example, very often the Germans add this vegetable to unleavened salads, in which it brings its characteristic taste, making the dish tastier and healthier. The taste of watercress is a bit bitter and pungent, many unaware people easily confuse watercress with horseradish. Among the people, the plant is even known under the name "horseradish" and "pepper", which fully reflects its spicy taste.

Watercress is well known in European cuisine. Fresh leaves of a green vegetable are put in sandwiches, added to salads. The leaves of the plant contain a large amount of mustard oil, but still the taste of watercress is not as sharp. Perhaps the most interesting preparation and serving of watercress is found in China: here it is served with sugar, which is unusual for many tastes.

The leafy vegetable goes well with meat and fish. The taste of watercress is reminiscent of horseradish, mustard and radish at the same time. Gourmets claim that the spicy plant will add spice to any dish.

Watercress benefits and treatment

The benefits of the plant were known to the physicians of ancient Rome and Egypt. Powder from crushed watercress seeds was used instead of mustard plasters. In ancient Egypt, lettuce was considered an aphrodisiac and was used to treat the lack of sexual desire in men and women. Hippocrates believed that the vegetable is able to purify the blood, increase the body's resistance.

Known since ancient times, watercress has been studied by modern scientists. In the course of regular studies, a green vegetable was recognized as capable of reducing damage to the DNA of blood cells, and it is also a good prevention of cancer. Modern medicine recommends the use of watercress in order to prevent cataracts.

The herb is used to treat prostatitis, so watercress leaves are useful for men of any age. Thanks to the vitamin B group, lettuce helps to relieve nervous diseases.

According to folk recipes, a medicinal ointment is prepared from watercress, which helps with allergic reactions, scrofula, and scabies. The ointment is applied to the affected areas until complete recovery. Watercress root is used for fever. To do this, it is pre-crushed.

Harm of watercress and contraindications

A green vegetable is contraindicated for people who have gastritis, colitis. Although doctors unequivocally recommend adding greens and vegetables to the daily diet, but, as for watercress, in addition to being useful, it also may cause allergic reactions, skin irritation.

There is evidence that lettuce can harm people with frequent urination. In addition, you should not eat too much watercress: overeating can cause digestive problems.

Watercress is presented as an annual herbaceous plant, the height of which reaches 50 centimeters during the period of maximum growth, but the plant does not always succeed in reaching such a height, since it is eaten in a very young state. The uniqueness of culture is due to its popularity in seemingly different areas - cooking, gardening, cosmetology. There is no need for special care, often cress is grown on the windowsill just in water or in a small pot. Neighborhood with any other plant is not burdensome for him. It is customary to add culture to food only in its raw form, since dried watercress loses its beneficial properties and smells bad.

According to gourmets, this plant will turn any dish into a real work of art. It is customary to add green sprouts to cold soups and salads. It is also an excellent seasoning for sausages, cheese, meat and fish dishes. One of the most successful combinations is with scrambled eggs, potatoes or scrambled eggs.

Compound

The benefits and harms of the plant in question are due to nutritional value. The BJU ratio is 2.6 / 0.7 / 4.4 g with a calorie content of 32 kcal. Also included are the following elements:

dietary fiber and ash;
mono and disaccharides;
water and saturated fatty acids.

Among the vitamins in watercress, it is worth highlighting B1, B2, B5, B6 and B9, vitamin PP, E, K, C, as well as cholit, beta-carotene, vitamin A. The culture is not deprived of minerals, including calcium and magnesium , sodium and potassium, phosphorus and iron, zinc and copper, manganese and selenium.

The benefits and properties of watercress

The benefits of watercress are due to the valuable properties of this plant. Regular use of it will allow you to turn many aspects of the body's work for the better.

1. Normalization of blood pressure, removal of toxins, regulation of digestion and improvement of appetite.
2. Antioxidant properties, improvement of sleep and removal of a depressive state are expressed.
3. Anti-inflammatory and strengthening effect is combined with anti-sclerotic, wound healing, soothing, expectorant and diuretic.
4. Prevention of eye diseases, prevention of neoplasms.
5. Treatment of cancer and prostatitis should include the use of watercress as an aid. Watercress is important to use in the form of an alcohol tincture or in the form of unripe seeds to increase sexual activity.
6. In folk medicine, lettuce leaves are used to treat skin diseases, burns, ulcers and wounds, to eliminate joint pain, treatment, gallstone disease, persistent cough or bronchitis.
7. The use of this culture significantly reduces the risk of developing leukemia.
8. For medical purposes, dried and fresh plants are used, as well as tinctures, decoctions and oils. To obtain a therapeutic effect, it is recommended to consume 2 tablespoons of juice daily or eat such fat 3-4 times a day on a regular basis.
9. Fresh herbs, crushed into gruel, are used to treat ulcers and acne.
10. Fresh juice effectively eliminates dandruff, and baths with this ingredient help get rid of dermatological diseases.
11. The combination of compresses with ingestion is relevant for skin peeling, redness, prostatitis, mastopathy and edema.
12. Instead of mustard, you can use watercress seed powder when making mustard for colds.
13. Prevention of the development of endocrine diseases and maintenance of normal thyroid activity due to the high content of iodine.
14. Acceleration of weight loss during the diet, provided that watercress is combined with freshly squeezed juices. This culture is able to relieve the feeling of hunger by compensating for the lack of important trace elements.
15. Regular consumption of young greens helps prevent the development of periodontal disease and other diseases of the oral cavity. Greens can be replaced with germinated seeds.

Seed oil and herb ointment are applied externally. To prepare the oil at home, it is enough to insist the seeds on traditional vegetable oil, which should be twice as much in proportion as the seeds. The ointment is prepared from the roots and leaves of the plant, ground into powder, then 3 parts of vaseline or fat are added to one part of the mixture. Before use, both products must be kept in a warm place for a week.

Decoctions and infusions can replace juices. To prepare the infusion, it is enough to pour 2 tablespoons of dry or 3 tablespoons of fresh leaves with a glass of boiling water. You can use the infusion after it has been kept in a warm place for 2-3 hours. To prepare a decoction, it is necessary to boil the ingredients in similar proportions for 5 minutes, cool and take a third of a glass before eating. Before going to bed, this remedy can be used for anxiety or insomnia. To reduce the destructive effects of stress and improve the quality of sleep, it is enough to consume the plant in question daily as part of a meal. For the treatment of severe cough or bronchitis, it is necessary to drink the infusion hot a couple of times a day.

Watercress in cosmetology

In the field of cosmetology, it is important to use oil, juice and directly fresh greens of the culture in question. All this allows you to significantly refresh and cleanse the skin, as well as improve the condition of the hair. In the treatment of problem skin, cosmetics with such an ingredient are especially valuable. In professional beauty salons, watercress is often used in combination with other herbal ingredients to prepare a cleansing serum.

Homemade mask recipes

A little patience is the main condition for preparing watercress-based cosmetics at home.

1. To cleanse oily skin, cut watercress leaves, pour water and simmer for 5 minutes, then cool and apply on face for 5 minutes.
2. For a similar purpose, you can use a mask of a teaspoon of honey, egg white and 2 tablespoons of crushed leaves.
3. For normal skin, mash 8-10 leaves, add 5-10 drops of lemon and a teaspoon of olive oil. Keep the mask for 10 minutes and wash off with a contrast wash.
4. A mixture of curdled milk and gruel of leaves in equal proportions helps to improve complexion and smooth out fine wrinkles. After applying the mask for 10 minutes, you need to wash your face and wipe your face with an ice cube.
5. Watercress with cream relieves flaking and soothes the skin. The ingredients must be mixed to a slurry state and applied for 15 minutes. Wash off in the same way.

Watercress does not cause any harm, except in cases of allergic reactions due to individual intolerance.

Watercress in cooking

In addition to the previously described combinations, it is worth mentioning the exotic way of preparing watercress by vegetarians. It is blanched and cooked with sugar and wine, adding oil dressing. No less successful are stews, sandwiches and cottage cheese casseroles. In addition to the benefits in this case, the decorative properties of the plant are also expressed. Fresh greens will harmoniously complement the traditional salad of unremarkable cabbage, cucumbers and onion rings. Finely chopped basil and parsley must also be added to such a dish, and sour cream or olive oil can be used as a dressing.

To prepare a meal with pumpkin seeds and watercress that is no less healthy for the body, you need to beat a spoonful of olive oil with the juice of half a lemon, add 3 grated carrots and a bunch of watercress. The top of the dish is sprinkled with two grated boiled eggs, pumpkin seeds fried in a frying pan with honey.

By planting seeds every 15 days, you can get the opportunity to consume vitamins all year round due to the rapid growth of leaves.

Fans of a healthy diet, for sure, know firsthand such a plant as watercress. Its benefits and harms to the body have been appreciated since ancient times, because, according to history, the ancient Egyptians, Greeks, and Romans knew about watercress. Why is this green spice so famous, and should you include it in your diet?

What is watercress

Even at the dawn of civilization, the beneficial properties of watercress were known to the ancient Egyptians. Much later, the ancient Romans and Greeks learned about the plant, and since the 18th century, its taste and healing properties have become available to the whole world. The plant is easily recognizable, thin stems and small leaves are characteristic of this greenery. There are three varieties of healthy greens: plants with whole leaves, common watercress with slightly cut leaves, and heavily cut leaves, which are very similar to parsley.

The color of the leaves is always almost green, occasionally there is green with a yellowish-green or bluish color. Lettuce does not require good growing conditions, it is productive and early ripening. It has useful dietary and nutritional properties.

Watercress or bedbug is called an annual plant (sometimes a biennial), which is a relative of cabbage - both belong to the Cruciferous family.

It is believed that the birthplace of watercress is Iran, but today its range is so extensive that you can find watercress as a weed in landfills, and along fences, and even on the embankment of the railway. You can easily recognize it: the plant is about half a meter high, naked, with sparse leaves covered with a bluish bloom. The flowers are very modest - white or slightly turning pink, small, appear in June-July, and by autumn pods appear - these are the fruits of watercress.

Chemical composition: vitamins and minerals, nutritional value

Despite the unpresentable "appearance", watercress is not so simple! It is a source of biologically active useful substances - vitamins and microelements. Moreover, watercress is useful in all its parts!

The plant occupies a leading place among greenery in terms of the amount of useful trace elements and vitamins. The leaves contain vitamins of groups A, B, C, E, K, minerals - phosphorus, iodine, calcium, potassium, magnesium, copper, sulfur, iron. A tart, pungent taste is imparted to it by essential mustard oil.

The fruits are rich in fatty oils. And the leaves are just a storehouse of usefulness. They have:

• salts of potassium and calcium;
• magnesium;
• iron;
• sulfur;
• copper;
• phosphorus.

Yes, and there are a lot of vitamins in watercress: ascorbic acid, B vitamins, carotene; there are rutin and essential oils in the leaves. Impressive?

Watercress: health benefits and harms

Why is watercress so highly valued? Its benefits are not small. He:

• stimulates appetite and digestion, stimulates appetite;
• normalizes sleep;
• normalizes blood pressure in hypertension;
• saturates the body with iodine;
• has a diuretic effect;
• is a natural antiseptic;
• removes toxins;
• helps with cataracts;
• relieves joint pain;
• helps to cope with diseases of the upper respiratory tract;
• serves as a good prevention of scurvy and periodontal disease.
• helps with insomnia
• lowers blood pressure,
• has choleretic properties,
• promotes wound healing
• has expectorant, anti-inflammatory and antimicrobial properties,
• reduces the risk of developing prostatitis,
• reduces pain and relieves swelling in inflammatory diseases of the joints,
• has a positive effect on depression, nervous excitability.

Studies have confirmed that eating greens reduces the chance of developing cataracts, and the juice and seeds are used for treatment. The juice squeezed from the leaves is useful for anemia, as a folk remedy for the treatment of the thyroid gland.

Watercress juice is used to gargle when coughing, it helps well with iron deficiency anemia. An infusion is prepared from the roots to help with fever.

If the seeds are crushed into powder, it will replace the usual mustard plasters. If the seed powder is mixed with animal fat (badger, goose) or ghee, then with such a “cream” you can quickly get rid of scabies, allergic rashes and eczema. It is also a good wound healing agent.

But in Ethiopia, watercress is used differently: oil is extracted from the plant, which is used to make soap, for lighting (like kerosene), and also for food.

However, people who suffer from hypotension should be more careful with watercress: the plant can reduce already low blood pressure to nothing!

Lettuce has a lot of useful properties, but there is also harm. It is not recommended to eat with gastritis, duodenitis, colitis, urolithiasis, exacerbation of peptic ulcer of the stomach and duodenum, flatulence, diarrhea.

For pregnant

Eating watercress while expecting a baby is very healthy! A small bunch of greens can replace the daily dose of pharmacy multivitamins. It compensates for the lack of iodine, folic acid, potassium and iron. And this means that the baby will receive enough oxygen and substances important for the development of the nervous system.

The use of watercress has a beneficial effect on the digestion of the expectant mother, relieves constipation. If you suffer from insomnia during pregnancy, eating watercress can normalize sleep.

In the last trimester, watercress, due to its diuretic effect, serves as an excellent prophylactic against edema.

When the baby is already born, you should not give up healthy greens. Saturating the mother's body with calcium and other beneficial trace elements and vitamins, watercress has a beneficial effect on milk production.

When losing weight

Keeping track of your weight is easy enough when the diet is rich in vegetables and herbs. That's why watercress in a diet should be given credit.

Watercress leaves normalize digestion, speed up metabolism, and all this is not at the expense of nutritional value. The plant, rich in vitamins and microelements, saturates the body with useful substances, which are so lacking in the diet. And watercress is surprisingly low in calories: 100 grams of greens contain 18 kilocalories in total!

I offer a recipe for a dietary, very vitamin and healthy snack - a green smoothie. It perfectly satisfies hunger and does not spoil the figure at all. We will need:

• half a liter of kefir;
• one avocado;
• half a lemon;
• parsley and dill in a small bunch;
• watercress - a bunch;
• leaf garlic - about five leaves;
• peppermint - a sprig;
• a little salt, black pepper and olive oil (to taste).

Peel and cut the avocado, pour slices with lemon juice, cut greens. Put the ingredients in a blender, pour kefir, chop. Pour into a glass, garnish with a mint sprig and a lemon wedge.

Beautiful, tasty, healthy!

Watercress: growing on the windowsill and in the open field

It is easy to grow a plant in open ground, it does not need special conditions. The greens are cold-resistant, loves damp shaded places. In a sunny place, the leaves coarsen, become small, flower stems are thrown out.

As soon as the snow melts, lettuce can be planted. During the summer season, I plant the next portion of seeds every 20 days in order to have useful greens of excellent quality. Who does not have a summer residence, you can grow a healthy salad in pots, boxes on a balcony or windowsill.

Do you know what is unique about watercress? It grows amazingly fast! And at the same time, it is not necessary to have a summer cottage to feast on fresh herbs all year round. You can arrange a mini-bed, where watercress will grow, on the windowsill! How to grow it indoors?

In winter, I arrange a miniature vegetable garden on the windowsill. In winter, we especially lack useful vitamins. Thus, it will give a good savings to the family budget, as well as a new hobby. If you do not want to mess with the ground, try planting seeds on a damp cloth.

First you need to stock up on a container where we will sow the seeds. It can be a plastic container or a bowl about 10 centimeters high. We fill it with soil in a layer of 6-7 centimeters. We make rows-grooves with a depth of 0.5 centimeters at a distance of 10 centimeters from each other. We sow lettuce seeds in the grooves, sprinkle with soil and water well. Don't forget to water regularly.

You can cover the box with seedlings with a film - so the seeds will sprout sooner. In a couple of weeks, your watercress on the windowsill will delight you with the first harvest.

By the way, growing watercress is also possible without soil - the seeds will germinate perfectly and give a bountiful harvest in the substrate - in ordinary cotton wool or a foam rubber sponge. To do this, the substrate must be laid out on the bottom of the growing box with a layer of 2 centimeters. Then the seeds are simply mixed with a glass of water and carefully poured into the substrate so that the seeds lie evenly. Then we just cover it for a day or two with cling film, and when the seeds sprout, we regularly water the seedlings.

It is easier and faster to grow seedlings. Scientists believe that sprouts contain the most biologically active substances. Sprinkle seeds on wet cotton wool or gauze, leave on a plate. Sprouts appear quickly, after about a week, they can be cut off, and the next seeds can be planted.

Use in cooking

How is watercress eaten, which can be grown even on a balcony or windowsill?

Salad greens have a spicy, rather pleasant taste, a bit like a radish. It is impossible to dry the leaves, as they lose all their benefits in this form. Therefore, they use salad only fresh. Greens are used as an ingredient in vegetable salads, as a seasoning for fish, meat and poultry, and are included in omelettes and soups.

I offer you a recipe for vitamin salad. Ingredients:

• a small bunch of watercress;
• large tomato;
• 2 garlic cloves;
• chili pepper - 1 pc.;
• a few sprigs of cilantro;
• Bulgarian pepper - 1 pc.;
• red onion;
• juice of half a lemon;
• olive oil - 3 tablespoons;
• salt and sugar to taste.

1. We wash all vegetables and herbs. Finely chop the chile, remove the seeds first, mix in a bowl with crushed garlic. Season with sugar, salt, pour lemon juice. We fill with oil. This is a salad dressing.
2. Cut the tomato into slices. Put the watercress on the dish, tomatoes on top. Onion cut into half rings, put on tomatoes. Top with finely chopped bell pepper and cilantro. Salt salad, pour dressing.

Fresh, with a spicy taste, light salad is a source of vitamins and good mood.

Medicinal properties and folk recipes

Perhaps, it is worth growing watercress already because they can be treated. I offer effective and proven health recipes with watercress.

Bath against rashes and acne:

• Pour half a glass of greens and watercress seeds with a liter of boiling water and hold on low heat for 15 minutes. The decoction can be poured into the bath or applied topically to treat, for example, the feet or hands.

Broth for colds for gargling:

• Pour boiling water (1 cup) 2 tablespoons of chopped lettuce and leave for an hour. Gargle every 3-4 hours with tonsillitis or other inflammatory processes of the nasopharynx.

Lotion for acne on the face:

• Chop up a tablespoon of lettuce. Pour 150 ml. vodka. Insist in a dark place for 2 weeks. Then filter. Dilute with boiled water 1:1. wipe the face in the morning and evening with a cotton swab.

Delicious, fresh, with a slight bitterness, watercress, the benefits and harms of which have been known for many centuries, is an excellent source of vitamins and minerals. Ease of cultivation allows you to enjoy this wonderful greenery all year round. Include watercress in your diet, and very soon you will notice a surge of energy and an improvement in well-being.

Lmoroshkina.ru

Benefits of Watercress

Watercress is an annual or biennial, herbaceous plant from the Klopovnik family, widely used in cooking and medicine. The appearance of the lettuce is a thin stem with lots of green leaves. The flowers of the plant can vary from white to pale purple.

Iran is considered the birthplace of watercress. Due to its taste and ease of cultivation, this vegetable is popular in almost every corner of the world. In Africa, a special variety of this vegetable was bred. It contains a large amount of oil, which is used as an independent medicine, as well as in the cosmetic and medical industries.

This salad contains a substance (phytonutrient) that is effective in the prevention and treatment of cancer. A positive trend in terms of preventing and stopping cancer has been identified with a daily intake of 80 grams of watercress daily.

In the course of the following studies, the anti-carcinogenic effect of this plant was also confirmed in relation to stomach cancer and lung cancer.

colorectal cancer. Although studies have shown conflicting results, scientists have concluded that dietary intake of folic acid, which is found in watercress, is beneficial in preventing colon cancer.

In relation to this statement, studies were conducted among smokers who were prescribed to eat 85 grams of fresh lettuce daily. In conclusion of this experiment, scientists confirmed that, in 22.9% of the subjects, cellular damage to the structure of white blood cells decreased. Also, when blood cells interacted with hydrogen peroxide, the harm was observed to be 9.4% lower than under normal conditions.

Cruciferous vegetables, like watercress, have a bitter taste. What is due to the phytochemical composition of these plants. In turn, the flavoids present in their composition stimulate the natural defense of body cells. In the same study, it is said that the anti-carcinogenic properties of this vegetable are explained by the content of antioxidants in it, in particular lutein and beta-carotene, and during the experiment an increased amount of them was found in the blood of the study participants.

Watercress contains more of this vitamin than an orange. This has a beneficial effect on the restoration of brain tissue, reduces the risk of damage to blood cells and helps prevent colds.

Other studies on the effects of vitamin C on the body have revealed its ability to improve vision and act as a prophylactic in the fight against cataracts.

Watercress, like other vegetables in the cruciferous and cabbage family, has a positive effect on thyroid health. In particular, they help reduce thyroid hormones. Raw watercress is most beneficial. It is also allowed to consume it in a slightly fried form.

In addition to the rich vitamin composition, watercress contains secondary metabolites. These organic substances help reduce the risk of many chronic diseases. Also, plants from the cruciferous family have a beneficial effect on lowering cholesterol, which in turn reduces the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases (atherosclerosis and other chronic heart diseases). The high content of vitamin C in this plant helps to reduce damage to heart tissue, and is also actively involved in the formation of new cardiac myocyte cells, which helps improve heart health.

Daily consumption of foods containing a large amount of calcium, which include watercress, helps to reduce the occurrence of diseases associated with the condition of the bones. By increasing the production of osteoblasts and cells responsible for “repairing” and strengthening bones, with daily consumption of cruciferous vegetables, the risk of such a disease as osteoporosis is significantly reduced. Also, this salad is a rich source of folic acid, which improves the absorption of nutrients for and helps maintain normal bone density.

Folic acid plays a very important role in the daily maintenance of the overall health of the body, as well as in the prevention of many diseases. Watercress is a source of folic acid for the health of the body. Daily consumption of this product helps to cope with diseases such as: depression, stroke, breast and colon cancer, osteoporosis, cognitive decline and neural tube defects in children.

The content of folic acid in the body affects the general mood of a person. Its low level can cause a decrease in appetite or excessive alcohol consumption, which in turn can lead to depression. An analysis of 19 studies involving 15,315 participants found that low folic acid levels increase the risk of depression. Folic acid is involved in the body's production of the neurotransmitter serotonin, which is often referred to as the "good mood harmon".

Studies in which 662 adults took part revealed a beneficial effect in the consumption of foods high in folic acid in the prevention of stroke. In this regard, it is recommended to include watercress in the diet for people at risk of stroke.

Folic acid is essential for the development of a healthy embryo as it plays an important role in normal cell division. A daily intake of at least 400 micrograms of folic acid in pregnant women is indicated for the normal development of the neural tube of the fetus. Watercress, with its high folic acid content, may help reduce the risk of such conditions during pregnancy.

Studies have shown that its participants, aged 7 to 50 years, consuming up to 800 micrograms of folic acid daily, revealed a beneficial effect on the state of memory, oral speech and an increase in overall mental performance.

Consuming foods rich in vitamin C helps prevent Alzheimer's disease-related brain changes and also repairs brain tissue. Watercress, as a plant enriched with this vitamin, contributes to the treatment of consequences after traumatic brain injury and plays an important role in the neuronal activity of the body.

Studies of the effect of vitamins C and E on reducing oxidative damage to red blood cells have shown that the consumption of foods rich in these vitamins, such as watercress, is an effective means of improving blood composition.

Research scientists have shown that watercress juice helps to alleviate the symptoms of childhood asthma. Its daily use clears the bronchi, improves breathing, prevents coughing and relieves asthma attacks.

Watercress does not have any strict contraindications. It should be used with caution, people with individual intolerance to this product. Watercress is not recommended for:

chem-polezno.com

Cross salad useful properties

Calories: 32 kcal.

The energy value of the product Watercress (Proportion of proteins, fats, carbohydrates):

Proteins: 2.6 g (~10 kcal) Fats: 0.7 g (~6 kcal) Carbohydrates: 4.4 g (~18 kcal)

Energy ratio (b|g|y): 33%|20%|55%

Watercress: properties

How much does Watercress cost (average price per 1 kg.)?

Moscow and Moscow region 333 r.

Watercress, being an annual herbaceous plant, at the time of its maximum growth reaches a height of 50 centimeters, but this rarely happens, since it is eaten in a very young state. Watercress can be called a unique culture, because it is of interest not only to gardeners, but also to culinary specialists. Interestingly, this type of lettuce does not require special care, so it is often grown on the windowsill in a city apartment. It grows wonderfully in ordinary pots, side by side with house plants. In food, it is almost always used in its raw form, due to the fact that in dried form, the beneficial properties of watercress are lost, and its peculiar aroma is not best converted into an unpleasant odor.

Gourmets claim that watercress is able to turn any dish into an exquisite delicacy. Green lettuce sprouts are used in the preparation of various salads and cold soups. It is also good as a seasoning or garnish for fish and meat dishes, cheese, sausages. Enriching food with vitamins, watercress improves the taste of potatoes, scrambled eggs or scrambled eggs.

The benefits of watercress

It is no secret that this small plant hides a great vitality. The benefits of watercress lie in the content of such vital mineral salts as potassium, calcium, iron, copper and magnesium, along with vitamins K, E, C, B, D and A. Recently, watercress has been ranked among the foods that have anti-cancer properties. European scientists say that eating this salad can prevent damage to blood cells, therefore, save us from such a terrible disease as blood cancer. I would love to believe them.

Given the fact that watercress has a slight diuretic effect, the use of this plant is very useful for hypertensive patients. By the way, even in ancient times, men used watercress with pleasure before going on a romantic date, as they believed that it was a good aphrodisiac and a stimulant to maintain potency.

Watercress has not bypassed the area of ​​beauty, that is, cosmetology, where this plant is very respectful. The extract of young sprouts is often an important component of many cosmetic products that act on the epidermis as an antioxidant. For aging skin, the benefits of watercress are manifested by daily wiping the face with ice cubes made from a mixture of mineral water and this wonderful juice.

Harm of watercress

The harm of watercress to consumers is practically unknown and can affect only in case of individual rejection of this food product, expressed in various allergic reactions.

Product proportions. How many grams?

in 1 bundle 50 grams

The nutritional value

Spices

Watercress: composition, benefits and properties, application

If you ask botanists what watercress is, they will say it is an annual cruciferous herb, and that would be the correct answer. However, for people far from science, it is important that this herb is very easy to grow - anywhere and at any time of the year, and add it to various dishes, which become much tastier and healthier from this. And in fact, watercress can be grown even in a city apartment in winter - on the windowsill, and please yourself and your family with delicious fresh herbs.

Meanwhile, watercress has been known to people since ancient times, and its history is no less rich than its vitamin and mineral composition.

Even in ancient Greek and Roman chronicles, the beneficial properties of this edible herb are described; Hippocrates claimed that watercress had healing properties - it cleanses the blood and restores vitality to the sick. In ancient Egypt, watercress seed oil was used to treat sexual coldness in men and women, with good results. In the Middle Ages, lettuce began to be grown in Europe, and it was especially loved in Germany.

There are several types of watercress: there is curly, with heavily cut leaves, ripening very quickly; there is a whole-leaved one - it is larger and ripens late; sowing watercress belongs to the early ripening varieties, and is better known - its leaves are large and poorly dissected. The color of lettuce leaves is different: yellowish-green, green or slightly bluish.

Many people like watercress because its taste is spicy, spicy, bitter and slightly spicy: to some it resembles horseradish - and it is called horseradish, and to some - mustard, and botanists believe that the taste of this plant is mixed.

In the spring, watercress grows earlier than many green vegetables, since it is not afraid of frosts, it is undemanding to soils, and it grows very quickly.

Composition of watercress

The chemical composition of all varieties of this salad is almost the same, and has only minor differences, so you can choose any variety for yourself and grow it for your pleasure.

There are a lot of vitamins and other useful substances in watercress, and their combinations have developed very well. These are carotene, vitamins A, E, C, K, D, PP, B vitamins - almost everything; minerals - phosphorus, calcium, magnesium, iron, iodine; proteins, sugars, carbohydrates, essential oils, propsoline glycoside and lepidin alkaloid, flavonoids and fatty oil.

The benefits and properties of watercress

What properties of watercress are useful for us? If you use it regularly, it does a lot of good in our body: improves appetite and regulates digestion, removes toxins and toxins, normalizes blood pressure.

In folk medicine, it has long been used as a tonic and anti-inflammatory agent, as well as a diuretic, expectorant, sedative, wound healing, anti-sclerotic.

Watercress has antioxidant properties, relieves depression and improves sleep.

Lettuce leaves in folk medicine treated wounds and ulcers, burns, skin diseases; colds - especially bronchitis and persistent cough; cholelithiasis; pain in the joints.

As an aid watercress was used in the treatment of prostatitis and cancer. Men were encouraged to consume unripe plant seeds or their alcohol tincture - it was believed that this increases sexual activity.

Modern medicine has found substances in watercress that ensure the integrity of the structure of blood cells - thus, the likelihood of developing blood cancer when eating lettuce is sharply reduced.

Decoctions, tinctures and infusions are prepared from the seeds, leaves and roots of watercress, oil is made using fresh or dried plants. There is usually no shortage of fresh leaves, since it is easy to grow lettuce - you can use it as early as a week after the sprouts appear. The simplest thing is to eat watercress 2-4 times a day, or drink juice - 1-2 tablespoons each, but regularly, almost every day - this will already improve health and get a therapeutic effect.

For the treatment of acne and pustules, fresh lettuce chopped into gruel is used - it is applied to the affected areas and fixed with bandages. For dandruff, fresh juice is rubbed into the scalp, and for skin problems, it is added to bath water.

With edema, mastopathy, prostatitis, redness and peeling of the skin, lettuce juice is taken orally, and at the same time compresses are made on problem areas with its chopped greens.

For colds, you can put mustard plasters, in which, instead of mustard, watercress seed powder is used.

An ointment prepared on the basis of lettuce is applied externally, as well as oil prepared from its seeds. It will not be possible to cook watercress oil in its pure form at home, since this requires special equipment, but you can infuse the seeds in vegetable oil. Oil should be 2 times more than seeds.

To prepare an ointment, the dried leaves or roots of watercress are ground into powder and mixed with fat or petroleum jelly - 1: 3. Both oil and ointment should be kept in a warm place for at least a week before use.

Instead of juice, you can use infusions and decoctions of watercress. To cook them, you need to take 3 tbsp. fresh leaves, or 2 tbsp. dry, and brew them with a glass of boiling water. The infusion is ready when the brewed leaves stand for 2-3 hours in a warm place or in a thermos.

To get a decoction, you need to bring the leaves to a boil, simmer for 5-7 minutes on low heat, and then cool. Take before meals, 1/3 cup; if you suffer from insomnia or anxiety, then they also drink before bedtime.

You can just eat a salad every day, and then sleep will improve, and the destructive effects of stress will decrease.

With bronchitis and a strong cough, a decoction or infusion is drunk hot, several times a day. Due to the high iodine content, watercress maintains normal activity of the thyroid gland, preventing the development of endocrine diseases. If you combine the use of watercress with juices while dieting for weight loss, then the weight is reduced much easier, and at the same time the body is not harmed - the salad compensates for the lack of other products and saturates, eliminating the feeling of hunger.

To prevent periodontal disease and other dental diseases, you need to eat young watercress every day; you can eat sprouted seeds instead of greens.

Watercress in cosmetology

In cosmetology, both watercress itself and its juice and oil are used: all these derivatives are good for skin and hair care - the hair becomes healthy and beautiful, and the skin is cleansed and refreshed. The use of masks with watercress is especially effective for acne and pimples. In beauty salons, it is used in combination with other plant components as part of anti-inflammatory serums.

Homemade watercress masks

At home, it is also easy to make masks with watercress and other products, if you show a little patience. Of course, all components of the masks must be fresh.

With contaminated and oily skin covered with acne, a mask of fresh boiled lettuce leaves is useful.

Washed and chopped leaves are poured with water so that they are barely covered, and boiled for about 5 minutes over low heat, then cooled and applied to the face for 5 minutes. Wash off the mask with water at room temperature.

For oily skin, a mask of freshly crushed watercress leaves with egg white and honey is suitable.

Mix 2 tbsp. chopped greens with honey (1 tsp) and one protein, and apply on the face for 10-12 minutes. Wash with water at room temperature.

With normal skin, fresh lettuce leaves (8-10 pieces) are mashed, olive oil (1 tsp) and lemon juice (5-10 drops) are added. Apply to the face and keep for about 10 minutes. Wash off first with warm and then cool water.

Smoothes fine wrinkles and improves the complexion of a mask of gruel lettuce leaves (2 tablespoons) and the same amount of curdled milk. Mix the ingredients thoroughly and apply on the face for 10 minutes. Rinse off as in the previous mask. You can wipe the skin with an ice cube.

Soothes the skin and removes peeling mask from salad with cream. Shredded lettuce leaves (3-4 pieces) are mixed with heavy cream and rubbed until gruel is obtained. Apply on the face for 10-12 minutes. Wash off as described above.

Watercress in cooking

In cooking, watercress has been used for a long time and very widely, but in Russia it is not yet as popular as, for example, in Western Europe: there it is combined with meat and fish dishes, soups, salads, soufflés, gravies and sauces, seasoning for second courses and cold appetizers. They like to eat salad raw, and vegetarians also blanch it, cook it with wine and sugar, with oil dressings.

You can cook stews, cottage cheese casseroles and omelettes with watercress, and sandwiches with it are not only tasty and low in calories - they are very beautiful and look great on the table. Dishes with watercress are very suitable for those who want to get rid of a few kilograms of excess weight.

Many people think that watercress dishes are boring and monotonous, but they can decorate any holiday table, and also easily become part of the daily menu.

Ordinary cabbage salad will become bright and appetizing if you add fresh watercress to it. Finely chopped parsley and basil are mixed with finely chopped cabbage, onion rings, cucumbers and watercress, poured with olive oil or seasoned with sour cream - a tasty and healthy salad is ready. Instead of salt, it is better to use the juice of sour fruits or berries.

A more satisfying and nutritious, but no less healthy dish would be a salad with the addition of pumpkin seeds. First, prepare the dressing: beat the juice of half a lemon in a salad bowl with 1 tbsp. olive oil; then add 3 carrots, grated on a fine grater, a bunch of watercress and mix. Top with boiled eggs (2 pcs.), grated on a coarse grater. A few drops of vegetable oil are poured into the pan, pumpkin seeds (1 tbsp) are poured, fried for 2 minutes, then honey (1 tsp) is added, removed and sprinkled over the salad.

Fresh lettuce can be eaten all winter if the seeds are sown every 12-15 days. Watercress leaves grow back quickly, so they can be constantly cut and added to a variety of dishes, turning them into healthy and delicious delicacies.

Gataulina Galina

Watercress. Beneficial features. Growing on a windowsill

Irina17.03.2014 Watercress. Beneficial features. Growing on a windowsill

Dear readers, I have news for you. I hope they are pleasant. In the near future, we will discuss on my blog how you can grow greens on your windowsill. How do you like this idea? I like her very much. We all understand perfectly well that spring is the time when we need to reinforce ourselves, our loved ones with vitamins and microelements. And not everyone has the opportunity to do this in summer cottages, and it is still far from growing greenery on them. I suggest that all of us now turn our window sill into such a small vegetable garden. And strengthen the immune system, and please the eye. After all, to see how greenery appears before your eyes at home is always wonderful. It's great if you involve your children in this activity. It will also be useful for them to learn and see everything.

After reading all the information, you can grow everything yourself, ask questions if something doesn’t work out for you, get answers, and also participate in the Windowsill Garden contest, which I plan to host on my blog. I will publish the conditions of the competition in the very near future, but for now, take your camera and start taking pictures of all your steps. From planting greenery to the moment of harvest. I'm smiling. But I think the idea is clear. The competition will be very simple, accessible to everyone. All prizes are cash.

How will everything happen now? We will grow watercress, green onions, parsley, dill and spinach. If you don't like something, don't worry. Choose for yourself only what will be useful and interesting to you.

And Alena Fedorenchik will acquaint and teach all of us the intricacies of growing greens. She will help all of us with advice if something is not clear. Alena maintains her website At the Family Table This project is dedicated to the topic of family meals and how they can be used to strengthen family relationships, primarily the attachment of children to their parents.

1. watercress,
2. green onion,
3. parsley, dill and spinach.

And at the end of the cycle of such articles, you will also find many useful things from Alena. I won't talk about everyone now. Follow the articles in the "Garden on the windowsill" section. I pass the floor to Alena.

And I want to start, perhaps, with the easiest plant to grow - watercress. Let me tell you a little about its useful properties.

Watercress. Beneficial features.

Despite the rather nondescript appearance - a long stem with a small bunch of leaves at the top - this plant is rich in many useful substances. Watercress contains salts of calcium, iron, phosphorus, iodine, potassium and others, mustard essential oil (this is what gives the plant its characteristic taste and smell), B vitamins and a large percentage of vitamin C. Thanks to the latter, watercress is even used as an antiscorbutic agent . Watercress also helps to improve sleep, appetite and digestion, to cope with coughs and even high blood pressure. Plus, it has an antimicrobial effect, due to which it is used in traditional medicine (as part of ointments) for wound healing.

Well, I hope I have already inspired you to try growing this wonderful plant at home. And now I’ll tell you how we can grow watercress at home.

Watercress. Growing on a windowsill. Photo

Watercress is remarkable in that you don't even have to use soil to grow it. In fact, you can use any dish (plate, bowl, plastic container), on the bottom of which a substrate is placed - cotton wool, a sponge and even a paper towel are suitable as such. I myself germinated my first cress seeds on a paper towel.

So what needs to be done:

• we take the substrate we have at home from those listed above,
• we lay it on the bottom of the selected dish with a layer of at least 1.5-2 cm,
• we saturate it with water (it is best to take already settled tap water) - not much, because we will add more water when sowing.

Our base for sowing is ready. Next, we take the watercress seeds themselves, pour them into a container and pour a small amount of water. You will see: the water will, as it were, enclose each grain in a shell - this is done in order to evenly distribute the seeds, because they are sown densely. And then we just carefully pour the water along with the seeds onto our prepared surface, trying to ensure that the seeds lie on it in one row and more or less evenly.

You don't need to do anything else with the seeds themselves. We cover our container on top with cling film or an ordinary plastic bag to create a greenhouse effect, and put it on the windowsill away from the battery and in a semi-shaded place (cress doesn’t need a lot of light and doesn’t really like heat either).

Watercress seeds hatch quite quickly - usually within a day, and sprouts appear after another day. Then we remove the film and then we just take care of the seedlings: we water them regularly (watercress loves moisture very much), spray them with water from a spray bottle to increase humidity, and turn around the axis by 180o daily so that the stems do not stretch in one direction.

Watercress is usually ready to eat about 2 weeks after sowing, when the stems reach a height of 6-8 cm.

As you can see, everything is quite simple.

How to grow watercress in soil?

If you want to do everything by the rules and grow watercress in the soil, then here's what you need:

1. Flower pot - plastic or ceramic, the main thing is that there are holes in the bottom for excess water to drain. For cress, you can choose low pots, because it does not need a high layer of soil.

2. Drainage - it is placed on the bottom of the pot 2-3 cm high.

3. It is advisable to take the soil itself, which contains vermicompost. I personally took just universal.

The soil is poured onto the drainage with a layer of 2-4 cm, and cress seeds are poured onto it, in the same way as described above.

Then the seeds are sprinkled with a thin layer of soil - 0.5-1 cm, which is still slightly moistened, and also covered with a film. We do everything else in exactly the same way as in the first option described above. The only thing is that sprouts may appear a day later, because. they still need to grow through a layer of soil. And when we remove the film, then the care of our watercress will also be no different from that described above in the first version.

Actually, this is all you need to know for the successful cultivation of watercress. I just want to add that watercress does not re-grow after cutting, so, to get a continuous harvest, it is usually sown every 10-14 days (it can be in the same soil, it can be in a new pot).

Good luck with your growing!

I want to thank Alena for such a master class. Just a miracle! Everything is so step by step, detailed, everything is very clear. Just don't be lazy.

Audio - supplement to the magazine "Fragrances of happiness".

Dear readers, do you know what else there is news for all of us? An audio supplement to our spring issue "Fragrances of Happiness" has been released. I hope you are familiar with our magazine. If not yet, be sure to subscribe to it. And you will immediately receive our latest number in the mail. You can look through it, download it to your computer, and now also listen to it for those who do not have time. You can subscribe to our magazine here: http://irinazaytseva.ru/aromatu_s4astia We also put beauty and sincerity into the subscription page. For a long time I was looking for something that would personally please me. I hope you too. It's nice that subscribers write to me: “Irina, I look at your page, as if spellbound. This music has been playing for an hour, and I can't get enough of it. Thank you". How I love those words.

Our magazine was voiced by Yulia Gabdulina and Ekaterina Gerasimova. One article was voiced by the author, Lyudmila Potsepun.

All subscribers of the magazine will receive a link to download the audio application. If you have not subscribed to the magazine yet, then you can do it on the subscription page http://irinazaytseva.ru/aromatu_s4astia I wish you a pleasant viewing and listening to all the articles of our magazine.

My sincere gift for today George Davidson Marriage D "Amour Wonderful music and beautiful video.

I wish you all health, joy, new pleasant spring troubles.

www.polzaverd.ru

Watercress: useful properties and contraindications.

Very popular all over the world and still only gaining popularity in our country, watercress has unique beneficial properties. If you lead a healthy lifestyle and care about your health, feel free to include this wonderful herb in your diet. Watercress can not only be bought at the store, but also grown in the warm season in the country or year-round at home on the windowsill.

Description of Watercress: Watercress is an annual herbaceous plant of the Cruciferous family. This herb and its beneficial properties have been known to people since antiquity. Watercress is unpretentious in cultivation, grows quickly and tolerates frosts well. There are many varieties of watercress, which differ somewhat from each other in appearance (in the shape and color of the leaves). The taste of watercress is slightly spicy, spicy, to some it resembles horseradish, to some - radishes, and to some - mustard. Watercress is consumed fresh, as well as salads, soups, sauces, omelettes, sandwiches, combined with fish and meat dishes. Experts of both traditional and official medicine recommend regular use of watercress.

The composition of watercress: The composition of watercress includes vitamins A, D, E, C, K, PP, group B, essential oils, flavonoids, sugars, fatty acids, dietary fiber, macro- and microelements: iron, calcium, potassium , phosphorus, iodine, magnesium, manganese, selenium and other minerals.

Calorie content of watercress: The calorie content of watercress is about 30 kcal per 100g of product.

Useful properties of watercress:

• Regular consumption of watercress perfectly strengthens the immune system.

• Watercress reduces the likelihood of occurrence and development of cancer.

• It has a good effect on the heart and blood vessels, helps to normalize blood pressure,

• Watercress has a beneficial effect on the thyroid gland and the endocrine system.

• Useful for the respiratory system, helps to cleanse the respiratory tract, has an expectorant effect. It is recommended for people suffering from asthma and other broncho-pulmonary diseases, as well as quitting smoking.

• Watercress helps the proper functioning of the digestive system, normalizes appetite, improves metabolism, helps to eliminate toxins and toxins from the body.

• Watercress strengthens the nervous system, helps to cope with stress and depression, improves sleep, improves mood.

• Regular use of this wonderful herb is a good prevention of diseases of the teeth and gums.

• Protects against eye diseases, including cataracts.

• Experts recommend including watercress in the diet of overweight people.

• Regular use of watercress improves the condition of the skin.

Watercress contraindications: Watercress is contraindicated in case of individual intolerance, as well as during exacerbation of gastritis and peptic ulcer.

Eat watercress with pleasure and be healthy! For the benefits, composition and possible harm of other products, see the "Useful Products" page.

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