Watercress (Apricot officinalis)

Common watercress and medicinal watercress, spring watercress, watercress, watercress, watercress, watercress, watercress, bruncress. All these names refer to the same species from the genus Asparagus of the Cabbage family. In addition to this herb, eight other species belong to the genus "Zhrusha".

Watercress is a perennial, fast-growing, aquatic-semi-aquatic plant, since ancient times known as a herbaceous vegetable. Despite the fact that it was popular in the Roman Empire, and in the Middle Ages in France and the German states, it was introduced into culture only in the 19th century.

The attitude to this plant in different countries has developed differently. In some, watercress is regarded as a weed or aquatic plant, and in some it is widely cultivated as a very useful herb.

Outwardly, it looks like this:

• The stem is thick, hollow. Reaches 50-60 cm in length.
• Shoots usually hang decoratively from the main stem.
• The leaves are green, fleshy, often heart-shaped.
• The flowers are collected at the top in an umbrella-shaped inflorescence. Sepals of one form 2-3 mm long. The petals themselves are small and white, 4-5 mm long, with marigolds. Short stamens have honey glands, shaped like a horseshoe. Anthers are yellow.
• Fetus. After flowering, the fruit appears in the form of a short convex pod. Inside it, on both sides, are oblong seeds.
• Blooms from May to August.

Pharmacy asparagus can be found in wild places and cultivated in the beds.

In the natural environment, it grows:

• in the Azores and Canary Islands.
• in European states.
• Central Asia and Pakistan.
• In Russia: in the Caucasian and Dagestan foothills.

In African countries: Algeria, Egypt, Libya, Tunisia, Morocco.

Grown in the following countries:

• IN THE USA.
• In Paraguay and Venezuela of South America.
• In many European countries (England, France, Germany).

Watercress is a plant that loves water and moisture. In the wild, it grows in flowing streams, swamps, reservoirs, on the banks of rivers, near the seas. At home, for planting watercress, artificial ditches are made at least 50 cm deep, which must be constantly filled with water.

• The aerial part of watercress is used only fresh, as it is believed that when dried, it may lose its properties. Green leaves and seeds are used to make the spice. The taste of the leaves is tart and bitter, and the smell is sharp, similar to the smell of horseradish. When combined with mint and rosemary, a very savory mixture is obtained that enhances the taste of fish and meat dishes.
• Roots are usually harvested in autumn. Dry at a temperature of at least 40-45°C. A tincture is made from the roots. The seeds can also be used to make a spice. The taste is reminiscent of mustard. They are harvested after maturation. Can be used in tinctures or added fresh to salads and sauces.

The asp has the following features:

• It is considered a very useful and dietary food product.
• The taste is bitter and tart, reminiscent of horseradish-like radish and mustard.
• This grass is fast-growing, frost-resistant, moisture-demanding and shade-tolerant.Only with an abundance of moisture gives tender greenery, and when grown in the ground, it quickly passes to stalking, and to flowering, as a result, it loses its medicinal qualities.

The water walker is rich in mineral microelements and vitamins.

It is used in various forms:

• In the process of cooking: as a spice, vegetable, juice.
• In medicine for:
• improving the functioning of the circulatory system;
• destruction of intestinal parasites;
• treatment of diseases of the stomach;
• disinfection of the oral cavity;
• and for skin problems.

To avoid irritation of the mucous membrane of the stomach and kidneys, when using watercress, a number of rules should be observed:

• You can not take it too often and in large volumes.
• Be sure to drink only water.
• The most optimal dose is to drink one teaspoon no more than three to four times a day (with 30 ml of water).

Oil from medicinal watercress in many ways resembles mustard oil. It is made from the seeds of the water gooseberry. This oil is enriched with various acids: oleic, palmitic, linolenic, etc.

From fresh watercress you can squeeze out a "magic drink" - juice. It is called magical, since the juice of the rezhukha is highly enriched with minerals, especially such as sulfur.

This juice is able to treat:

• burns;
• lipomas;
• warts;
• polyps and other skin diseases.

From the water walker you can cook a decoction that cures diseases:

• thyroid gland;
• liver and kidneys (from cholelithiasis);
• skin;
• circulatory system (from anemia).

Such a decoction is also useful for rheumatism, gout and even diabetes.

Pharmaceutical watercress juice cleanses the intestines well, which is why it cannot be taken in a separate form.

Take fresh watercress juice in 30 ml of water 30-60 drops 3-4 times a day after meals.

• It cleanses, restores and improves the functioning of the circulatory system.
• It helps very thin people with anemia and low blood pressure.
• It is an effective remedy for hemorrhoids. The mixture is able to dissolve even hemorrhoids and remove other types of tumors.
• To restore the body, you need to take such a mixture for several months (from 1 to 6), and at the same time exclude products from flour, meat and sugar from the diet.
• The combination of rhubarb juice, parsley, carrot juice and potatoes is a valuable remedy for emphysema. It contains a large amount of phosphorus and chlorine.

Watercress was used as a vegetable in ancient Rome.

Now it is accepted:

• Raw, like spice, vegetable.
• Dried as a condiment.
• Boiled.
• In the form of oil.
• in the form of juices.

Each part of this plant has its own use in cooking:

• Green leaves are added to salads, soups, sauces and toppings, fish and meat dishes as a spice. At the same time, their taste is slightly burning, bitter, and the aroma is sharp, but pleasant, similar to the smell of horseradish. They can be combined with other spices. For example, in combination with rosemary and mint, you get a rather savory mixture of spices that can improve and add some spice to many dishes. Juices are also made from fresh green leaves. The leaves are dried, salted and even pickled, but many properties are lost.
• The seeds can be used to make a mustard substitute and mustard oil.
• Snack pastes, spices and mashed potatoes are prepared from the shoots. To taste, the shoots, aged in boiling water for 5 minutes, resemble radishes.
• Roots are often used for therapeutic and prophylactic purposes. They make decoctions and infusions. It is an official food product in European countries (Switzerland, Italy, France) and South American countries (Brazil).

Here are some watercress recipes:

Would need: 3 handfuls of chopped watercress, one tablespoon of olive oil, 2 handfuls of chopped onions, 300 grams of mashed potatoes, ½ red hot pepper, 1.5 cups of vegetable or chicken broth (400 ml).

Cooking method:

• Fry the onion in olive oil for a few minutes. Add a pinch of salt and ground pepper.
• Add pre-cooked mashed potatoes.
• Wash the pepper, carefully remove the stones and cut into small pieces. Put the pepper to the fried onion.
• Pour in the broth. Boil.
• Chop the watercress leaves and add to the pot.
• Blend with a food processor or mixer.
• Reheat and add seasoning.
• Before serving, you can decorate, for example, chives.

You will need: a bunch of watercress leaves, two pieces of orange, 2 tablespoons of olive oil.

Cooking method:

• Grate the outer rind of the oranges. Use a fine grater.
• Remove the white peel from the oranges and cut them into slices so that the current juice of the oranges also gets into the bowl.
• Make a dressing with olive oil and one tablespoon of orange juice.
• Add grated orange peel, a pinch of sugar to the filling.
• Then salt and pepper.
• Finely chop a bunch of watercress. Add watercress to filling and stir.
• Arrange orange slices and drizzle with dressing.

You will need: 400 grams of salmon fillet, 55 grams of watercress, and 2 tablespoons of sesame seeds.

Cooking method:

• To prepare the dressing, you need to foam 110 ml of grape vinegar and 55 g of sunflower oil.
• Add 55 g of pre-crushed cress leaves. Leave alone to insist.
• Take 400 grams salmon fillet and cut into 2 pieces. Lubricate them with vegetable oil and season with seasonings.
• Fry in a hot pan on both sides.
• Take a medium-sized bowl or plate and pour the cress leaves in the center.
• Put the fillet on top of the leaves. Sprinkle sesame seeds. Pour over prepared filling.

Would need: brun-cress leaves, 55 grams of butter, a bunch of green onions, one large cucumber.

To cook, you first need to melt the butter, then cut a bunch of onions and pour into the butter. Remove pits and cut cucumber into small pieces. Pour it into oil. When the cucumber becomes soft, add watercress leaves. Salt and pepper. Pour 1 liter of water. You can use broth instead of water. Boil, keep on fire for another five minutes. Using a mixer or food processor and beat. Can be served cold and warm. Serve warm with sour cream.

Would need: 1 tablespoon olive oil, half a lemon, a bunch of watercress, 3 pieces of carrots, two boiled eggs, sunflower oil (or any other vegetable oil), peeled pumpkin seeds, honey.

First, whisk in the lemon juice and olive oil. Then add chopped watercress. Grate carrots. Finely chop the boiled eggs. Add carrots and boiled eggs to watercress. After that, heat a frying pan with cottonseed oil. Sprinkle with pumpkin seeds (1 tablespoon is enough). Fry 2 minutes. Put a teaspoon of honey and remove from heat.Sprinkle again with seeds and the salad is ready.

Would need: cream cheese 75 g, shrimp 59 g, 8 slices of bread, seasoning.

Clean and cut the shrimp. Stir in cream cheese. Season and spread 4 slices of bread with this mixture. Sprinkle with crushed watercress leaves. Place a slice of bread on top. Divide the resulting sandwiches with a knife diagonally into 4 parts. It turns out very satisfying triangles-sandwiches.

The composition of pharmacy asparagus is striking in its enrichment and combination of vitamins and various minerals. Traditional medicine recommends taking watercress fresh and raw, because only in this way its beneficial properties are better preserved.

Due to its composition, this miracle herb helps with various disorders of the human body:

• Watercress helps with improper metabolism in the body.
• It is able to purify and improve the condition of the blood, treat anemia.
• To remove sand from the bladder and kidneys, drink its juice.
• Such juice is also indispensable for gastric catarrh, pyelonephritis, pyelitis, nephritis.
• Effectively acts as a laxative.
• Removes worms from the intestines.
• For disorders of the nervous system, thyroid gland, rheumatism, oncological diseases, cress decoction is prescribed.
• Zherukha is taken even for obesity. Useful for diabetes.
• Watercress seeds are an effective treatment for impotence. Assign 1 teaspoon three times a day.
• An ointment based on rezhukha helps with burns, acne, warts, corns, etc.
• It can cleanse the body of harmful substances, toxins.
• It is used in the treatment of fever and scurvy.

Pour 30 g of fresh watercress leaves with a liter of boiling water.Let it brew for two hours. Strain and take 250 ml (1 cup) twice a day.

20 g of fresh flowers and leaves pour 250 ml of boiling water. Leave in a boiling water bath for 30 minutes. Refrigerate without removing. Strain. Take 3 times a day, 2 tablespoons after meals.

Take 70% alcohol and fresh waterweed roots. Approximate ratio: 1:5. Leave to brew for 15 days. Take the mixture as follows: 30-40 drops per 50 ml of water at a single dose. The dose can be increased, but not immediately, up to 40-60 drops in 1 dose.

The following varieties of watercress are grown:

• Podmoskovny.
• broad-leaved.
• Portuguese.
• Improved.

As already noted, the common watercress loves high humidity.

Grows in places like:

• ditches;
• springs;
• streams;
• reservoirs;
• banks of rivers and seas;
• foothills;
• swamps and other places with high humidity.

You can also cultivate watercress at home. If you live in an apartment, it is enough to take a small dish, put cotton wool in it, wet the cotton wool and pour seeds into it. After about 7 days, shoots about 7 cm high appear. After that, you need to cut off the leaves and sow new seeds. Instead of dishes, wooden boxes or flower pots are also suitable. Watercress is a plant that does not require care, but loves shade and moisture very much. Both seeds and cuttings are suitable for growing in the yard or in the garden. Plant in March in a greenhouse, and after 2 weeks in open soil. Be sure to dig irrigation grooves between rows. The temperature in the greenhouse should be kept between +15 and 25°C.

As you know, watercress is cultivated in different regions, but this plant is especially loved in Europe and the United States of America.

In England, watercress was first cultivated by gardener William Bradbury in 1808 from Kent. He grew his crops on the banks of the Ebbsfleet River. Since then, this herbaceous vegetable has spread to other counties in the UK: Hertfordshire, Hampshire, Wiltshire and Dorset. Now cress can be found on the shelves of supermarkets in England and some other European countries. Festivals are held in honor of this plant in the city of Alresford. A railway line was even named after brunkress.

Even the so-called "watercress capital of the world" is known. It is located in the US state of Alabama. In the 1940s. Huntsville has been nicknamed the "watercress capital of the world". Today, the city of Oviedo, Florida in the United States is considered the watercress capital, and for the British, Alresford remains their watercress capital.