What is the cress seed?

Cress seed

The Garden Cress is scientifically known as Lepidium sativum, and its names are also known as letter, rhyme, watercolor, praise, and chili pepper. Cress seed grows spontaneously on the edges of rivers and lakes, which is perfectly suitable for all soil and climate. It is a herbaceous plant of up to 50 cm long with variable leaves. It can be either chopped, whole or mixed. Cress seed belongs to the platoon, which also collects cabbage, mustard, turnip, radish, and to guide small white flowers and small red oval seeds color, taste and pungent leaves.

The native habitat of this plant is Southwest Asia, and from there it moved to Europe and the rest of the world. Cress seed was known to the ancient Egyptians, and was highly appreciated by the Greeks and Romans who were fond of spice. They used the leaves to prepare the salad and soups, and they ate the buds, and the seeds were fresh or dried, boiled or diced. Go hunting or fighting. Ibn al-Bitar, who described it as an appetizer and an instigator of intercourse and a treatment for kidneys, described it as a treatment for sticky mixtures, as noted by his physician Moses Ben Maimon. The main use of cress seed was as aromatic, not only in antiquity but also in the Middle Ages, it enjoyed a great place on the royal tables, as Jews used to prepare Easter foods.

Food composition of love of Rashad

The following table shows the nutritional composition of each 100 g of Al-Rashad love:

The benefits of Cress seed

• Cress seed are a rich source of vitamin A and carotenoids, so they have the ability to prevent night-blindness, retinitis, cataracts, and macular degeneration that affects the elderly.
• Cress seed helps maintain heart health. The seeds and leaves of cress are rich in vitamin K, which is beneficial for heart health, so it is advisable to add the leaves to the salad and eat them regularly.
• It is rich in glucotropaeolin, a compound that prevents the formation of acids that promote bacterial growth in the mouth and cause dental problems.
• It contains vegetable phytochemicals that reduce the sudden rise in blood sugar levels after meals.
• Taking the seeds of the cress of sprinkled water with lemon is useful for the production of milk, and it protects from anemia because it contains a large amount of iron, and purifies the blood, which is a powerful laxative and a weak constipation.
• Cress seed contain estrogen-like substances, so it helps to regulate the menstrual cycle.
• When chewing cress seed or ingested with honey is beneficial to the respiratory system, it acts as a dispenser for the treatment of cold, headache, asthma, sore throat, and cough.
• Cress seeds are used to treat sunburn by mixing them with water and honey to form a thick paste that can be applied to the skin to treat skin irritation and dryness, and cracking the lips.
• Cress seed is a rich source of protein and iron, and can therefore be used to treat people with hair loss.
• Eating seeds, leg and leaves helps strengthen the body’s immunity.
• Cress seed  consumption helps greatly improve and increase libido, urination, and bladder activation.
• Studies indicate that cress seed rich in antioxidants, and have a significant role in the elimination of toxins and the elimination of cancer cells.
• Cress seeds are rich in adipic acid and linoleic acid, and thus have a role in improving and supporting memory.
• Eating the seeds and leaves cress reduce the sensitivity of the body to bite insects, eliminate parasitic worms, as well as to treat liver disorders and scurvy (vitamin C deficiency), and treatment of fractures of bones.
• It can be useful in the treatment of constipation, and if grinding and mixing honey can be useful in the treatment of diarrhea and dysentery, and if grinding and soak in hot water may be useful in the treatment of colic, especially in children.
• Cress seed is one of the richest wild plants in iodine useful for the thyroid gland, which is responsible for the body’s vital processes, weight, energy consumption, and vitality. It also benefits the consumption of fresh leaves in the absorption of unpleasant odors from the body, such as the smell of mouth and sweat. With the honey dissolves the splenic tumor, if a bandage of spray powder with water is placed on the boils cooked quickly, it is said that if the vitiligo is stained with vinegar it is useful.

Risk and side effects

There are not enough studies to ensure that cress seed used as a completely safe drug, so it should be used in small doses because large doses may irritate the bowel, along with the following symptoms:

• Eating cress seed can lead to low blood sugar, so people with diabetes or hypoglycemia should consult a doctor before taking it.
• May cause low blood pressure, so people who are prone to low blood pressure are advised to avoid taking it.
• May lead to low concentration of potassium in the blood, so it should be treated with caution by people exposed to low potassium level.
• It is recommended to opt for surgery to refrain from eating cress seed two weeks before the operation for fear of low blood sugar during or after the operation.
• Some limited studies suggest that eating it during pregnancy may cause miscarriage, so it is advisable to avoid eating cress seeds during pregnancy.