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Nasturtium officinale extract (market@naturalinbio.com)
Source: Simon, J.E., A.F. Chadwick and L.E. Craker. 1984. Herbs: An Indexed Bibliography. 1971-1980. The Scientific Literature on Selected Herbs, and Aromatic and Medicinal Plants of the Temperate Zone. Archon Books, 770 pp., Hamden, CT.
Watercress, Nasturtium officinale R. Br., is an aquatic perennial herb native to Europe and naturalized in the United States. Also known as green watercress and previously classified as Rorippa Nasturtiumaquaticum (L.) Hayak, this succulent, glabrous herb reproduces vegetatively forming roots at nodes. The plant is characterized by 0.3 to 1 meter long floating and ascending stems, green, fleshy leaflets, and small white flowers (14.1-4).
The reported life zone of watercress is 6 to 27°C with an annual precipitation of 0.3 to 4.2 meters and a soil pH of 4.3 to 8.3 (4.1-31). The species is found in areas of running water adjacent to springs and riverbanks or on wet soil. The plant thrives in full sunlight and cool water. Although susceptible to frost injury in the autumn and spring, the submerged portion of the plant will survive if the water remains unfrozen.
Careful attention to providing an adequate and good-quality water supply is essential for successful commercial production. Plants are generally grown in water tanks or beds having soil bottoms and moving water. Beds of watercress can be maintained for about ten years without resowing or replanting and require about one month to reach a harvestable stage after a previous harvest (14.1-1). Usually a number of beds are maintained by growers to provide a continuous supply of the herb.
Fresh leaves of watercress are used as salad greens and as a garnish. The leaves can be steamed and eaten as a vegetable. Watercress is nutritious, being high in minerals, proteins, and vitamins.
As a medicinal plant, watercress has been traditionally considered a diuretic, expectorant, purgative, stimulant, stomachic, and tonic. It has also been used as a remedy against anemia, eczema, kidney and liver disorders, tuberculosis, boils, warts, and tumors (14.1-14).
Nasturtium microphyllum Boenn. ex Rchb., an occasionally used salad plant formerly known as Rorippa microphylla (Boenn. ex Rchb.) Hyl., both resembles and hybridizes with watercress. The plant is more frost hardy than watercress and turns purplish brown in autumn
Nasturtium officinale R. Br. (Brassicaceae) has been used as a home remedy by the people of south eastern (SE) region of Iran as a medicinal plant. This therapeutical application has been attributed to Nasturtium officinale (N. officinale) antioxidant capacity which is mostly tested by means of cell-free assays: 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) and ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP). In addition, the antioxidant effect of N. officinale extract has been investigated in hypercholesterolaemic rats in vivo. The results revealed that the extract has notable scavenging activity against DPPH radicals as well as potent reducing power in FRAP assay. Intragastric administration of N. officinale (500 mg/kg body weight per day) to groups of hypercholesterolaemic rats for 30 days lowered their blood total cholesterol (TC), triglyceride (TG), and low density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) levels by 37, 44 and 48%, respectively. However, the blood high density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) levels in the same treated rats increased by 16%. To evaluate the mechanism(s) of action, we studied the antioxidative potential of N. officinale extract in terms of catalase (CAT), superoxide dismutase (SOD), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), and glutathione reductase (GR) activities and also the level of reduced glutathione (GSH) in the liver tissues. In addition, hepatic tissue malondialdehyde level (MDA, an index of lipid peroxidation) was also determined. Under hypercholesterolaemic condition, hepatic MDA was increased. Moreover, our data indicated GSH depletion along with significant reduction in the activities of CAT and SOD in rats fed high-fat diet rats. On the other hand, significant elevation in the activities of GPx and GR were seen in the same group of rats. Treatment of hypercholesterolaemic rats with N. officinale extract significantly increased the GSH level along with enhanced CAT and SOD activities in liver tissues. Furthermore, N. officinale extract significantly decreased hepatic MDA as well as GPx and GR activities in plant-treated rats. Based on our data, it can be concluded that N. officinale has a high hypolipidaemic activity and this may be attributed to its antioxidative potential.
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