Watercress
Nasturtium officinale
Description
Watercress is a perennial herb, smooth and shiny in appearance, known since antiquity as “the salad that heals”; eating its leaves is, however, advisable only for those in good health, and always in moderate amounts.
Stem
The stems of watercress are hollow and angular, weak and often creeping, they readily put out roots on their lower part; when erect they can reach half a metre in height.
Leaves
The leaves, alternate along the stem, are undivided or tripartite on the lower part of the stem, while they become imparipinnate, that is, composed of oval leaflets of a slightly waxy texture, opposite along a central rib, and of a larger, almost round terminal leaf, in its upper part. The leaf margins may be entire or toothed.
Flowers
The small white flowers, gathered in modest corymbs, have four petals and bloom between April and August depending on the locality.
Exposure
Watercress, which loves moisture, prefers a shady position.
Propagation
Watercress is propagated by sowing in spring or by dividing the clumps.
Growth
Watercress plants grow beside ditches, and sometimes even in the water itself, provided it is clear and slow-moving; clumps of watercress can also be grown in a shady corner of the garden where the soil is always kept moist.
Harvesting
The tender leaves are picked before flowering, taking care not to pull up the roots, nor the plants when they are in flower, that is, between May and August.
Storage
The young plants should be kept fresh, by placing them in damp sand, since drying causes the loss of their properties.
Properties
IN THE KITCHEN: Both because of the pungent taste of this herb, which is not always appreciated, and because of its characteristics, it is advisable to eat watercress in moderation, mixing it with other salad herbs, such as dandelion, the piattello, wild garlic and wild chicory.
Beauty
It seems that rubbing watercress juice, mixed with an equal quantity of 90° alcohol, into the scalp halts, or at least slows down, hair loss.
Health
Watercress leaves, eaten fresh in salads, enrich the body with vitamins and mineral salts and act as a purifier, but they should be eaten in limited quantities and only by those in good health.
Curiosity
When cooked, this herb loses almost all its medicinal efficacy, so it is important to remember to eat it raw, after making sure that it has grown beside clean water.