Common Name: Garden Cress

General Information

Lepidium sativum is a profusely-branched, erect, annual plant growing up to 80cm tall[].
The plant has been cultivated for food since before the ancient Egyptians and is still widely used. It is most commonly eaten in the seedling form, where it is the cress of mustard and cress - a fast-growing crop that can be ready to eat within 7 days of sowing the seed. The plant also has traditional medicinal uses and is the source of an edible oil that can also be used for lighting. It is grown in Ethiopia for the edible oil obtained from its seed[].
Lepidium sativum often escapes from cultivation and becomes a weed.

Known Hazards

None known

Botanical References

,

Range

Of uncertain origin, possibly Ethiopia or neighbouring countries, or in western Asia.

Habitat

Not known in a truly wild situation.

Properties

Weed Potential	Yes
Edibility Rating
Medicinal Rating
Habit	Annual
Height	0.45 m
Pollinators	Insects
Cultivation Status	Cultivated, Wild

Cultivation Details

Lepidium sativum is cultivated from the temperate zone (as a spring to autumn crop) to the tropics, where it succeeds all year round but generally grows best in the cool season or at higher elevations around 2,400 metres[]. Plants will require some protection if temperatures fall below -5°c[].
An easily grown plant, it succeeds in most soils[]. For the best results, however, it requires a moist soil and also some shade during the summer to prevent it running straight to seed[, , ]. It thrives on any rich, light, moisture-retentive soil, but grows best on moist loams[].
The plant often escapes from cultivation to become a weed[].
The life cycle of the plant is about 3 months[].
Garden cress is often cultivated as a sprouted seed, there are some named varieties[]. It is the cress of 'mustard and cress'. A very easy and fast crop, it can be ready within 7 days from sowing the seed[]. It can also be grown outdoors as full grown plants and can provide fresh leaves for the salad bowl all year round from successional sowings.
When places in water, the seeds become covered in slime[].

Edible Uses

Young leaves - raw or cooked[, , , , , ]. A hot cress-like flavour, it makes an excellent addition (in small quantities) to the salad bowl[].
The seed can be sprouted in relatively low light until the shoots are a few centimetres long and then be used in salads[]. They take about 7 days to be ready and have a pleasantly hot flavour[].

The boiled seeds are consumed in drinks by Arabs, either ground in honey or as an infusion in hot milk[].

The root is used as a condiment[, ]. A hot pungent flavour, but the root is rather small and woody[].

The fresh or dried seedpods can be used as a pungent seasoning[].

An edible oil is obtained from the seed[, , ]. The aroma is not pleasant[]. The oil is rich in oleic, linoleic and uric acids, and also contains imidazole alkaloids. It has antioxidant properties[].

Medicinal

The seeds are aperient, aphrodisiac, diuretic, emmenagogue, galactogogue, laxative and tonic[]. They have been boiled with milk and used to procure an abortion[]. A paste of the seed is taken, with honey, to treat amoebic dysentery[]. The mucilage of the germinating seeds allays the irritation of the intestines in cases of dysentery and diarrhoea[]. Pounded seeds in water are used to treat hiccough and stomach-ache[].
The seeds are chewed to treat sore throat, cough, asthma and headache, and in large quantities to induce an abortion[].
The seeds have been applied as a poultice to pains and hurts[]. A paste of the seeds, with water, is applied to chapped lips, and is also used as a treatment for sunburn and other skin problems[]. The pounded seeds are poulticed on the skin, and have a vesicant and soothing action on bruises and sprains[].

The seed oil, like mustard oil, is used to treat hiccough and intestinal problems[].

The leaves are antiscorbutic, diuretic and stimulant[, , ]. They are useful in the treatment of scorbutic diseases and liver complaints[].
The plant is administered in cases of asthma, cough with expectoration and bleeding piles[, ].

The root is used in the treatment of secondary syphilis and tenesmus[, ].

The stem and leaves contain glucosinolates, the main component being glucotropaeolin (benzylglucosinolate)[].
Upon steam distillation the herb yields about 0.1% of a colourless essential oil, with a characteristic pungent odour[].
The seedcoat of germinating seeds is rich in mucilage, which contains an allelopathic substance, lepidimoide[].
The effects of the germinating seeds were studied to determine the potential for slowing down the hydrolysis of starch to glucose in diabetic persons. The seeds significantly lowered the glycaemic response to a test meal. In the long term (21 days) treatment of diabetics with 15g seeds/day, there was a significant reduction in the levels of blood glucose at the end of study period[].
The ethanol extract of the seeds showed significant antiinflammatory effects[].
The seed oil has a pronounced oestrogenic activity[].
The antibacterial action of Lepidium sativum has been demonstrated in several tests. The extract of the fresh leaves showed strong antibacterial action against Bacillus subtilis and Micrococcus pyogenes, but was less effective against Escherichia coli. The antibacterial action depends largely on the age of the plants used.
An antiviral effect against the encephalitis virus Columbia SH has been demonstrated[].
An extract of the plant decreased the mutagenic effects of a number of pesticides, using Salmonella typhimurium strains as test organisms[].

Other Uses

The seed yields up to 58% of an edible oil that can also be used for lighting and making soap[, ]. The seeds yield about 25% of a yellowish-brown, semi-drying oil with a peculiar, disagreeable odour[].

The seeds are applied externally as an insect repellent[].

An extract of the sprouting seeds is used as an ingredient in commercial cosmetic preparations as a skin conditioner[].

Lepidium sativum is extensively used as a test organism in plant physiological studies, as an indicator organism to examine toxicity levels of environmental pollutants, and in experimental studies assessing diverse pathogens[].

Propagation

Seed - if you want a succession of young leaves then it is possible to sow the seed in situ every 3 weeks in succession from early spring to early autumn. Germination is very rapid, usually taking place in less than a week.
When sowing seed for use in mustard and cress, the seed is soaked for about 12 hours in warm water and then placed in a humid position. Traditionally, it is sown in a tray on a thin layer of soil, or on some moist blotting paper, and the tray is placed in a warm dark place for a few days to encourage rapid and rather etiolated growth. The seedlings can then be placed in a lighter position for a couple more days to turn green before being eaten. The cress seed should be sown about 3 - 4 days before the mustard for them both to be ready at the same time[].