Abstract

Nitisha Negi74553*, Sukirti Upadhyay74554 and Mahendra Rana74555

Medicinal plants have been used by humans since ancient times to relieve and treat many ailments. Traditional medicine is replacing conventional medicine in many parts of the world. Watercress, which is a nutrient-rich leafy plant, traditionally grown in outdoor aquatic systems is more recognized as being suitable for indoor hydroponic systems. Several civilizations regularly eat the herbal plant “watercress” as food. Moreover, it is used in folk medicine as an aid in the treatment of hypertension, bronchitis, asthma and other illnesses. To provide a comprehensive overview on the traditional uses, phytochemistry and pharmacological activities of Nasturtium officinale (N. officinale) with its toxicity data and make recommendations for further research we carried out the chemical analysis of alkaloids, flavonoids, saponins, terpenoids/steroids, protein, essential and volatile oil, glycosides, tannins, folic acid, vitamins, and elements were all found in the plant. Previously reported pharmacological studies have shown that it has lipid-lowering, anti-inflammatory, hepatoprotective, renal-protective, antidiabetic, antioxidant, anticancer, antibacterial and dermatological effects. Therefore, additional studies on the biomarkers are needed to establish mechanism of action and to validate the traditional use of this drug in clinical practice after proper safety assessment.