Watercress (Nasturtium officinale) is a Brassica family vegetable. Watercress is rich in antioxidants which may explain its health effects. For example, studies show that the leaves of watercress contain 43 milligrams of vitamin C per 100 grams of fresh leaves. Consuming watercress could therefore supply significant levels of vitamin C in the diet. Watercress also contains a group of chemicals that broadly falls into the category of glucosinolates and their metabolites. Of these the isothiocyanates have been shown to have particular health benefits relating to their ability to aid detoxification pathways in humans and animals. Watercress is the richest source of glucosinolate nasturtiin, the precursor to phenethyl isothiocyanate. Evidence suggests that the growing conditions of watercress significantly affect the concentrations of vitamin C and glucosinolates in the leaves, which in turn could affect the nutritional quality of the plant and the effects it may have in disease prevention.
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