Watercress
(Ipomoea Aquatica Forsk.)

Tribe: Convolvulaceae
Simplisia Name: Ipomoeae Aquaticae Herba (Herba watercress), Ipomoeae aquaticae Radix (root of watercress)

Description
Common watercress cultivated as a vegetable or plant often found growing wild in wet places, such as the edge of time, the marshes, or floating on the water. Vine-growing plants can be found from the lowlands to 1000 m above sea level.
Watercress has a length of approximately 3 m. Stems round, with segments and hollow. Bare, forked, green, and growing spread. Leaves single, long-stemmed, and where the turns. Strand of elongated triangular leaves, the flat, wedge-shaped base. Sharp points, bones pinnate, 6-15 cm long, 3-9 cm wide, upper surface color of dark green, while the lower younger. Compound interest with a bouquet of flowers out of the armpit leaves. Funnel-shaped flower, growing up, about 5 cm in diameter, colored with pale or white edge. Fruit box, an oval, seeds 2-4.
Propagation by stem cuttings.

The Nature and Benefits
Watercress taste sweet, fresh, and is cool. Sign intestines and stomach meridian. Watercress antitoksik efficacious, anti-inflammatory, Facilitate urine (diuretic), stopping bleeding (hemostatik), and sedative.
Taste of fresh watercress roots, is neutral.

Chemical Ingredients
Watercress contains protein, minerals (calcium, phosphorus, iron), vitamins (A, B1, C, carotene), hentriakontan, and sitosterol.

Part used
The following leaves of kale stems or roots. Used as fresh material.

How to Use
For drugs in drinks, or juice of boiled roots of watercress or fresh whole plant 250-500 g.
For external use, wash fresh watercress in moderation, then finely mashed. Spread on a sick place. It could also boil fresh watercress. Cooking water used to wash the sick place, such as boils, sore, and snake bites.