Garden cress is not watercress. They are different plants in the same family: garden cress (Lepidium sativum) grows quickly from seed, even on damp paper, while watercress (Nasturtium officinale) grows in or beside running water. Even the peppery bite comes from different compounds. Garden cress makes benzyl isothiocyanate from its main glucosinolate, glucotropaeolin, and watercress makes phenethyl isothiocyanate. In the UK its cut shoots go into sandwiches with boiled egg.
Raw garden cress has 32 calories per 100 g. A cup (50 g) holds 271 µg of vitamin K, 226% of the daily value, and 34.5 mg of vitamin C. It also ranks first of 74 foods on this site for lutein and zeaxanthin, at 12,500 µg per 100 g.
Garden cress is little studied as a food. Many of the papers that mention it use cress seedlings as a test plant for polluted soil and water, and most health studies use its seeds, called halim in India, not the leaves. This page labels seeds clearly, so you can tell them apart from the salad green.
Health benefits of garden cress
The top findings from 15 studies, strongest evidence first
What the stars mean
- Strong. Several randomized trials, pooled in a meta-analysis, point the same way, or regulators (FDA or EFSA) have approved the claim.
- Moderate. Good randomized trials support it, but there are fewer of them, or their results vary.
- Limited. Small, short or single trials, or mixed results. Promising, but it needs confirmation.
Population and lab studies get no stars: they show a link or a mechanism, not proof.
How we rate evidence →- ★More breast milk in mothers of premature babiesIn 46 mothers of babies born before 32 weeks, 2.5 g a day of soaked seeds for 28 days led to more expressed milk. There was no placebo, and the group was small.
- ★Shallower gum pockets in postmenopausal womenIn 45 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and gum disease, seed powder (1 g three times a day, 6 weeks) reduced gum pocket depth. It did so more than alendronate alone.
- ★Slowed the body’s breakdown of a test drugIn six healthy women, a week of seed powder slowed the breakdown of dextromethorphan, a test drug. Seeds could change levels of medicines cleared by the same liver enzymes.
- ★Peppery compound is absorbed by the bodyAfter volunteers ate garden cress, a breakdown product of its peppery compound, benzyl isothiocyanate, appeared in their urine. This measured absorption, not health effects.
All 15 studies, strongest evidence first
A daily 2.5 g of soaked garden cress seeds for 28 days led to more expressed breast milk in mothers of premature babies
Open-label randomized trial in 46 mothers of babies born before 32 weeks of pregnancy, half given the seeds and half given nothing. The abstract gives no milk volumes, only that the gap was significant after 28 days (P = 0.00002) and that no side effects were reported. There was no placebo and the group was small.
1 g of garden cress seed powder three times a day for 6 weeks reduced gum pocket depth more than alendronate treatment alone in postmenopausal women with gum disease
Randomized trial in 45 postmenopausal women with osteoporosis and chronic gum disease, in three groups of 15: alendronate, seeds, or both, each with a standard gum cleaning. Seeds plus alendronate gave the biggest gain in gum attachment. The abstract gives no numbers, and the trial was small.
A week of garden cress seed powder slowed the breakdown of the test drug dextromethorphan in six healthy women
Six women took the drug once, then again after 7 days of seed powder. Urine levels of both breakdown products fell and the ratio of the drug to them rose, which points to less activity of the liver enzymes CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. Tests on human liver microsomes agreed. Seeds could change levels of medicines cleared by these enzymes.
After people ate garden cress, a breakdown product of its peppery compound, benzyl isothiocyanate, appeared in their urine
Volunteers ate garden cress or took pure benzyl isothiocyanate, and the same urine metabolite turned up in both cases, so the compound is absorbed. On average 53.7% of a pure dose left as this metabolite, mostly within 12 hours. It measured absorption, not health effects, and the first author worked at the drug company Dr. Madaus.
A diet of 50% garden cress seeds for 6 weeks was lethal to rats, while 2% of the diet was not toxic
Rats were fed the seeds at 2%, 10% and 50% of their diet. The 10% diet was toxic but not fatal. The 50% diet slowed growth, harmed the gut, liver and kidneys, and caused anemia and a low white blood cell count. These amounts are far larger than the 1 to 2.5 g doses in the human trials above.
Garden cress juice protected human liver cells from DNA damage caused by benzo(a)pyrene, but its peppery compound did not explain it
Test-tube study on human liver cells exposed to the pollutant benzo(a)pyrene. Garden cress and watercress juices both cut the damage in a dose-dependent way. Pure benzyl isothiocyanate made the damage worse at a low dose and damaged DNA by itself from 2.5 µM, so the authors say isothiocyanates do not account for the juices’ protection.
Garden cress sprout powder in the diet lowered liver fat in mice
Mice ate a sprout powder rich in glucotropaeolin at 0.01% or 0.05% of their diet. Liver total lipids and triglycerides were lower in mice that had not fasted, and after fasting plasma triglycerides and free fatty acids fell at the higher dose. Benzyl isothiocyanate also cut fat build-up in human liver cells. Two authors are affiliated with companies.
Garden cress juice had only weak activity against the mutagen IQ in a bacterial test, though the effect survived heating
Juices of 28 fruits and 34 vegetables were tested against the mutagen IQ in Salmonella bacteria. Garden cress was among the vegetables with only weak activity, but unlike many juices, whatever it had was still there after heating.
A garden cress extract worked about as well as vitamin E and quercetin as an antioxidant in a test tube
Methanol extracts of 26 vegetables in the Iranian diet were tested against the oxidation of linoleic acid. Garden cress was one of eight that matched the two reference compounds. This is a chemical test, so it does not show an effect in the body.
A garden cress seed extract lowered blood pressure in hypertensive rats but not in rats with normal pressure
Rats were given 20 mg/kg of a water extract of the seeds a day for 3 weeks. Systolic pressure fell from the 7th day in the hypertensive rats, and urinary sodium, potassium and chloride rose, which points to a diuretic effect. It tested an extract, not seeds as eaten.
A garden cress seed extract normalized blood sugar in diabetic rats by raising glucose loss in the urine
Rats made diabetic with streptozotocin got 20 mg/kg of a water extract of the seeds a day for 15 days. The authors link the effect to less glucose being taken back up by the kidney, and urinary TGF-beta1 also fell. Whether seeds eaten as food do this in people is not known.
Rats fed 10% garden cress seed oil had 40% lower blood triglycerides than rats fed sunflower oil
The oil is 29 to 34.5% alpha-linolenic acid, an omega-3 fat, and replaced part of the diet’s oil for 8 weeks. At 10%, liver cholesterol fell 12.3%, LDL and VLDL cholesterol fell 9.45%, and the omega-3 fats EPA and DHA rose in blood, liver, heart and brain. This was seed oil, not the leaves you eat.
Garden cress seeds mixed into feed increased bone callus after a broken thigh bone in rabbits
Six rabbits had a femur fracture, three fed the seeds and three not. X-rays at 6 and 12 weeks showed more callus in the seed group. With three animals per group it is a very small study, and the author says traditional use in Saudi Arabia prompted it.
A garden cress seed extract kept bones stronger in rats whose ovaries had been removed
Rats without ovaries, a model of bone loss after menopause, got 50 or 100 mg/kg of the extract. It limited the fall in bone weight, improved femur strength, raised the bone-formation marker osteocalcin and lowered the bone-breakdown markers CTX-I and TRAP. Estradiol was the comparison drug.
A garden cress seed extract sped up gut movement and acted as a laxative in mice
Mice given 30 or 100 mg/kg of a water and methanol extract of the seeds moved gut contents faster. In isolated gut tissue from mice, guinea pigs and rabbits the extract made the muscle contract, partly through a cholinergic pathway, and the strength of the effect varied by species.
Who should be careful with garden cress
Most people can eat garden cress freely. Take a little care if one of these applies:
- Warfarin. Garden cress is very high in vitamin K: a 50 g cup has 271 µg, 226% of the daily value. You do not need to avoid it; keep the amount steady from week to week and check with your clinic before big changes.
- Seeds in medicinal amounts (halim). A week of seed powder slowed the breakdown of a test drug in six women, and in rats a diet of 10% seeds was toxic. No study here tested the seeds in pregnancy, where they have a traditional use, so ask a doctor before taking them.
- Sprouts. The CDC advises children, older adults, pregnant women and people with weakened immune systems to avoid raw or lightly cooked sprouts of any kind. If you eat cress as sprouts, cook them thoroughly.
How to choose, store and eat garden cress
- Fresh shoots: the usual way is raw, in salads and sandwiches, for a spicy, mustard-like bite. It has 32 calories per 100 g, and the leaves lose their flavor when dried.
- Cooked: it can be sautéed like spinach or puréed into soup. No cress study here tested what cooking does to it, but in a juice test the weak antimutagenic effect of garden cress survived heating.
- Seeds (halim): they are soaked in water. The trials used 2.5 g a day for 28 days in breast milk, and 1 g three times a day for 6 weeks in gum disease.
Pick whole, deep green leaves with no yellowing or sliminess, because the flavor fades after flowering. Fresh cress keeps 5 to 7 days in the crisper if you leave it in its box, and about a day once cut, so wash it just before you use it.
Sources
- Dietary advice for patients taking warfarin. Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Foundation Trust.
- Anticoagulant medicines: considerations. NHS.
- Al-Jenoobi FI, Al-Thukair AA, Alam MA, et al. Effect of garden cress seeds powder and its alcoholic extract on the metabolic activity of CYP2D6 and CYP3A4. Evid Based Complement Alternat Med. 2014.
- Adam SE. Effects of various levels of dietary Lepidium sativum L. seeds in rats. Am J Chin Med. 1999.
- Kamel N, El Boullani R, Cherrah Y. Use of medicinal plants during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in Southern Morocco. Healthcare (Basel). 2022.
- Salmonella Montevideo infections linked to raw sprouts: advice to consumers, restaurants and retailers. CDC. 2018.
- Ranade M, Mudgalkar N. The efficacy of diet supplemented with Lepidium sativum (Chandrashoor) on expressed breast milk volume in hypogalactic mothers: an open-label noncross-over randomized trial. Ayu. 2021.
- El Kilani NS, Hazzaa HH, Hemoud HES, Imam O. Clinical and radiographic assessment of single or combined treatment with Lepidium sativum and alendronate of non-surgically treated chronic periodontitis in postmenopausal osteoporotic women. J Int Acad Periodontol. 2019.
- Edenharder R, Kurz P, John K, Burgard S, Seeger K. In vitro effect of vegetable and fruit juices on the mutagenicity of 2-amino-3-methylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline, 2-amino-3,4-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoline and 2-amino-3,8-dimethylimidazo[4,5-f]quinoxaline. Food Chem Toxicol. 1994.
- Garden cress. Veggipedia, GroentenFruit Huis.
- How to prepare and serve cress. Harvest to Table.
- Garden cress. Wikipedia.
History of garden cress
Garden cress is one of the older salad plants still eaten today. A 2022 review says people have eaten it since prehistoric times, naming the ancient Egyptians and Romans, though the review gives no dates. The word cress itself comes from Old English cresse.
The plant has collected many names. In English it is also curly cress, pepper grass, pepperwort and poor man’s pepper, and in the UK it is the cress in mustard and cress. In Ayurveda the seeds are chandrashoor, in India they are halim or halloon, and in the Middle East they are habbat al hamra.
Speed is its trick. The edible shoots are usually cut 1 to 2 weeks after sowing, when they are 5 to 13 cm tall, and it grows so fast on damp paper or cotton that it became a classroom plant for school biology experiments. In the Arabian Peninsula the seeds are mixed with custard for a hot drink.
The seeds have long been a folk remedy, and the habit has not faded. In a 2022 survey of 560 pregnant women in southern Morocco, about two in three used medicinal plants, and garden cress was among the most used.
Labs still depend on it. A 2025 test grows cress seedlings on soaked paper to rank the toxicity of metals, and found copper the most toxic and manganese the least. In 2007 German researchers found in garden cress a new type of protein that steers how glucosinolates break down, which they named the thiocyanate-forming protein.
Sources
- Painuli S, et al. Nutraceutical profiling, bioactive composition, and biological applications of Lepidium sativum L. Oxid Med Cell Longev. 2022.
- Garden cress. Wikipedia.
- Watercress. Wikipedia.
- Kumar N, et al. Techno-functional, thermal, structural, and morphological properties of Indian halim (Lepidium sativum) seed flour. J Food Sci. 2025.
- Kamel N, El Boullani R, Cherrah Y. Use of medicinal plants during pregnancy, childbirth and postpartum in Southern Morocco. Healthcare (Basel). 2022.
- Schulz VM, Scherr C, Baumgartner S, Tournier A. A versatile Lepidium sativum bioassay for use in ecotoxicological studies. Sci Rep. 2025.
- Burow M, Bergner A, Gershenzon J, Wittstock U. Glucosinolate hydrolysis in Lepidium sativum: identification of the thiocyanate-forming protein. Plant Mol Biol. 2007.
- Williams DJ, Critchley C, Pun S, Chaliha M, O’Hare TJ. Differing mechanisms of simple nitrile formation on glucosinolate degradation in Lepidium sativum and Nasturtium officinale seeds. Phytochemistry. 2009.
Frequently asked questions about garden cress
Is garden cress good for you?
For most people, yes, as a salad green. Raw garden cress has 32 calories, 2.6 g of protein and 69 mg of vitamin C per 100 g, and a 50 g cup holds 271 µg of vitamin K. The health evidence is thin: the best human results here are two small seed trials, and the rest is lab or animal work.
Is garden cress the same as watercress?
No. They are different plants in the cabbage family: garden cress (Lepidium sativum) grows quickly from seed, while watercress (Nasturtium officinale) grows in or beside running water. Their peppery compounds differ too, benzyl isothiocyanate in garden cress and phenethyl isothiocyanate in watercress. In a lab test on human liver cells, juice from both protected against DNA damage from benzo(a)pyrene.
What are halim seeds?
Halim seeds are garden cress seeds, used as food and folk medicine in South Asia and the Middle East. Trials here used 2.5 g a day soaked in water for 28 days, and 1 g three times a day for 6 weeks. More is not better: in rats, seeds at 10% of the diet were toxic.
Does garden cress increase breast milk?
One small trial suggests it might, but it is early. In 46 mothers of babies born before 32 weeks, 2.5 g of soaked seeds a day was followed by more expressed milk after 28 days than no treatment (P = 0.00002), with no side effects reported. It was open-label with no placebo, so ask your doctor or midwife before trying seeds.
Is garden cress safe in pregnancy?
No study here tested garden cress in pregnancy, so the evidence is missing. The seeds have a traditional use around childbirth, and a Moroccan survey found garden cress among the plants pregnant women use most. A few fresh leaves in a salad are an ordinary food, but check with your doctor before taking seeds, and note that the CDC advises pregnant women to avoid raw sprouts.
Is garden cress high in vitamin K?
Yes. Raw garden cress has 542 µg of vitamin K per 100 g, 452% of the daily value, and a 50 g cup has 271 µg (226%). If you take warfarin, keep the amount steady from week to week and ask your clinic about big changes.
How do you eat garden cress?
Raw is the usual way: snip the shoots into salads and sandwiches, where they add a spicy, mustard-like bite. It can also be sautéed like spinach or puréed into soup, and the leaves lose their flavor when dried. Fresh cress keeps 5 to 7 days in the crisper in its box, and about a day once cut.