Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seeds enhancing osteogenesis postinduced-bone fracture

Research Update on the Therapeutic Potential of Garden Cress (Lepidium sativum Linn.) with Threatened Status

Garden cress (Lepidium sativum) has been used in India for medicinal purposes since the Vedic era. Garden cress, a native of Egypt and southwest Asia, is a small perennial edible herb that has been used to treat many diseases for centuries. The seeds, leaves as well as roots have medicinal properties. The seeds are rich in protein, fat, calcium, and iron and have high nutritional value. They are considered to be galactagogue, anticarcinogenic, antidiabetic, antiasthmatic and antidiarrheal. Leaves, seeds, and aerial parts extracts are found to have alkaloids, flavonoids, glycosides, polypeptides, vitamins, minerals, proteins, fats, and carbohydrates. Lepidium sativum is known for its pungent odor due to the several volatile oils and has been used to treat various conditions, including respiratory disorders, muscle pain, inflammation, and bone fractures in the past. Lepidium sativum is a fast-growing annual herb; in India, it is commonly known as Chandrasoor. Whole fruits or seeds are used, fresh or dried, as a seasoning with a peppery flavor. Boiled seeds are consumed in drinks by Arabs, either ground in honey or as an infusion in hot milk. The seed oil can be used for illumination and soap making. Additionally, limited awareness and conservation efforts have further contributed to its threatened status. Recognizing the importance of preserving this valuable plant species is crucial for maintaining biodiversity and ensuring its availability for future generations. Furthermore, this review explores the potential benefits of Lepidium sativum in different domains. Its nutritional value and health benefits make it a promising candidate for addressing malnutrition and improving overall well-being. The presence of bioactive compounds suggests its potential use in functional foods, pharmaceuticals, and natural medicines for various ailments. Moreover, Lepidium sativum exhibits antimicrobial and insecticidal properties, offering potential applications in agriculture and pest control. The current review discussed the nutritional, potential benefits and pharmacological effects of Lepidium sativum.

Evidence for Health-Promoting Properties of Lepidium sativum L.: An Updated Comprehensive Review

Lepidium sativum L. is a common herb distributed worldwide, used as a food ingredient and therapeutic agent in traditional medicine for treating health-related disorders. L. sativum and its extracts have been described to possess numerous biological activities including antimicrobial, antidiabetic, antioxidant, antidiarrheal, anticancer, and numerous health-promoting effects in in vivo and in vitro studies. The purpose of this review is to summarize the findings describing important biological functions and therapeutic effects of L. sativum in various cell lines and animal models. In this review, the English-language articles were gathered from electronic databases including Web of Science, PubMed and Google Scholar with no time limit applied to any database. The search terms used in this review include, "Lepidium sativum L." and/or "chemical composition", "health benefits", "antimicrobial", "antioxidant", "anticancer", "diuretic", "nephro-protection", "antidiarrheal", "antidiabetic", "anti-asthmatic", "neuroprotection", "metabolic", "bone fracture", and "reproductive performance". Additional and eligible studies were collected from reference lists of appropriate articles. The information presented will be helpful to attract more interest toward medicinal plants by defining and developing novel clinical applications and new drug formulations in the future. Pre-clinical studies showed that L. sativum possesses potent health-promoting effects involving various molecular mechanisms. Taken all together, data suggested that identified herbal plants such as L. sativum, can be exploited as nutritional and therapeutic agents to combat various ailments. Despite much research in this field, further comprehensive in vitro/in vivo studies and clinical trials are needed to identify the mechanisms underlying the biological and therapeutic activities of L. sativum.

Nutraceutical Profiling, Bioactive Composition, and Biological Applications of Lepidium sativum L

The roots, leaves, and seeds of Lepidium sativum L., popularly known as Garden cress in different regions, have high economic importance; although, the crop is particularly cultivated for the seeds. In traditional medicine, this plant has been reported to possess various biological activities. This review is aimed at providing updated and critical scientific information about the traditional, nutritional, phytochemical, and biological activities of L. sativum. In addition, the geographic distribution is also reviewed. The comprehensive literature search was carried out with the help of different search engines PubMed, Web of Science, and Science Direct. This review highlighted the importance of L. sativum as an edible herb that possesses a wide range of therapeutic properties along with high nutritional values. Preclinical studies (in vitro and in vivo) displayed anticancer, hepatoprotective, antidiabetic, hypoglycemic, antioxidant, antimicrobial, gastrointestinal, and fracture/bone healing activities of L. sativum and support the clinical importance of plant-derived bioactive compounds for the treatment of different diseases. Screening of literature revealed that L. sativum species and their bioactive compounds may be a significant source for new drug compounds and also could be used against malnutrition. Further clinical trials are needed to effectively assess the actual potential of the species and its bioactive compounds.