Yellowcresses

Overview

Native to Europe and southwest Asia, yellow cress is an invader that is extremely difficult to eradicate. This weed is frequently carried into the country on the roots of imported ornamental plants. Yellowcress sometimes grows as a field weed, but it is much more of a nuisance in young plant nurseries.

Vernacular Names

Sabi (Tagalog-Philippines), Han cai (Chinese), Inu garashi (Japanese), Gae gat naeng (Korean), Phàk kàat náam dok lueng (Thailand).

Agroecology

It grows in bottomland forests, sloughs, crop field margins, pastures, ditches, railroads, roadsides, open moist disturbed areas. This plant also grows in roadsides, field margins, gardens and river banks from near sea level to 3,200 m in most of China. Moist places at elevations of 50-200 m in Nepal.

Morphology

• Stem - erect or ascending, leafy, simple or much branched from the base and above.
• Leaves - alternate, lower oneslyrate- pinnatipartite or lobed with 1-4 segments on either side, 6-10 x 2.5 cm, upper ones sessile, ovate-lanceolate to lanceolate- oblong, entire, lyrate-pinnatifid or dentate above base.
• Flowers - bisexual, bright yellow, pedicel erect or slightly curved, divaricate, slender, ascending, about 4-8 mm long, sepals 4, erect, linear ovate-oblong, greenish pink.
• Fruits - siliqua, dehiscent, erecto patent, linear cylindrical, about 10-25 x 1-1.5 mm across, sessile or shortly stipitate, erect or slightly curved, latiseptate, smooth, valves chartaceous with obscurely veined.
• Seeds - biseriate, reddish brown, plump, orbicular, ovate-ovoid, about 0.5-0.8 mm long, minutely reticulate, mucilaginous or not when soaked, cotyledons accumbent.

Cultivation

Propagation is by seeds.

Chemical Constituents

Glucosinolates, flavonol glycosides, phenolic compounds, rorifone, roripamide, 1-chloro-1-methylcyclohexane, benzimidanol, 2-methoxy-4-vinylphenol.

Traditional Medicinal Uses

• Considered diuretic, stimulant, antiscorbutic, depurative, expectorant, hypoglycemic, cancer preventive, odontalgic, purgative and stimulant, anti-inflammatory, febrifuge, and to improve blood circulation.
• Seeds are used as laxative.
• It is used for toothaches, abscesses, scald burns, bronchitis, treatment of asthma, chronic catarrh, and pyorrhea.
• In Indo-China, plant used as diuretic, stimulant, and antiscorbutic.
• In Chinese, herb used to treat cough, diarrhea, and rheumatoid arthritis.
• In Assam, India, juice of seeds mixed with milk used for kidney trouble.
• In Uttar Pradesh, India, juice expressed from fresh leaves with a teaspoon of honey used for asthma.
• In Nagaland, India, aerial parts are used for diarrhea and dysentery.