Instructions: A cup of chopped iceberg lettuce or romaine, a few shreds of carrot and cucumber, a tomato wedge crown? BOR-ING. If salad doesnt excite you anymore, add a little watercress to your life. These tiny, peppery, glossy-green leaves pack more than just a zing for your taste buds. Theyre an unrivaled source of a potent phytochemical that has the ability to inhibit - at least in animal studies - tobacco-related cancers.

Watercress is a member of the cruciferous-vegetable family, counting broccoli, kale and mustard greens as cousins. These veggies are known to be excellent sources of a family of cancer-fighting phytochemicals called isothiocyanates. "Broccoli, for example, might contain 100 different isothiocyanate compounds. But what makes watercress unique among the crucifers is that it contains high concentrations of just one compound - phenethyl isothiocyanate, or PEITC, says Richard McAvoy, a professor of plant science at the University of Connecticut. He and a colleague have studied how soil, temperature, harvest stage and other variables affect PEITC levels in watercress.

Scientists who specialize in lung and esophageal cancer research are excited by PEITCs ability - at least in rodent studies - to detoxify a carcinogen found in tobacco, a nitrosamine called NNK. But Gary Stoner, professor and chair of the division of professor and chair of the division of environmental health sciences at Ohio State University and a leading scientist in tobacco-related cancer research, says, "The idea is not to make smoking safe. We still want people to quite smoking or chewing tobacco. Even if PEITC is shown to be effective against one kind of tobacco carcinogen, there are many other carcinogens."

A human clinical trial to test the efficacy of watercress is underway, Stoner says, but its at the Phase 1 stage - testing what is a safe dosage of PEITC to administer - and conclusive evidence into whether PEITC is effective in inhibiting tobacco-related cancers is still years away.

PEITC aside, watercress is also an abundant source of vitamins C and A, renowned antioxidants in their own right. Europeans brought the plant to America because of its ability to stave off scurvy.

You can often find watercress nestled among parsley, basil and other herbs at the supermarket. Look for fresh, crisp bunches without a lot of yellow or wilted leaves. Rinse it well when you get home and refrigerate it in a plastic bag, using it within a few days. Here are some serving ideas:

Use watercress as you would any salad green, by itself or mixed with milder lettuces. (Top a tangle of watercress with orange or tangerine sections and toasted pecans for an attractive cold-weather salad.)

Remove coarse stems and quickly steam or stir-fry watercress as you would spinach.

Sprinkle chopped watercress over scrambled eggs.

Jazz up potato soup by blanching a cupful of watercress, pureeing it in a blender, then stirring it into the soup pot.

Add that same blanched and pureed watercress to a small skillet along with a tablespoon or two of butter, cream or olive oil and a grating of nutmeg for a gorgeous green sauce to accompany baked salmon or chicken breasts.

Chopped watercress is a classic tea sandwich filling. Lightly butter white bread, add watercress, trim off the crust and eat with raised pinky!

Geneva Collins, a food and health writer, has written extensively about nutrition tops for many consumer publications, including Nutrition Action Health letter, The Female Patient and Atlantic Lifestyles, and has created healthy eating fact sheets for the National Institutes of Health. This article is reprinted from accounthealth.com.

Anti Cancer Properties of Watercress

In early November Carcinogenesis are due to publish a paper resulting from research by Peter Rose. His PhD based jointly between the John Innes Centre and the Institute of Food Research was funded by Vitacress Salads (1/3rd) and the Biotechnology and Biological Sciences Research Council. Richard Mithen supervised on behalf of the John Innes Centre and Gary Williamson for IFR. I acted as Industrial Supervisor.

Below follows my own interpretation of Peters research, together with more general research focused on the anti-carcinogenic properties of watercress.

A joint publication in 1997 by the World Cancer Research Fund and the American Institute for Cancer Research concluded that up to 40% of deaths caused by cancer could be avoided through adoption of a suitable diet. On a global basis they estimated 3-4 million cases per annum could be avoided through adoption of better diet.

The majority of cancers are caused by the ingestion/inhalation of potentially carcinogenic compounds which result in genetic disruption of cells, causing them to become cancerous. The biochemical systems involved are numerous and highly complex but in general a number of fundamental steps are recognized:

Certain compounds only become carcinogenic if activated by enzymatic reactions within tissue. This metabolic pathway is often referred to as a phase 1 induction. Free radicals are often produced which in turn initiate phase 2 - a reaction with tissue DNA which can result in uncontrolled replication / tumor development.

Further metabolic pathways implicated in modulating tumor development. The most relevant in this instance is the ability of certain compounds to cause the selective death of cancerous tissue - known as apoptosis.

Interestingly, watercress has been associated with cancer treatment for many years - some American cancer clinics advocate a watercress diet as a means of combating the disease. Work in the mid 1980s by Stephen Hecht began to add scientific credence to the theory.

There are many references in literature to the ability of brassica mustard oils to reduce susceptibility to cancer development in laboratory animals. One particularly potent compound associated with mustard oils is phenylethyl isothiocyanate (PEITC). Adding PEITC to the diet of rats has been shown to greatly reduce susceptibility to mammary cancer.

PEITC has been shown to inhibit phase 1 enzyme activation. Effectively it stops potential carcinogens becoming carcinogenic. Watercress is one of the richest sources of dietary PEITC.

Care and Preparation of Watercress:
Watercress can be used like any lettuce, as a garnish or steamed with fish, vegetables or poultry. The Chinese eat the most watercress, using it in soups and stir-fry.

Keep watercress cool in high humidity. Submerge in iced-water to revitalize, discarding wilted, bruised or yellow leaves.

Watercress will generally keep 4-5 days in refrigeration, and up to 11 days. Store in air tight clear plastic bag with damp paper towel. discard when odorous.

Trim stems, if desired. Rinse in cold water.

Dry in a salad spinner or on paper towels.

Place in reusable plastic bag.

Store in refrigerator for 4-5 days.

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