Know your Food as Medicine - Nasturtium

"Plant enough nasturtium seeds to satisfy both your desire to look at the beauty of the flowers and your desire to keep in good health"- Maurice Messegue, French herbalist and healer.

 Tropaeolum majus - Nasturtium /common name/ or "Indian Cress", from Tropaeolaceae family - beautiful, climbing annual herb with round leaves and bright red, orange, yellow, apricot alike fragrant flowers with there long spurs.
Nasturtium likes a sunny or light shaded area. It grows well in a pot for whole summer. It is a lovely vibrant and fragrant ornament to any garden or balconies.
~Native to Peru, Nasturtium was described for the first time in the sixteen century and was called the "blood flower of Peru". In the late 1700's, the great Swedish botanist Carolus Linnaeus gave this herb its Latin name, that is universally recognized and helped to distinguish our Nasturtium from Watercress (Nasturtium officinalle in latin from Cruciferae family).
Nasturtium was very popular during Victorian times for its flowers and leaves and used for food and for flower arrangements.
~All parts of Nasturtium - flowers, leaves, seeds- are edible, nutritional with a very delicate peppery  flavor.
Flowers- attractive garnish for salads and pureed vegetables. They are ideal for stuffing with cheese and serve as an appetizer. :) Do not forget about Nasturtium Butter Recipe either.

 Leaves-  great for soups and combines well with many foods, as beans, cabbage, sorrel, tomatoes, cheese, chives, cucumbers, omelets, cold cream soups. Can be used instead of grape leaves for grape-leaf recipes.

 Seedpods- preserved in vinegar taste better than capers. Pick seedpods when they are green and plump not yellowish. Place in a jar. Cover with wine vinegar and let them soak for a day. Then drain seedpods and vinegar into some other clean jar, cover and store up to 6 months in a cool place.

 Besides of all above edible measurements, Nasturtium is a wonderful medicinal herb.
~For centuries Nasturtium, all parts-flowers, leaves, seeds, was used as the herb to ward off infection (Andean/Peru/ herbal medicine).  It is one of the nature's Antibiotics, but the constituents responsible for this wonderful quality are still unknown.
~However, what is known so far that Nasturtium is being very high in vitamin C. Also the plant contains glucocyanates, spilanthol, an enzyme-myrosin and oxalic acid.
~~Leaves,Flowers-> Infusion-> can be used to increase resistance to  bacterial infections. It is good for nasal and bronchial congestion to reduce mucus formation. It is a great expectorant.
~~Flowers, Leaves -> Infusion is good antiseptic wash to use externally.
~~Seeds /ground/ have strongly laxative properties.

"The road to your health goes through your kitchen not through the drug store"- timeless words of my lovely mom.