The monks cress, known also as garden nasturtium or Indian cress, scientific name Tropaeolum majus, belongs to the Tropeolaceae family and is native to the forests of South America. Imported by Europeans in the seventeenth century and used as a remedy against scurvy, nowadays monks cress is recommended to treat bronchial and pulmonary irritations and bladder infections thanks to the antibacterial, disinfectant, antifungal, expectorant and mucus thinning properties. Monks grass is also slightly laxative and depurative and is supposed to be helpful for men's baldness and in general to counteract hair loss, to stimulate, give vitality and rebalance the scalp. It can be cultivated in gardens or in balconies and can used either internally as an infusion or as an external lotion. Let's see how you can use monks grass.
Brew
Boil a liter of water, remove from the heat and infuse 20 grams of monks cress leaves for ten minutes, then filter and drink 2-3 cups during the day, useful against colds, cough, catarrh and problems of the urogenital tract.
Hair lotion
Squeeze two handfuls of monks cress leaves and let them macerate for two weeks in a liter of alcohol at 90 °. Finally filter by pressing well the leaves, rub the scalp with the resulting lotion.
