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Eruca sativa (Cruciferae)
ROCKET, ROCQUETTE, DAME'S ROCKET
Rocket leaves are a popular salad
ingredient, having a sharp peppery taste. They have been used medicinally
since Roman times and are now given by herbalists to help digestion and
support the body's lymphatic system.
Rocket is now popular in France, Italy, and Egypt. In the past, it was associated with deceit because the flower has a sweet perfume at night but none in the day. A native of Italy, it is an annual with a rosette of long, broadly-toothed, peppery-tasting leaves at its base, cream flowers with purple veins in summer, and pods containing mustard-like seeds in the autumn.
PARTS USED
Leaves.
ACTIVE INGREDIENTS
Volatile oil; heterosides.
ACTIONS
Prevents scurvy; stimulates digestion.
MEDICINAL USE
Used for digestive problems, support in lymphatic conditions, and scrofula (tuberculosis of bones or the lymphatic system).
PREPARATIONS
Fresh leaves.
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