Watercress Research Limited is looking to create products by applying rigorous scientific methodology to the study of the biological and medicinal properties of the watercress plant. We believe this sets us apart from other companies.
The company’s founders, Paul and Kyle, are a Professor of Experimental Medicine and an NHS General Practitioner, respectively. Their careers are routed in academia, biochemistry, evidence-based medicine and rigorous scientific peer reviews. As a result, Watercress Research will never make a claim about a product that cannot be scientifically substantiated.
Pharmacognosy is the branch of knowledge concerned with medicinal drugs obtained from plants or other natural sources. Watercress Research’s particular area of study within pharmacognosy is phytochemicals, which are the molecules found in plants.
For centuries humans have looked to plants, including herbs, for their wide-ranging effects driven by phytochemicals. Over time, as our knowledge base has grown we have managed to extract and classify chemicals from these plants with bioactive properties. This has been a major factor in drug development in recent years, where these chemicals are now synthesised for purity.
Herbalism (or herbal remedies) takes a different approach, and has diverged from conventional medicine, in that it often describes traditional healing or alternative care. While herbalism has a strong following, often herbalists are not medically qualified, and evidence on the effectiveness of treatments can be lacking. In the context of serious pathology, this has the potential to put people at risk who rely on herbal remedies for a cure or treatment.