Chandrashura (Garden Cress) in Ayurveda: Properties & Everyday Use

What it is

Chandrashura (also chandrasura, chandrashoor) is the seed of garden cress, Lepidium sativum L., a fast-growing annual of the mustard family (Brassicaceae) (comprehensive review, PMC; Paranjape & Mehta, IJPT 2006). The seeds are the main medicinal part; the leaves are also eaten as a vegetable. They contain glucosinolates, flavonoids (kaempferol, quercetin), mucilage, essential fatty acids, and notable amounts of iron, calcium, and vitamins A and C (comprehensive review, PMC).

Classical properties

• Taste (rasa): pungent (Katu), bitter (Tikta)
• Qualities (guna): light (Laghu), oily (Snigdha)
• Potency (virya): warming (Ushna)
• After digestion (vipaka): pungent (Katu)
• Doshas: traditionally said to settle Vata and Kapha; may increase Pitta

Traditional use

In Ayurveda, chandrashura seeds are described as having pungent and bitter taste (katu-tikta rasa), hot potency (ushna veerya), and nourishing (bruhaniya/balya) properties. They are widely used by Indian families in the postnatal period to support the new mother's strength and breast-milk production, and are considered a galactagogue (Ranade & Mudgalkar trial full text). Traditional medicine also uses the seeds as an aperient (mild laxative), diuretic, and tonic, for cough and throat complaints, and as a poultice for pain and sprains (comprehensive review, PMC; Paranjape & Mehta, IJPT 2006). These are traditional claims; the clinical evidence is examined separately below.

What research has looked at

Lactation (one small randomized trial — preliminary evidence)

The most relevant human evidence for chandrashura is a completed open-label randomized trial, published 2021 in AYU (Ranade & Mudgalkar, 2021;42:35–8; CTRI/2020/11/029185). Mothers of preterm infants (under 32 weeks gestation) with low milk supply were randomized 1:1: 48 enrolled, 46 completed (23 per group). The intervention group took soaked chandrashura seeds each morning for 28 days; the control group received no seeds (both groups expressed milk with breast pumps). The day-28 milk volume, the primary endpoint, was significantly higher in the seed group (reported as P=0.00002 in the abstract and P=0.0002 in the results text: the paper itself gives both values).

Caveats matter: the trial was open-label (no blinding, no placebo), single-center, and small. Milk volumes did not differ significantly until day 21. The authors note maternal nutrition was not monitored, infant birth weight was not factored into randomization, and family stress was unmeasured: all potential confounders. The authors describe it as probably the first trial of its kind for hypogalactia: suggestive, not conclusive.

Asthma / lung function (small open trial)

An open, uncontrolled study (34 enrolled, 30 completed) in patients (aged 15–80) with mild-to-moderate bronchial asthma who took L. sativum seed powder for 4 weeks, without concurrent medication. Spirometry (FVC, FEV1, FEF25–75%, MVV) and clinical symptoms improved significantly, with no adverse effects reported (Paranjape & Mehta, Iran J Pharmacol Ther 2006). Small, short, and uncontrolled: promising but preliminary, and not a substitute for asthma treatment.

Bronchodilator mechanisms (animal studies)

In guinea pigs, an ethanolic seed extract protected against histamine- and acetylcholine-induced bronchospasm, with the drugs ketotifen and atropine sulphate used as references (Mali et al., Phcog Mag 2008); this is an animal finding, not evidence of a treatment. Never use it in place of, or alongside, prescribed medicine without your doctor. A separate mechanistic study attributed the bronchodilatory effect to a combination of anticholinergic, calcium-channel-blocking, and phosphodiesterase-inhibitory pathways (Rehman et al., eCAM 2012): both as summarized in the comprehensive review. Animal data support the traditional respiratory use, but do not establish clinical efficacy.

Other preclinical signals

The comprehensive review catalogues animal and laboratory findings including blood-sugar-lowering activity in diabetic rats (Eddouks et al. 2005), blood-pressure lowering in hypertensive rats (Maghrani et al. 2005), and fracture-healing support in rabbits: all preclinical, none tested in humans (PMC review).

Safety notes

Human safety data are limited: the clinical record is two small trials (a 30-patient asthma study and a 46-completer lactation study), neither of which reported adverse effects. In rats, high acute doses of seed powder caused no toxicity or mortality, and feeding it as part of the diet for 14 weeks produced no mortality or organ damage, though serum ALP and SGOT rose in males at the highest doses (Penn State research record of the safety study). Traditional sources describe postpartum use but not use during pregnancy: pregnant women should not assume it is safe and should consult a clinician, as should anyone on medication for blood pressure or blood sugar (animal studies suggest the seeds may affect both). Overall: limited data: talk to a clinician.

FAQs

Does garden cress increase breast milk?

One small open-label randomized trial (2021; 46 completers, mothers of preterm infants with low milk supply) found significantly higher mean milk volume at day 28 with soaked seeds versus a no-seed control: preliminary evidence, not proof, given the open-label design, single center, and small size (Ranade & Mudgalkar, AYU 2021). Traditional postpartum use aside, this is the only controlled human data on the question.

Does chandrashura help asthma?

One small uncontrolled 4-week trial (n=30) reported improved lung function and symptoms; animal studies show bronchodilator effects. That is preliminary: it is not established treatment and should never replace prescribed asthma medication (Paranjape & Mehta 2006).

How are chandrashura seeds taken?

As a food, the seeds are soaked before eating: the trial paper describes soaking them in lukewarm water for half an hour. The lactation trial used soaked seeds for 28 days, and the asthma trial used seed powder for 4 weeks (Ranade & Mudgalkar, AYU 2021; Paranjape & Mehta 2006).

Is chandrashura safe in pregnancy?

Human data are lacking. Traditional use is specifically postpartum, not during pregnancy: do not extrapolate, and consult a qualified practitioner (Penn State safety-study record).

Are there side effects?

Neither of the two small human trials reported adverse effects, and rat studies found no toxicity at ordinary doses. But that is a thin base: anyone with blood-pressure or blood-sugar conditions, or on medication, should check with a clinician first (Paranjape & Mehta 2006; Penn State safety-study record).

Sources

• Ranade M, Mudgalkar N. "The efficacy of diet supplemented with Lepidium sativum (Chandrashoor) on expressed breast milk volume in hypogalactic mothers — an open-label noncross-over randomized trial." AYU. 2021;42:35–8 (CTRI/2020/11/029185) — ovid.com
• "Evidence for Health-Promoting Properties of Lepidium sativum L.: An Updated Comprehensive Review." Turk J Pharm Sci (via PMC) — PMC · PMC9780570
• Paranjape AN, Mehta AA. "A Study on Clinical Efficacy of Lepidium sativum Seeds in Treatment of Bronchial Asthma." Iran J Pharmacol Ther. 2006;5(1):55–59 — ijpt.iums.ac.ir
• "Safety evaluation studies on Garden cress (Lepidium sativum L.) seeds in Wistar rats." (research record) — pure.psu.edu

Disclaimer

This article is for educational purposes only and is not medical advice. Herbal products can interact with medications and are not suitable for everyone. Talk to a qualified healthcare practitioner before use — especially if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, managing a medical condition, or taking prescription medicines.