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Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East pp 269–279Cite as

Eruca sativa, a Tasty Salad Herb with Health-Promoting Properties

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Part of the book series: Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World ((MAPW,volume 2))

Abstract

Eruca sativa (Brassicaceae), commonly known as salad rocket or arugula, is an annual plant, naturally occurring around the Mediterranean Basin. The species has been gaining worldwide popularity as a salad vegetable with health-promoting properties, and, as in other members of the cabbage family, the main secondary metabolites, i.e., glucosinolates, give E. sativa a unique, rich aroma and taste. Early documentation of E. sativa as a culinary and medicinal herb dates back to Ancient Greece, and presumably these uses had been known in much earlier times. Among its therapeutic uses in traditional medicine, it has been valued by both ancient and modern scholars as a digestive and diuretic agent, to cure kidney and skin disorders, as an aphrodisiac, among many others. This chapter highlights the available information on the chemical composition of E. sativa and its biological activity in association with the reported health-promoting properties of the species.

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organization, 6, Bet Dagan, 50250, Israel

    Oz Barazani

  2. Herbarium, the National Natural History Collections, The Hebrew University of Jerusalem, Edmond J. Safra Campus, Giv’at Ram, Jerusalem, 91904, Israel

    Jotham Ziffer-Berger

Authors
  1. Oz Barazani
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  2. Jotham Ziffer-Berger
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Correspondence to Oz Barazani .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Plant Introduction and Seed Research Institute of Plant Sciences, Agricultural Research Organisation, Bet-Dagan, Israel

    Zohara Yaniv

  2. The Aromatic, Medicinal and Spice Crops Unit Newe Ya’ar Research Centre, Agricultural Research Organization, Ramat Yishay, Israel

    Nativ Dudai

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Barazani, O., Ziffer-Berger, J. (2014). Eruca sativa, a Tasty Salad Herb with Health-Promoting Properties. In: Yaniv, Z., Dudai, N. (eds) Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the Middle-East. Medicinal and Aromatic Plants of the World, vol 2. Springer, Dordrecht. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-94-017-9276-9_15

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