Descurainia sophia ( L . ) : a weed with multiple medicinal uses

Descurainia sophia (L.) is a dicot annual weed, distributed in many countries of Asia, Europe, Africa and America. In China it is distributed throughout most of the wheat producing regions and has long been used in traditional Chinese medicines to cure different ailments. It has an impressive range of medicinal uses and is a good source of proteins, amino acids, fatty acids, cholesterol, lactones, flavonoids, cardiac glycosides, aryldihydronaphthoic acid, glucosinolates and other phenolic compounds. Seeds of this plant are used to relieve cough, prevent asthma, reduce edema, promote urination and possess cardiotonic, antitumor, antipyretic, antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, diuretic, anthelmintic and analgesic activities. In addition, seeds of this plant are rich source of a variety of volatile oils.