Parsley is a familiar herb seen as a garnish on many plates. Unfortunately, it usually remains left on the plates. Many don't realize this green, curly herb is high in nutrients, has many health benefits, and freshens the breath.
Parsley is one of the first herbs to grow in the spring. It has been used for centuries. It symbolizes new beginnings in Passover meals and the Greeks considered it a symbol of strength.
Roman doctors prescribed parsley for epilepsy and as a diuretic for water retention. The start of parsley as a garnish dates back to the Romans chewing raw sprigs of parsley to freshen their breath.
Parsley’s important contents include, apiol, calcium, essential oils, iodine, iron, myristicene, phosphorus, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
Parsley oil contains two major chemicals, apiol and myristicin, that have significant diuretic properties. The root, leaves and seed all contain this important oil, but the seed has the highest concentration.
Healing with Parsley
Parsley seed tea is widely prescribed as a diuretic to treat high blood pressure and congestive heart failure. If using a parsley preparation as a diuretic, be sure to eat foods rich in potassium, such as bananas and fresh vegetable, since diuretics deplete the body of potassium.
Freshen your breathe with parsley, which contains one of the highest levels of chlorophyll, a main ingredient in breathe fresheners such as Clorets.
Studies have shown parsley to inhibit the secretion of histamine, a chemical the body produces that triggers allergy symptoms. Parsley's antihistamine may help with hay fever or hives.
Parsley's strong anti-inflammatory properties have been shown to interfere with the growth of many types of cancer cells. Apigeniun can reduce the development of new blood vessels in tumors by weakening the structure of blood vessels needed for cancers to grow therefore helping to prevent the disease.
Varieties and Uses of Parsely
There are many varieties of parsley, such as Neapolitanum, known as Italian parsley, Hamburg parsley with large flat leaves, and curled parsley. No matter which variety is chosen, all parsleys are rich in vitamins, minerals and chlorophyll.
Parsley has many uses in the kitchen. It can be added to salads, sandwiches, soups, fish, sauces and mayonnaise. Parsley enhances other flavors when cooked. It can be added to almost any dish, raw or cooked.
Parsley grows best in full sun or light shade, in rich, moist and deeply dug soil. Parsley grows well indoors in a medium sized planter pot. When parsley is full grown, cut, wash, dry and freeze in small plastic bags.
Sources:
http://www.naturaldatabase.com/%28S%28nawjamzi5mta2355r0anfi55%29%29/nd/Search.aspx?cs=&s=ND&pt=100&id=792&ds=&name=PARSLEY&searchid=17632183
http://vsearch.nlm.nih.gov/vivisimo/cgi-bin/query-meta?query=parsley&imageField.x=15&imageField.y=8&v%3Aproject=nlm-main-website
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