Parsley: One of the seven most powerful disease-fighting spices in the world with 33 health benefits

Parsley: One of the seven most powerful disease-fighting spices in the world with 33 health benefits

Parsley (Petroselinum crispum), the world's most popular culinary herb, is also known as "rock celery" and belongs to the umbelliferous plant family. Parsley is one of the seven most powerful disease-fighting spices in the world, which also includes ginger, oregano, cinnamon, turmeric, sage and red chili peppers. Parsley grows in most climates and is available year-round. It is a biennial plant, meaning it produces seeds in its second year of production and will self-seed if you let it.

Although parsley is a wonderfully nutritious and healing food, it is often underestimated. Most people don't realize that this vegetable has more uses than just being a decorative accompaniment to restaurant dishes.

Parsley comes from the Mediterranean region of southern Europe and has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years. It was originally used as a medicinal plant (see below) before being consumed as food. The ancient Greeks considered parsley sacred and used it not only to decorate winners of sports competitions, but also to decorate the graves of the deceased. While it is uncertain when and where parsley was used as a spice, historians believe it may have been sometime in the Middle Ages in Europe. Some historians credit Charlemagne with its popularization because he had it grown on his estates.

Parsley's many therapeutic health benefits include its use for:

o Anemia: Builds up the blood because it is rich in iron. The high vitamin C content supports iron absorption.

o Antioxidant: Increases the antioxidant capacity of the blood.

o Bactericidal (kills bacteria)

o Bad breath

o Baldness: Believe it or not, men have even scrubbed parsley on their scalps to cure baldness - which doesn't work.

o Blood purifier

o Blood vessel rejuvenation: Maintains the elasticity of blood vessels and helps repair bruises.

o Diarrhea is greatly helped by drinking parsley tea.

o Digestion: Parsley is an excellent remedy for strengthening digestion. It improves the digestion of proteins and fats, thus promoting intestinal absorption, liver assimilation and storage. Due to its high enzyme content, parsley promotes digestive activity and elimination.

o Dissolves cholesterol in the veins.

o Diuretic parsley tea helps relieve swollen ankles.

o Ear Health: Treats deafness and ear infections.

o Edema: Acts as a diuretic and strengthens blood vessels.

o Fatigue: Parsley is rich in iron, so it helps with repair and provides components for better blood cells.

o Gallstones: Helps dissolve them.

o Glandular support of the liver, spleen, kidneys and adrenal glands.

o gout

o Hormonal Support: In women, parsley improves estrogen and nourishes and restores blood to the uterus. Conditions such as delayed menstruation, PMS and menopause (dry skin, irritability, depression and hair loss) can often improve.

o Hormone balancing is achieved through the volatile fatty acids contained in parsley.

o Immune booster: The high content of vitamin C, beta-carotene, B12, chlorophyll and essential fatty acids makes parsley an exceptional immunity-boosting food. Parsley is an immune-boosting multivitamin and mineral complex in green plant form and one of the most important herbs for supplying the body with vitamins.

o Inhibits tumor formation, especially in the lungs.

o Insect bites: rub to relieve swelling and itching.

o Jaundice

o Kidneys: Parsley is effective for almost all kidney and urinary tract problems, except for severe kidney inflammation. It improves kidney activity and can help remove waste products from the blood and tissues of the kidneys. It prevents salt from being absorbed into body tissues; Parsley literally pushes away deposits from the kidneys, liver and bladder. It helps improve edema and general water retention, fatigue and scanty or painful urination.

o Liver congestion: It enriches the liver and nourishes the blood. Parsley helps reduce liver congestion, eliminate toxins and promote rejuvenation.

o Menstrual disorders: Parsley helps to make cycles regular due to the presence of apiol, which is a component of the female sex hormone estrogen.

o Menstrual pain

o Night blindness: Poor vision is a sign of vitamin A deficiency.

o Rheumatism

o Spleen strengthening: Parsley root in particular strengthens the spleen and can therefore treat malabsorption.

o Loss of stamina and low resistance to infection indicate a sluggish liver. This can manifest as blood deficiency, fatigue, pale complexion and bad nails, dizziness, anemia and mineral deficiencies.

o Stomach problems

o Strengthens loose teeth: In the Middle Ages, parsley was used for many ailments, including "fixing of teeth" (scurvy, caused by a vitamin C deficiency, makes gums spongy and teeth loose.)

o Uterine tonic

o Weight loss benefits from being a diuretic

Nutritional Benefits of Parsley: Parsley is a nutritional powerhouse that contains high levels of beta-carotene, vitamin B12, folic acid, chlorophyll, calcium, more vitamin C than citrus fruits, and almost every other known nutrient. Parsley is a moistening, nourishing, regenerating, “warming” food, pungent with a slightly bitter, salty taste. It increases and stimulates the energy of the organs and improves their ability to absorb and utilize nutrients.

Beta-carotene is used for protein assimilation. This nutrient benefits the liver and protects the lungs and colon. Beta-carotene is converted by the body into vitamin A, a nutrient so important to a strong immune system that its nickname is the “anti-infection vitamin.”

Chlorophyll: Parsley is rich in chlorophyll, purifying and inhibiting the spread of bacteria, fungi and other organisms. Chlorophyll from parsley is mildly antibacterial and antifungal, which improves immune response and relieves mucus congestion, sinusitis, and other “wet” conditions. Chlorophyll, rich in oxygen, also suppresses viruses and helps the lungs expel debris from environmental pollution.

Essential Fatty Acids: Parsley is a source of alpha-linolenic acid, an important essential fatty acid that is too often deficient in today's diets.

Fluorine is an important nutrient found in abundance in parsley. Fluorine has a completely different molecular structure than chemically produced fluoride. Tooth decay occurs due to a lack of fluorine, not fluoride. It is the combination of calcium and fluorine that forms a very hard protective surface on teeth and bones. Fluorine also protects the body from infectious invasion, germs and viruses.

Folic acid, one of the most important B vitamins, but one of its most important roles in cardiovascular health is to convert homocysteine ​​into benign molecules. Homocysteine ​​is a potentially dangerous molecule that in high concentrations can directly damage blood vessels and increase the risk of heart attacks and strokes in people with atherosclerosis or diabetic heart disease. Folic acid is also a critical nutrient for proper cell division and is therefore crucial for cancer prevention in two areas of the body that contain rapidly dividing cells - the colon and, in women, the cervix.

Iron: The iron content of parsley is exceptional at 5.5 mg per 100 g (4 oz). Half a cup of fresh parsley or a tablespoon of dried provides about 10 percent of your daily iron needs. Plus, parsley has the vitamin C that your body needs to absorb this iron.

Protein: Parsley is 20% protein. (About the same as mushrooms.)

Vitamin B12: Parsley contains trace amounts of B12-producing compounds. Such compounds are needed for red blood cell formation and normal cell growth, which is important for fertility, pregnancy, immunity and the prevention of degenerative diseases. However, the effects of vitamin B12 are inhibited by birth control pills, antibiotics, intoxicants, stress, sluggish liver and excess bacteria or parasites in the colon or digestive tract. Parsley helps counteract these inhibitors.

Vitamin K: Taking at least 100 micrograms of vitamin K per day can dramatically reduce the risk of a hip fracture. Vitamin K is necessary for bones to receive the minerals they need to form properly. Parsley is loaded with vitamin K (180 mcg per 1/2 cup). Cooking parsley almost doubles its vitamin K.

Vitamin C: Parsley contains more vitamin C than any other standard culinary vegetable, with 166 mg per 100 g (4 oz). That's three times as much as oranges. Flavonoids, which make up the vitamin C molecule, maintain blood cell membranes and act as an antioxidant helper.

Volatile oil components – including myristicin, limonene, eugenol and alpha-thujene. The essential oils of parsley, particularly myristicin, have been shown in animal studies to inhibit tumor formation, particularly tumor formation in the lungs. It acts as an antioxidant that can help neutralize certain types of carcinogens (such as the benzopyrenes that are part of cigarette smoke, charcoal grill smoke and waste incinerator smoke).

Parsley also contains calcium (245 mg per 100 g), phosphorus, potassium (1000 mg per 4 oz), manganese (2.7 mg per 100 g), inositol and sulfur.

Many of my clients test that they would benefit greatly from eating parsley for all types of health problems.

How to use parsley:

Stuff your sandwiches with it, add it to your salad, put it in tabbouli or better yet, toss it into simmering soups, stews and sauces. We eat it raw in salads and on days when I can't eat it raw I often add a few parsley capsules to my supplements.

Parsley juice is quite strong as an herbal drink and is usually taken in quantities of around 50ml three times daily and is best mixed with other juices. I've noticed that it's most effective to juice parsley between other vegetables because the juice is heavy and thick and doesn't move through some juicers as easily.

Types of Parsley: The two most popular types of parsley are curly parsley and Italian flat-leaf parsley. Both are related to celery. The Italian variety has a more aromatic and less bitter taste than the curly variety. There is also another type of parsley known as turnip root parsley (or hamburger), which is grown for its roots that resemble salsify and burdock. Chinese parsley is actually cilantro.

How to pick and care for parsley: If possible, choose fresh, organically grown, dark green parsley, which looks fresher and crispier than the dried form of the herb, as it has excellent flavor. Avoid grapes with wilted or yellowed leaves, which indicate overripe or damaged produce.

Parsley can be stored loosely wrapped in a damp cloth or plastic bag and refrigerated for up to a week. Wash shortly before use. If the parsley wilts, either mist it lightly with a little water or wash it without drying it completely before putting it back in the fridge.

It's best to clean it like spinach. Place it in a bowl of cold water and plunge it up and down like a toilet plunger. This can cause sand or dirt to come loose. Remove the leaves from the water, empty the bowl, refill with clean water, and repeat this process until no more debris remains in the water.

If you have excess flat-leaf parsley, you can easily dry it by laying it out in a single layer on a clean kitchen towel. I pre-chop mine (both types) and place it on a baking sheet in the fridge where it's warm. Stir occasionally to allow for even drying. After drying, it should be stored in a tightly closed container in a cool, dark and dry place.

Some believe that the curly-leaf variety is best preserved by freezing rather than drying. Although it retains most of its flavor, it tends to lose its crunch, so it is best used in recipes without thawing it first.

Bon appetit!