Italian parsley is considered to be stronger while the curly type is used for garnishing, but aside from being a garnishing ingredient or a food additive, parsley has been used in traditional and folk medicine.
Parsley is known to be a carminative, gastro tonic, diuretic, antiseptic and anti-inflammatory. It has also been used to alleviate dysmenorrhea, amenorrhea, urinary conditions and a number of skin problems.
Parsley is an important ingredient in a bouquet garni, or a "garnished bouquet", consisting of sprigs of parsley, thyme and bay leaves tied together and is used to flavor stock or soups. They're usually left in the pot to simmer. Parsley is also a good companion for cheeses and foods with strong flavors, such as anchovies, capers and olives. It can be added to sauces, dips and fillings for a punch of freshness.
As for storage, parsley can easily be preserved by placing a bunch of leaves inside a bag, pressing the parsley down to the bottom. Squeeze and roll the bag to the top and then seal it. Wrap a rubber band around the bag and freeze.
Health Benefits of Parsley
Parsley contains impressive amounts of both vitamins and minerals, with vitamin K taking the lead. Vitamin K promotes bone strength by supporting bone metabolism, but it also has a role in the treatment and possible prevention of Alzheimer's disease by limiting neuronal damage in the brain.
Parsley contains iron, which is not only important for oxygen transportation, but also for electron transport and DNA synthesis.11 Copper is another mineral abundant in parsley. This mineral is important because it's required by the body for growth, cardiovascular integrity and iron metabolism, with copper deficiency leading to anemia, hypothermia and cardiac hypertrophy. Parsley also contains trace amounts of manganese, which is crucial for bone formation and amino acid and lipid metabolism.
Parsley is useful as a digestive aid with its high fiber content, containing about 3 grams of dietary fiber for every 100 grams. Fiber helps decrease the risk for a handful of diseases, whether cardiovascular or digestive, reduce the time for intestinal transit, control cholesterol and glycemic levels and support intestinal flora.
A 2002 study from the Journal of Ethnopharmacology showed that parsley tea may be beneficial for patients with kidney stones as it increases urine output. In addition, parsley has been observed to help alleviate colic through its anti-inflammatory properties, as shown in a 2017 study from the Journal of Medical Science and Clinical Research.
Additionally, parsley contains a unique collection of compounds and volatile oils, including myristicin, apiol, alpha-pinene, sabinene, limonene and eugenol. Eugenol is used in dentistry as a local anesthetic and antiseptic. A 2016 study from Scientific Reports also found that eugenol reduces blood glucose levels by up to 38%. The phenolic compounds and antioxidants parsley contains include apiin, apigenin and 6"-Acetylapiin. All these components contribute to parsley's antioxidant, hepatoprotective, neuroprotective, analgesic and antibacterial properties.
Parsley fights acidosis and can alkalize the entire body, crossing body systems and driving out acidity across the board. (Note that pH strips don’t give you the feedback on body acidity that you may think they do.
- Parsley’s specialized mineral salts bind onto unproductive acids in the body to drive them out. This alkalizing skill makes parsley a helpful cancer preventative.
- Parsley is an all-purpose pathogen-fighter; it keeps bacteria, parasites, and fungus at bay.
- Parsley is amazing for anything mouth-related such as gum disease, tooth decay, and dry mouth, as it impedes the growth of unproductive microorganisms there.
- It’s also a fantastic anti-DDT weapon—it has a great chelation effect that pulls out stores of herbicides and pesticides such as DDT that you never knew were hiding in your body and holding you back.
Parsley is full of nutrition, including B vitamins such as folic acid, traces of B12 coenzymes, and vitamins A, C, and K. It’s also a highly re-mineralizing food, especially for those low in trace minerals; parsley provides magnesium, sulfur, iron, zinc, manganese, molybdenum, chromium, selenium, iodine, and calcium.
How To Use:
One excellent way to enjoy and benefit from parsley is to juice it with celery. The mineral salts in these related herbs work in tandem. If you wish to receive the healing benefits of straight celery juice as I describe in Medical Medium Celery Juice, it’s important to keep parsley out of this juice and have your celery juice with parsley at another time of day. You can also make a tea from parsley, using the fresh herb ideally.
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