Parsley is a commonly used culinary spice, especially in continental cuisine. A close relative of celery, parsley will not just add amazing flavor to your food, but also gives you many health benefits.
What Makes Parsley a Wonder-Herb?
Fresh parsley is available all year round and is an easy herb to grow in pots for your vegetable garden. There are more than 30 different varieties available, but mostly it is used in dried form as a condiment in European and Mediterranean cooking.
It’s is rich in Vitamin A, Vitamin C, Vitamin K, Vitamin B12, as well as Beta Carotene. Also, it’s a great source of Folic acid as well as Iron.
It’s popular as a natural diuretic, preventing water retention. Also, it’s a natural cure for reducing blood pressure levels and the volatile oils in parsley are natural oxidants. These include limonene, myristicin, alpha thujene and eugenol, and together they nullify the effects of common carcinogens like cigarette fumes.
Herbalists also use parsley as an effective holistic cure for ear infections while parsley infused tea is great for healthy digestion, promoting enteric absorption and storage within the liver.
Health Benefits of Including Parsley in Your Diet
So, now that you know that parsley has some truly magical properties, let’s talk about some of health benefits of this simple herb in detail.
1. Fight Against Cancer
Along with the antioxidants oils mentioned above, Parsley is also rich in a flavonoid called as apigenin. This particular flavonoid doesn’t just protect against lung cancer, but also prevents prostate cancer, breast cancer and skin cancer.
2. Boosts Immune System
The essential oils within Parsley suppress over-stimulated immune responses and have natural anti-inflammatory properties that make this a potent cure for common allergies, inflammatory disorders and autoimmune diseases.
It’s also effective for building immunity against diseases like asthma, colon cancer and Diabetes type 2.
3. Builds Energy and Endurance
For athletes, parsley truly is a wonder herb. Not only do the anti-inflammatory properties help heal faster from athletic injuries, the high content of Vitamin C and Iron make parsley a great cure for fatigue as well as anemia.
The herb naturally repairs blood cells while improving the elasticity of blood vessels, hence improving blood circulation as a whole.
4. Improved Heart Health
Parsley is rich in both Folic Acid and Vitamin B, which reduces risk of damage to blood vessels through Homocysteine, which is an amino acid produced as a by-product. Thus, it effectively reduces chances for heart attacks, thickening of the walls of arteries (also called as atherosclerosis in medical terms) and stroke.
5. Effective Kidney Functioning
For those who suffer from persistent UTI, now there is another natural cure along with drinking copious amounts of cranberry juice – parsley. It’s got natural antibiotic properties to fight the infection, reduce inflammation and bring relief, especially because it is also known to be a natural diuretic and rids the kidneys of toxins and excess sodium.
For those who are prone to kidney stones, fresh parsley juice is an effective cure as well as preventive.
6. Enhanced Liver Health
The liver is responsible for filtering out toxins from our system. And parsley is rich in two detoxifying compounds, namely myristicin and apigenin.
While the liver might trap all toxins and prevent them from entering the blood flow, these two compounds effectively detoxify the liver and remove the toxins from the body to promote effective functioning of the liver.
7. Cures Hormonal Imbalances
Parsley enhances the secretion of Estrogen, and hence can naturally cure hormonal imbalances that accompany delayed menstrual cycle, menopause or PMS. It also eases cramps during periods, and increases blood flow to the uterus to bring relief from amenorrhea (or skipping menses).
8. Promotes Oral Health
Parsley has natural antibacterial properties due to the high chlorophyll content, and hence prevents bacterial attack on teeth. This is why it is an effective cure for bad breath.
Simply chew on a few fresh parsley sprigs post meals and you never have to worry about gum diseases or tooth decay.
9. Fights Infections
It also offers pain relief and brings down swelling caused by bruises, cuts and wounds. Its strong healing properties also bring relief from insect bites and can quicken the healing process when you have bleeding wounds.
A Word of Caution:
Though parsley is a great herb with many secret health benefits, excessive intake may cause undesirable side effects. These include – severe headaches, loss of equilibrium, kidney damage, seizures and abdominal swelling.
How to Use Parsley?
If you want to reap the health benefits of parsley, there are many ways to add this herb to your diet. Use the herb to flavor gravy dishes made with lentils, chicken, mussels and mushrooms.
Parsley can also be used for marinade or for garnishes almost all dishes, the stalks adding great flavor to soups, stews, salads and stocks. You can also drink parsley tea, while you can use parsley oil for first aid and hair loss treatments.
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