Parsley is one of the world's most amazing, versatile herbs. This deep-green little plant has so many medicinal qualities it could make your head spin. It is used as a garnish or sprinkled on top of food. Parsley is available in supermarkets and grocery stores all year-round.
Parsley contains volatile oils and flavonoids. Research indicates that the volatile oils can neutralize certain carcinogens and are effective against tumor formation. Parsley's flavonoids function as antioxidants, increasing the oxygen capacity of the blood. It is high in vitamin C, which helps prevent colds. Parsley tea may lower blood pressure. The Cherokee Indians used parsley as a tonic to strengthen the bladder. It is high in folic acid, which promotes cardiovascular health.
Perhaps even more significantly, folic acid has been proven to prevent certain disorders of the nervous system in utero. In recent years studies have definitively shown that folic acid is essential for pregnant women and women of childbearing age, and government guidelines now recommend that young women consume at least 400 micrograms each day. A deficiency of folic acid in a pregnant woman can cause spina bifida, a birth disorder wherein the neural tube fails to properly close, resulting in permanent disability or even death. Each year 3000 infants are born with spina bifida. Folic acid assists in the growth of the neural tube, which develops into the brain and spinal cord.
Other foods high in folic acid include asparagus, bananas, broccoli, spinach, and other green leafy vegetables, dried beans, oranges and orange juice, peanuts and other nuts and peas. An effective histamine, parsley juice is used to treat hives and relieve symptoms of allergies. In folk medicine, parsley has been used to facilitate childbirth, as well as to increase the female libido.
Parsley can relieve or eliminate bloating and excessive water retention. The parsley root can be used as a laxative. The German commission E, an advisory panel on herbal medicines, has approved parsley for use in the prevention and treatment of kidney stones. It is rich in vitamins and minerals, including A and C, calcium, thiamine, riboflavin, niacin, zinc, potassium and iron.
Its high chlorophyll content makes parsley a natural breath freshener - that's why it's so often placed on dinner plates in restaurants. When added to dishes containing a lot of onions and garlic, parsley serves to minimize any unpleasant odor. Chewing parsley can counteract bad breath.
Parsley goes well with fish and in soups or sauces. It can be sprinkled on top of almost any main dish or vegetable. There are two types of parsley - Italian and Curly Leaf. Curly Leaf is more often used as a garnish. In Central and Eastern European cuisines, the parsley root is used in soups and stews. A poultice made of parsley soothes tired eyes and hastens the healing of bruises. Parsley juice relieves the itch and sting of insect bites, and makes a good mosquito repellent.
So the next time you prepare a salad, add some parsley to it, or better yet, blend ½ a cup of parsley with a carrot, 1 cup of spinach, a couple stalks of celery, a green pear and ½ cup of pomegranate juice and enjoy as a nutritious cleansing drink. You can add a pinch of cardamom powder (optional) to this concoction for an exotic taste.
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