Parsley is a common herb used in everyday cooking. The benefits of parsley are incredible. Here’s a look at why you’re going to want parsley on your plate, and not just as a garnish.
Parsley is a good source of protein, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, pantothenic acid, phosphorus, and zinc. It is a very good source of dietary fibre, folate, calcium, iron, magnesium, potassium, copper, and manganese.
Parley also has extremely high levels of vitamin A, vitamin C, and vitamin K1. The vitamin K1 levels are astounding, and could be responsible for many of the plant’s health benefits. Also, the vitamin C levels are higher in parsley than most other plants.
Benefits Of Parsley
Parsley is popularly used to calm an upset or bloated stomach. However, this is far from the only use for this green herb. In fact, the health benefits of parsley are numerous. It has been used as a carminative, gastro tonic, diuretic, antiseptic of the urinary tract, anti-urolithiasis, and for anti-inflammatory purposes. It is used for the treatment of amenorrhea, dysmenorrhea, gastrointestinal disorder, hypertension, cardiac disease, urinary disease, otitis, diabetes, and various dermal disease in both traditional and folklore medicines.
This common herb has antibacterial, antifungal, anti-inflammatory, and antioxidant properties. It has cleansing, healing, and protective properties. These are the type medicinal properties you want in your food.
Parsley has a diuretic effect. That means that parsley and parsley oil will make you pee. Many of the aforementioned uses of parsley are related to the flushing effect it has in the body. Ingesting parsley can be a great way to get rid of toxins and restore the body.
Apigenin, a flavonoid found in parsley is shown to, cause apoptotic cell death in human leukaemia, breast cancer, and prostate cancer. It has a general tutor shrinking effect. While the shrinking effects may not be astronomical, parsley does make a markable difference.
The anti-bacterial properties of parsley can reduce bad breath. The herb is fairly effective at killing odours, which is good to keep in mind after a pungent dinner.
Always go fresh when cooking with parsley. It may be convenient to use the dried herb, but for optimal flavour and health benefits, you’ll want it as fresh as possible. That’s why it is a great idea grow your own plant.
Growing Parsley isn’t too difficult. You can grow it in a pot in your home, on a balcony, or directly in a garden. One of the benefits of parsley is that it is self-seeding. That means that as long as you let your parsley grow to the flowering stage, the flowers produce a large quantity of seeds for you to plant. It is a biennial plant meaning it lives two years. The flowers will grow in its second year.
You can grow them yourself from seeds, or buy a more mature plant for instant gratification.
Cut parsley off from the outside because new growth comes from the centre of the plant.
So don’t leave parsley to garnish your plate. The benefits are too numerous to ignore this leafy green.
