Parsley is not only used as a condiment and as a garnish, but it is also used as a flavoring and is used for medicinal purposes. Parsley is used for urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones (nephrolithiasis), gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, constipation, jaundice, intestinal gas (flatulence), indigestion, colic, diabetes, cough, asthma, fluid retention (edema), osteoarthritis, anemia, high blood pressure, prostate conditions, and spleen conditions. It is also used as a breath freshener.
Some people apply parsley directly to the skin for cracked or chapped skin, bruises, tumors, insect bites, and to stimulate hair growth.
Parsley is a well-known herb that most people think of as just a garnish. It can also lower your risk of cancer, enhance your immune system, and reduce inflammation. Parsley is rich in a flavonoid phytochemical known as apigenin which has been shown to reduce certain cancers, such as skin, breast and prostate cancer. It also acts as an anti-inflammatory and antioxidant.
Parsley’s essential oils have been proven to suppress overstimulated immune responses, which makes it important to calm allergies and autoimmune and persistent inflammatory disorders. Eugenol, one of the oils found in parsley, has been shown to have anti-arthritic properties. This oil, combined with the anti-inflammatory benefits of parsley, can significantly reduce joint swelling.
Parsley contains a significant amount of the B vitamin folic acid, also known as folate, which reduces homocysteine (an amino acid that can damage blood vessels) in our bodies, thus lowering the risk of stroke, heart attack and atherosclerosis (thickening of artery walls).
Along with drinking cranberry juice, parsley also acts as an antibiotic alternative to be used at the first signs of urinary tract infection. Two compounds found in parsley, apigenin and myristicin, boost the production of a liver enzyme which can detox your body. Parsley is full of chlorophyll, which has antibacterial properties. That is why people eat the parsley sprig from their plates after a meal. It fights oral bacteria that cause bad breath.
The beauty of God’s food is that it is so simple yet so powerful. Isn’t ironic that parsley is used to make a plate in a restaurant look pretty yet most people do not eat it when in fact it would have been the most health promoting food they could have eaten in their meal.
The rule for staying healthy: Eat food in its original state and eat it as green as possible. Parsley passes both of these and that is why it has so many health benefits. So start adding some to your salads put some in your smoothies and green drinks and add it to your home made salad dressing which can be as simple as blending cucumbers, parsley and lime juice as a light and refreshing dressing.
