Fun Nutritional, Health Benefits and Tips
- Rich in vitamin A, C, K, folate and iron.
- Unique properties- eugenol, myristicin and apigenin .
- Remedy for infection & weakened immunity, cough and bad breath.
- Assist in osteoarthritis, anaemia, asthma, reducing homocysteine level, preventing gum infection, reducing inflammatory, urinary tract infection, gastrointestinal disorder & gas, constipation, kidney stone, activating glutathione, neutralizing particular types of carcinogens and fighting against cancer.
- Reduce the risk of Alzheimer's disease, stroke, heart attack, atherosclerosis, birth defect and cancer.
- 1 cup of parsley a day provides about 3.5-4 milligrams, which is the richest source of iron among the green leafy veggies and can help counter anaemia.
- Parsley can be eaten raw anytime especially if you have bad breath.
Brief history
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is believed to be originally grown in Sardinia (Mediterranean area) and was cultivated from Circa 3rd century BCE. It is difficult to pinpoint its precise origin because the plant has been altered significantly by the cultivation. In ancient times, parsley was not only used for culinary and medical purposes, it was subjected to wide variety of superstitious beliefs by the Greeks and ancient Romans. The ancient Greeks mainly used parsley as a form of decoration for funeral wreaths and crowns of parsleys to honour the winners of Nenena & Isthmain sport games. The ancient Roman used parsley for deodorizing the corpse and cover up the alcohol on their breath . Parsley was used in Hebrew celebration of Passover as the symbol of spring and rebirth as mentioned to one of the plants in the gardens of Charlemagne and Catherine de Merdici. It was rumoured that Catherine de'Medici (Queen consort of France) was responsible for popularizing parsley in the 16th century when she brought it back to France from its native Italy. Today parsley is found in many varieties of dishes and is commonly used as garnish due to its ability to clear the breath and palate.
Introduction
Parsley is more than just garnish and its health benefits are very impressive. Parsley is considered as superfood, which include polyphenolic flavonoids & antioxidant, volatile oil, high in vitamin C & K, iron, folate (Vit B12), fibre and chlorophyll. Vitamin K assist in bone strengthening and has possible prevention of Alzheimer’s disease by limiting neuronal damage in brain. Iron is vital for the production of red blood cell which are rich in oxygen. Folate reduce homocysteine (amino acid that damage blood vessel) in our body, which reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and atherosclerosis. Fibre act as digestive aid to move food through the digestive tract and control blood-cholesterol level. Abundance of chlorophyll help to fight bad breath because of its antibacterial properties. Regular consumption of parsley reduce cancer risk & inflammation, improve immune function, resist disease & infections and protect blood vessels & several disorders (diabetes, asthma).
One of the parsley’s health benefit is binding to the toxic heavy metals (mercury) and flushing them out of our system despite the limited evidence. Still parsley is the popular choice for mercury and other heavy metal detoxification due to the presence of abundance of chlorophyll.
Main - Eugenol, Myrisiticin, Apigenin
The interesting components of volatile oils in parsley are eugenol and myristicin. Eugenol are commonly used by dentists to apply to the gums during treatment because of its antiseptic & anti-inflammatory properties and it acts as local anaesthetic. The 2014 study on eugenol published by Molecular Cellular Biochemistry has been shown to reduce blood sugar level and is useful for diabetes with high blood sugar level; however further studies are required to establish eugenol’s role in the diabetes. The 2012 study published by Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin indicated that eugenol has anti-arthritic properties that can suppress swelling in the joints. The 1992 study published by Journal Agriculture Food Chemistry has demonstrated the benefits of myristicin- shown to inhibit tumour formation and activate glutathione. The immense powerful benefits of parsley’s volatile oil qualifies under “chemoprotective” food category, which help to neutralize the particular types of carcinogens (benzopyrenes from cigarette smoke, charcoal grill smoke, haze from forest fire during the illegal logging, smokes from the volcano eruption).
Apigenin (polyphenolic flavonoids) has been shown to significantly inhibit breast cancer cells (stimulated by progestin, a synthetic hormone taken by women for menopausal symptoms) according the study by University of Missouri. The 1999 study published by The 1999 study published by The British Journal of Nutrition demonstrated that the intake apigenin (from parsley) increase erythrocyte glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (remove free radicals) compared to the basic diet, which has no improvements in erythrocyte glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase levels. Apigenin not only reduce certain cancers (skin, breast, prostate), but also act as anti-inflammatory. The flavonoid, luteolin from parsley, reduces the effects of carcinogenic compounds (hererocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) found in cooked meat and has anti-proliferative hormonal cancer effects (breast, prostate and thyroid). The combination of apigenin and myristicin help to boost the production of liver enzyme, which aid in the detoxification of our body.
Tips on choosing and storing
When buying fresh parsley, always look for fresh, vibrant green colour leaves with firm stems. They should be free from mold, dark spots or yellowing. Fresh leaves is always better than dried leaves due to higher content of nutrients and flavourings. Store parsley in the fridge, keep them in zip bag or slightly dampened paper towel. If you notice the parsley in the fridge is slightly wilted and dried, you need to sprinkle a bit of water of it. Parsley need to be washed and soaked in filtered water properly to remove sand, dirt and residual pesticides.
Caution
One should take note of excessive parsley consumption that has several side effects. Headaches are the most common symptoms including the loss of equilibrium, which means they need to be very careful while walking especially driving. The headache symptoms will pass by as the body get used to the parsley consumption. If you are currently on warfarin, please consult your doctor as high amount of vitamin K reduce effectiveness of warfarin medicine. Pregnant women should taking large amount of parsley may be able to affect uterus and induce mensuration.
Parsley extracts supplementation caution
Seizure occurs when one take extremely high amount of parsley supplementation. Those on high parsley supplementation, need to watch out for signs of kidney damage.
Growing parsley in your backyard tips
Do you know that if you have garden backyard, you can actually plant parsley. Parsley is very useful for repelling harmful insects and help to attract beneficial insects. Parsley plants also attract predatory wasps that hunt to kill caterpillars and other harmful insects. When parsley is planted near the rose bush, the rose plant will emit more fragrant. However parsley when planted together with mint do not thrive.
For more information and references
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2513/2
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505181
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is believed to be originally grown in Sardinia (Mediterranean area) and was cultivated from Circa 3rd century BCE. It is difficult to pinpoint its precise origin because the plant has been altered significantly by the cultivation. In ancient times, parsley was not only used for culinary and medical purposes, it was subjected to wide variety of superstitious beliefs by the Greeks and ancient Romans. The ancient Greeks mainly used parsley as a form of decoration for funeral wreaths and crowns of parsleys to honour the winners of Nenena & Isthmain sport games. The ancient Roman used parsley for deodorizing the corpse and cover up the alcohol on their breath . Parsley was used in Hebrew celebration of Passover as the symbol of spring and rebirth as mentioned to one of the plants in the gardens of Charlemagne and Catherine de Merdici. It was rumoured that Catherine de'Medici (Queen consort of France) was responsible for popularizing parsley in the 16th century when she brought it back to France from its native Italy. Today parsley is found in many varieties of dishes and is commonly used as garnish due to its ability to clear the breath and palate.
Introduction
Parsley is more than just garnish and its health benefits are very impressive. Parsley is considered as superfood, which include polyphenolic flavonoids & antioxidant, volatile oil, high in vitamin C & K, iron, folate (Vit B12), fibre and chlorophyll. Vitamin K assist in bone strengthening and has possible prevention of Alzheimer’s disease by limiting neuronal damage in brain. Iron is vital for the production of red blood cell which are rich in oxygen. Folate reduce homocysteine (amino acid that damage blood vessel) in our body, which reduce the risk of stroke, heart attack and atherosclerosis. Fibre act as digestive aid to move food through the digestive tract and control blood-cholesterol level. Abundance of chlorophyll help to fight bad breath because of its antibacterial properties. Regular consumption of parsley reduce cancer risk & inflammation, improve immune function, resist disease & infections and protect blood vessels & several disorders (diabetes, asthma).
One of the parsley’s health benefit is binding to the toxic heavy metals (mercury) and flushing them out of our system despite the limited evidence. Still parsley is the popular choice for mercury and other heavy metal detoxification due to the presence of abundance of chlorophyll.
Main - Eugenol, Myrisiticin, Apigenin
The interesting components of volatile oils in parsley are eugenol and myristicin. Eugenol are commonly used by dentists to apply to the gums during treatment because of its antiseptic & anti-inflammatory properties and it acts as local anaesthetic. The 2014 study on eugenol published by Molecular Cellular Biochemistry has been shown to reduce blood sugar level and is useful for diabetes with high blood sugar level; however further studies are required to establish eugenol’s role in the diabetes. The 2012 study published by Biological and Pharmaceutical Bulletin indicated that eugenol has anti-arthritic properties that can suppress swelling in the joints. The 1992 study published by Journal Agriculture Food Chemistry has demonstrated the benefits of myristicin- shown to inhibit tumour formation and activate glutathione. The immense powerful benefits of parsley’s volatile oil qualifies under “chemoprotective” food category, which help to neutralize the particular types of carcinogens (benzopyrenes from cigarette smoke, charcoal grill smoke, haze from forest fire during the illegal logging, smokes from the volcano eruption).
Apigenin (polyphenolic flavonoids) has been shown to significantly inhibit breast cancer cells (stimulated by progestin, a synthetic hormone taken by women for menopausal symptoms) according the study by University of Missouri. The 1999 study published by The 1999 study published by The British Journal of Nutrition demonstrated that the intake apigenin (from parsley) increase erythrocyte glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase (remove free radicals) compared to the basic diet, which has no improvements in erythrocyte glutathione reductase and superoxide dismutase levels. Apigenin not only reduce certain cancers (skin, breast, prostate), but also act as anti-inflammatory. The flavonoid, luteolin from parsley, reduces the effects of carcinogenic compounds (hererocyclic amines and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons) found in cooked meat and has anti-proliferative hormonal cancer effects (breast, prostate and thyroid). The combination of apigenin and myristicin help to boost the production of liver enzyme, which aid in the detoxification of our body.
Tips on choosing and storing
When buying fresh parsley, always look for fresh, vibrant green colour leaves with firm stems. They should be free from mold, dark spots or yellowing. Fresh leaves is always better than dried leaves due to higher content of nutrients and flavourings. Store parsley in the fridge, keep them in zip bag or slightly dampened paper towel. If you notice the parsley in the fridge is slightly wilted and dried, you need to sprinkle a bit of water of it. Parsley need to be washed and soaked in filtered water properly to remove sand, dirt and residual pesticides.
Caution
One should take note of excessive parsley consumption that has several side effects. Headaches are the most common symptoms including the loss of equilibrium, which means they need to be very careful while walking especially driving. The headache symptoms will pass by as the body get used to the parsley consumption. If you are currently on warfarin, please consult your doctor as high amount of vitamin K reduce effectiveness of warfarin medicine. Pregnant women should taking large amount of parsley may be able to affect uterus and induce mensuration.
Parsley extracts supplementation caution
Seizure occurs when one take extremely high amount of parsley supplementation. Those on high parsley supplementation, need to watch out for signs of kidney damage.
Growing parsley in your backyard tips
Do you know that if you have garden backyard, you can actually plant parsley. Parsley is very useful for repelling harmful insects and help to attract beneficial insects. Parsley plants also attract predatory wasps that hunt to kill caterpillars and other harmful insects. When parsley is planted near the rose bush, the rose plant will emit more fragrant. However parsley when planted together with mint do not thrive.
For more information and references
http://nutritiondata.self.com/facts/vegetables-and-vegetable-products/2513/2
http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/21505181
