Parsley benefits for health– tremendous!

It is believed that parsley is one of the world’s seven most potent disease-fighting herbs

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Parsley benefits for health are numerous, bringing us to Today’s SIMPLE Self Care TIP.

A Super Simple Self Care TIP: Pick up a fresh bunch of parsley.

• Place it in a ball jar with fresh water
• Maybe put it into a pretty or fun vase*
• Keep kitchen scissors next to it
• Snip fresh parsley onto your meals
• Make a cup of parsley tea

You’ve just instantaneously added the vitamins:

A, C, K, and Folic Acid.

Plus the minerals:

Potassium, Magnesium, Calcium, Iron, and Zinc.

Exponentially increasing the nutritional value of your meal!

Self Care can be that SIMPLE!

TIP Snip, Eat, or Steep.

* Always place parsley in a non-toxic glass container to keep your parsley safe from a vase or vessel that may leach.

Parsley has unique components that contribute to its high level of health benefits.*

Here are a few:

➻ Parsley is a Cancer Fighter

Two volatile oils in parsley help fight Cancer. (2) They are:

• Myristicin and
• Limonene

Both inhibit tumor development.

The activity of parsley’s volatile oils qualifies it as a “chemoprotective” food….it can help neutralize carcinogens (like benzopyrenes from cigarette & charcoal grill smoke (6)

Then there is the flavone (there are multiple, but today we are highlighting one):

• Apigenin.

Found to help prevent cancerous cell growth. ⁽³⁾⁽⁴⁾

Apigenin, a major plant flavone, possessing antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticancer properties affecting several molecular and cellular targets used to treat various human diseases. (3)(4) (bold added)

➻ Parsley helps to protect eye health

• Lutein,
• Beta carotene,
• Zeaxanthin

“Lutein, beta carotene, and zeaxanthin are three carotenoids in parsley that help protect your eyes and promote healthy vision.”⁽⁸⁾

➻ Parsley is helpful for cramping, heavy menstrual cycles, bloating, and anemia ⁽⁵⁾⁽⁷⁾

Ayurvedic uses of the plant parsley include the treatment of:

• nose bleeding,
• hematoma,
• skin blemishes,
• halitosis
• alleviating pains of menstruation

Parsley’s compounds, myristicin, and apiole, are said to be hormone balancers.

The anti-spasmodic action of parsley is said to be how relief is achieved from menstrual cramping and uncomfortable flatulence.

Parsley benefits our health.

Parsley is one of the big nutrient-dense foods that benefit our health. It is, for sure, a SIMPLE Self Care Micro Decision that supports our ability to Provide our CELLS with what they need to Optimize Our Bodies.

Today I lean heavily on one of the many studies linked below: Titled: Parsley: A Review of Ethnopharmacology, Phytochemistry, and Biological Activities.

Parsley has phenolic compounds and flavonoids particularly apigenin, ….. wide range of pharmacological activity including

• antioxidant,
• hepatoprotective,
• brain protective,
• anti-diabetic,
• analgesic,
• spasmolytic,
• immunosuppressant,
• gastroprotective,
• estrogenic,
• diuretic,
• hypotensive,
• antibacterial and
• antifungal

The activities have been exhibited for this plant in modern medicine.

……Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a useful and important medicinal plant with a wide range of proven medicinal activity.

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Take advantage of this powerhouse and its proven medicinal activity. This infographic provides a quick look at some of the compounds that are responsible for Parsley’s amazing health benefits.

Parsley Benefits for Health Infographic

Types of Parsley

There are 2 main types of parsley: flat leaf and curly leaf.

Most people are familiar with curly parsley, which is often used as a garnish or decoration. It has a softer flavor than the flat-leaf.

Flat-leaf parsley is actually my favorite. It is known to have a more robust flavor that can hold its own in savory dishes. Touted as being the ideal one for sauces and soups.

I personally snip and eat fresh flat parsley almost every day. I use it as a garnish more often than curly parsley.

Then I tend to use curly more often in broth or tea. You will find your own preference.

Either way, both are packed with amazing nutrients and protective compounds.

Parsley: Snip, Eat, or Steep.

Simple ways to include parsley in a meal.

SNIP

1-2 tablespoons of fresh parsley on your warm broths and soups.

The volatile compounds will be released for you to enjoy and benefit from.

EAT

Enjoy 1 – 1.5 cups of parsley mixed with other vegetables for a parsley salad.

Combine Parsley with your rice, noodles, quinoa.

Place a few sprigs of parsley on your potatoes, yams, …or munch on plain!

STEEP

Parsley Tea

Steep. 1 -2 tablespoons of fresh parsley to make yourself another toxin-free tea choice! Steep for 3-4 minutes OR to your taste. Maybe you’ll start out with a shorter time, so it’s lighter.

Parsley tea really can be rather bland. Steep too long, it can be bitter.

If that’s the case, steep fewer leaves for less time.

You may enjoy it with a spritz of lemon or honey.

I keep a box of Parsley tea on hand here is A LINK to Parsley Tea (NO plastic tea bag).

➻ Be Careful of Juicing. You Can have TOO much Parsley

As with ANY Herb, be careful with juicing. Parsley is no different.

Be cautious and avoid an abrupt increase in large consumption (juicing) of parsley⁽⁷⁾

Eating whole-leaf parsley poses no known health risk. You’d get tired of chewing it!

A few SPRIGS are all that are needed for benefits.

Excess parsley can occur from drinking it. For instance:

➻ Parsley in juices. A FEW SPRIGS is all you nutritionally need.

➻ Multiple cups of Parsley tea in a day. 1 Cup a day made from 1-2 TBSPN fresh leaves is the recommendation by Herbalists.

➻ Parsley oil, be very careful. Parsley oil is very potent. Follow directions from a product you trust. I personally would only consume this under the care of an herbalist.

Be certain to speak with your health care professional if you are consuming large quantities of juices, or teas, considering using oil, especially if you are: ⁽⁹⁾

• Pregnant, lactating.
• On lithium
• Taking blood thinners
• Diuretics

FYI ➻ Parsley is also great for allergy sufferers and is a detoxifier too.

➻ Parsley supports our body’s detoxification.

There are many, many health benefits to be gained by consuming a bundle of parsley each week.

Snip, Eat, or Steep. It’s that SIMPLE

Adding a bundle of Parsley each week is a SIMPLE Self Care action we can take that is economical, needs no additional time in our day, and offers exponential benefits.

I hope you give Parsley an opportunity to be a part of your Self Care Lifestyle!

I’ve placed a downloadable Nutrient pdf and today’s References/Resources for you further down.

Reducing Toxins an area of Interest of Yours?

🔗LINKS

• How to Avoid Nail Polish Toxins: 2 Brands to Try.
• Plastic in Tea bags! Yup, Billions of nanoparticles in EACH cup!
• Best Non-Toxic Tea Kettle, Tea Pot, and Infuser Material

Parsley: 10 Sprigs Chock Full of Nutrients.

Practitioners, feel free to share with your clients!

🌿  Resources for you:

1. Hare Krishna, T. Janakiram, Manoj Kumar Singh, V. Karuppaiah, R.B. Yadava, R.N. Prasad, Jagdish Singh, T.K. Behera. (2022) Immunomodulatory potential of vegetables vis-à-vis human health. The Journal of Horticultural Science and Biotechnology 0:0, pages 1-20.

2. ScienceDaily. (2016, June 28). Compounds in parsley and dill help fight cancer, research shows. ScienceDaily. Retrieved April 30, 2022

3. Shankar, Eswar et al. “Plant flavone apigenin: An emerging anticancer agent.” Current pharmacology reports vol. 3,6 (2017): 423-446. doi:10.1007/s40495-017-0113-2

4. Salehi, Bahare et al. “The Therapeutic Potential of Apigenin.” International journal of molecular sciences vol. 20,6 1305. 15 Mar. 2019, doi:10.3390/ijms20061305

5. Briguglio, Matteo et al. “The Central Role of Iron in Human Nutrition: From Folk to Contemporary Medicine.” Nutrients vol. 12,6 1761. 12 Jun. 2020, doi:10.3390/nu12061761

6. Mateljan, G. (n.d.). Parsley. Worlds Healthiest Foods.

7. Ajmera, Exceptions. D. P., Kalani, S., &; Sharma, D. L. (2019, May 5). Parsley-benefits &; side effects on health. International Journal of Physiology, Nutrition and Physical Education.

8. Mohammad Hossein Karimi, Padideh Ebadi & Zahra Amirghofran (2012) Parsley and immunomodulation, Expert Review of Clinical Immunology, 8:4, 295-297, DOI: 10.1586/eci.12.12

9. Awe, Emmanuel Olorunju, and S Olatunbosun Banjoko. “Biochemical and haematological assessment of toxic effects of the leaf ethanol extract of Petroselinum crispum (Mill) Nyman ex A.W. Hill (Parsley) in rats.” BMC complementary and alternative medicine vol. 13 75. 4 Apr. 2013, doi:10.1186/1472-6882-13-75

10. Farzaei MH, Abbasabadi Z, Ardekani MR, Rahimi R, Farzaei F. Parsley: a review of ethnopharmacology, phytochemistry and biological activities. J Tradit Chin Med. 2013 Dec;33(6):815-26. doi: 10.1016/s0254-6272(14)60018-2. PMID: 24660617.

Additional parsley benefits for health resources.

Liberal Â, Fernandes Â, Polyzos N, Petropoulos SA, Dias MI, Pinela J, Petrović J, Soković M, Ferreira ICFR, Barros L. Bioactive Properties and Phenolic Compound Profiles of Turnip-Rooted, Plain-Leafed and Curly-Leafed Parsley Cultivars. Molecules. 2020 Nov 28;25(23):5606. doi: 10.3390/molecules25235606. PMID: 33260591; PMCID: PMC7730503.

José Antonio Cayuela Sánchez, Abdelaziz Elamrani. (2014) Nutrigenomics of Essential Oils and their Potential Domestic Use for Improving Health. Natural Product Communications 9:11, pages 1934578X1400901.

Lopez MG, Sanchez-Mendoza IR, Ochoa-Alejo N. Compartive study of volatile components and fatty acids of plants and in-vitro cultures of parsley (Petroselinum crispum [Mill] nym ex hill). J. Agric. Food Chem.47, 3292–3296 (1999).

Fatemeh Poureini, Maedeh Mohammadi, Ghasem D. Najafpour, Maryam Nikzad. (2020) Comparative study on the extraction of apigenin from parsley leaves (Petroselinum crispum L.) by ultrasonic and microwave methods. Chemical Papers 74:11, pages 3857-3871.

Al-Yousofy, Fayed et al. “Parsley! Mechanism as antiurolithiasis remedy.” American journal of clinical and experimental urology vol. 5,3 55-62. 9 Nov. 2017

Karimi MH, Ebadi P, Amirghofran Z. Parsley and immunomodulation. Expert Rev Clin Immunol. 2012 May;8(4):295-7. doi: 10.1586/eci.12.12. PMID: 22607173.

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