PARSLEY USES
Botanical Name: Petroselinum crispum.
The genus name Petroselinum is derived from the Greek words “petra” meaning stone or rock and “selinin” meaning celery.
Other Common Names: Garden parsley, common parsley, curled parsley, moss curled parsley, persilja (Swedish), Petersilie (German), perejil (Spanish), persil (French), yang hu sui (Chinese).
Habitat:
Originally, parsley was probably endemic to Southwest Asia and the Mediterranean (Turkey, Algeria, Sardinia, and Lebanon).
The herb has been cultivated since ancient times and was early on widely grown in most parts of Europe. Today, the plant is extensively used as a spice and cultivated all over the world.
Description:
Parsley is a biennial plant belonging to the Apiaceae family (the celery, carrot or parsley family).
Parsley is easy to grow, and even though it is a biannual, it is usually grown as an annual because in its second year it uses all its energy to form stems, flowers and seeds, leaving the leaves small and bitter and not very suitable for consumption.
Plant Parts Used:
The whole plant is utilized either as medicine or food. The leaves are used fresh or dried as a seasoning and garnish while the root and seeds are primarily used as herbal medicine.
An essential oil is produced by steam distillation usually from the mature seeds but it is also possible to extract essential oil from the leaves and root. The oil is colorless or yellow or brown-green with a rather strong and spicy flavor.
The parsley leaves are best during the plant’s first year and they can be picked at any time during the growing season. The leaves can be dried or kept frozen for later use.
The root is collected in the autumn in the first year or in the spring of the second year of the plant’s life cycle. It should be used fresh, but can also be stored as other root vegetables, preferably in a cold place.
Common Therapeutic Uses, Benefits and Claims of Parsley
Active Ingredient and Substances
Parsley contains flavonoids (apiin), glucosides, phthalide, furanocoumarins, carotenoids, vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, C and E, and minerals such as iron, potassium, calcium, magnesium, phosphorus, selenium, sulfur, copper and manganese.
All parts of the plant contain an essential oil but the seeds contain the highest amount (2-6%). The composition of the oil can vary, depending on where the plant is grown.
The Devil’s Herb
In many countries in Europe, parsley was considered a “devil’s herb” and if planted on the Good Friday it was thought to bring misfortune to those who cultivated it.
Because parsley seeds germinate late, it was believed that the seeds had to travel nine times back and forth to hell before they could sprout.
Medicinal Uses of Parsley in the Past
Parsley was probably not used extensively as medicine in ancient times but there exist some historical mentions of it as a medicinal herb.The Roman physician Galen (130 AD – 200 AD) prescribed it for “falling sickness” (epilepsy) and as a diuretic in the case of edema and Pedanius Dioscorides (40 – 90 AD), a Greek physician and botanist, describes the herb as a diuretic and as a remedy for irregular menstruation.The German writer, composer and philosopher Hildegard of Bingen (1098 – 17 September 1179) recommended compresses of parsley to treat arthritis and that the herb should be cooked in wine against chest pain.
A Plant Loaded With Nutrients
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