Health Benefits of Parsley
The health benefits of parsley are significant, given
that this food is often a last minute additive for flavor. Adding it to dishes
is easy enough to do, which means it is easy to get these benefits. If you have
been throwing away parsley garnishes on your plate, it may be time to start
paying more attention to this food.
What Are the Health Benefits of Parsley
Some people refer to parsley as a nutritional
powerhouse. People have cultivated parsley for nearly 2000 years, but people
used it for medicinal reasons even longer than that. During ancient times, it
was even in use as a way of decorating tombs.
Today, there are 30 varieties of parsley. The
varieties most commonly found in American grocery stores are flat leaf parsley
and curly leaf parsley. These are also easy to grow in most parts of the
country. Consider why you should add parsley to more of your dishes.
·
Vitamin K: Parsley has 123.00 mcg of
vitamin K, which is 153.8 percent of the daily value recommended for adults.
·
Vitamin C: Parsley contains 9.97 mg of
vitamin C, which is 16.6 percent of the daily-recommended value.
·
Vitamin A: With 631.80 IU of vitamin A,
parsley gives you 12.6 percent of your daily-recommended value.
·
Folate: Folate, or folic acid, is also
in parsley. Its 11.40 mcg is 2.9 percent of the recommended daily value.
·
Iron: Parsley also is a good source for
iron, with 0.46 mg of it in an average serving. This is 2.6 percent of the
recommended daily value.
Keep in mind that two tablespoons is the recommended
portion size and this size contains less than three calories.
The health benefits of parsley are many. Here a just a
few of parsley's health benefits:
·
Anemia - Parsley is high in iron so
consuming it helps build iron levels.
·
Bacterial Benefits - Parsley can help
kill bacteria that cause bad breath and baldness brought on by bacteria. Some
herbalists have had success with parsley by rubbing in onto the head of a bald
person to increase hair growth even if bacteria are not present.
·
Antioxidant - It can help to increase
the antioxidants in the blood steam.
·
Blood Vessels - Blood vessels are
elasticized by parsley, which can help to prevent or heal bruises.
·
Digestive System - Parsley is great for
the relief of diarrhea and as a digestive discomfort healing remedy.
·
Cholesterol - Along with other
medications, parsley can help lower cholesterol.
·
Ear Infections - Parsley taken orally in
a tea form can help cure ear infections.
·
Fatigue - If you're tired all the time,
try a cup of parsley tea to get an energetic boost that is natural and free of
ingredients your body doesn't need.
·
Gallbladder - Because parsley is a
natural diuretic, it can help you move or pass gallstones and even dissolve
them.
·
Hormones - Parsley benefits in women
with hormonal problems include improving estrogen levels, restoring blood in
the uterus, and reducing premenstrual syndrome, dry skin and depression.
·
Immune System - Parsley contains
vitamins C and B12, beta-carotene, and fatty acids that can help boost your
immune system to ward off colds and flu.
·
Bites From Insects - By rubbing parsley
on the affected area, itching, pain and swelling are reduced.
·
Kidneys - Beyond severe kidney disease
or inflammation, parsley can help improve kidney activity and urinary tract
activity by decreasing the amount of salt reabsorbed into body tissues.
·
Loose Teeth - It can help make loose
teeth caused by a vitamin C deficiency stronger.
·
Weight Loss - Due to the high diuretic
properties of parsley, it is often recommended as a weight loss solution.
How Parsley Improves Health
As for the health benefits of parsley, this herb may
be much more powerful than you realized. With just a standard serving size per
day, parsley can help improve the health of many people.
·
Cancer Fighting: The volatile oils
contained in parsley help to inhibit the growth of tumors. Scientists have
demonstrated this in animal studies. These oils help to neutralize carcinogens.
Carcinogens enter the body in numerous ways, including through cigarette smoke
and smog. Carcinogen build up can contribute to the development of cancer.
Parsley's source of folic acid may contribute to preventing colon and cervical
cancers as well.
·
Heart Health: Parsley's folic acid is
also an important tool for heart health. Specifically, it can help keep the
cardiovascular system healthy. To do this, the folic acid found in parsley will
help convert homocysteine into molecules that are harmless. This process helps
to keep blood vessels strong, which in turn reduces the risk of heart attacks
and strokes.
·
Antioxidant Rich: Parsley contains
flavonoids. These antioxidant compounds work to fight free radicals found in
the body. Flavonoids combine with oxygen rich molecules to prevent oxygen
damage to the cells. There is proof antioxidants do help reduce the risks of
various illnesses, including cancers.
·
Arthritis Fighter: Studies also show
that parsley is helpful at fighting rheumatoid arthritis. In particular, those
who consume foods with a high level of vitamin C in them, like parsley, are
less likely to develop rheumatoid arthritis.
Tips for Getting More Parsley
In order to benefit from the health benefits of
parsley, it is important to get more of this vitamin rich food into your daily
diet. With its mild taste, parsley adds to dishes easily, even ones you may not
have thought to add it to in the past.
·
Use parsley in vinaigrette
dressings. It pairs well with garlic and lemon as a salad dressing.
·
Add it to finished soups as a
topping. Pair it with slivers of chives on any cream soup. Stir it into the
broth of chicken and beef based soups.
·
Add it to the slow cooker along
with any of your favorite dishes.
·
Finely chop parsley and mix
into an extra virgin olive oil dressing for pasta dishes.
·
Top sauces with a bit of fresh
parsley just before serving.
It is also possible to purchase parsley supplements,
though dried forms of the nutrients are more potent than fresh versions. Check
with your herbalist for serving sizes.
How to Choose Parsley
When at the grocery store or whole foods store, choose
parsley that is dark green. Parsley that is organically grown will offer the
best parsley benefits. Avoid parsley that has wilted or yellow leaves. Dried
parsley in a jar is best if organic.
Parsley is used for cooking, healing and prevention of
illness so keep this wonderful herb in mind every time you need a home remedy.
Parsley benefits continue to be top on the herbal remedy list. Check out SixWise
for even more information on parsley benefits!
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