This lovely, green herb is one that most people encounter as a garnish on their plate when they go out to a restaurant. You’ll also find it as an ingredient in many recipes, including many of the one’s that I’ve posted here. However mundane this simple herb may appear, it has been used for centuries both to season foods and for many medicinal purposes.

Parsley is very nutritious. It contains vitamin K (essential in blood clotting), vitamin C (antioxidant, helps maintain capillaries, aids in absorption of iron), vitamin A (needed for skin and hair, essential for bone development and growth, needed for night vision), folate (helps produce and maintain cells, used to make DNA and RNA, important in red blood cell production), and some iron (essential ingredient in red blood cells). As with most foods, in order to get the best nutritional benefit you must eat it when fresh and not over-cooked.

Parsley also has a number of health benefits, among them:

  • Chinese and German homeopathic doctors recommend using parsley tea to help control high blood pressure, and many Native Americans used it as a tonic to strengthen the bladder.
  • A tincture made of parsley can be applied to the skin to reduce itching from bug bites and rashes.
  • The volatile oils in parsley have been found to inhibit tumor formation, particularly in the lungs.
  • Parsley is great at freshening the breath, especially after a meal with lots of garlic!

A few words of caution:

  • Pregnant women should not consume large amounts of parsley in any form. Compounds within the plant could lead to uterine stimulation and premature birth.
  • People who are prone to kidney stones also should limit their intake of parsley as compounds within the plant have been found to encourage the formation of kidney stones.

Here are some great sources for more information on parsley:

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