Amazing Parsley!
Parsley is every chef’s top-choice herb when it comes to garnishing their signature dishes, but little is known about this vitamin plant that surpasses your vitamin supplement in a pill. This popular herb is actually full of medicinal benefits which can truly give you that boost to finding your natural healing. In fact, this humble herb is so rich in vitamins C, K, and A… and not to mention folate, iron, magnesium, potassium, and calcium. Just because parsley may be a nice meal topper doesn’t mean one can just underestimate its nutritional value. You may be in for a whole lot of surprises when it comes to this flavorsome herb.
Parsley can come in two varieties. The one with curly leaves has a milder flavor and is used mainly to garnish your favorite salad, soup, or other specialty meals. The Italian variety or the one with flat leaves has more flavors, which can be used for cooking. How this tiny green herb contains so much vitamins and minerals can still make a person dumbfounded with awe. Parsley simply is full of antioxidant and anti-inflammatory powers that can be your best ally in fighting major diseases caused by toxins and free radicals. It might even surprise you that parsley is among the top ten most potent healing herb in the world, together with ginger tea and tumeric tea.
What are the Health Benefits of Parsley?
Parsley cleanses you from inside.. to the outside, making it great for:
1. Elimination of bad breath
2. Weight loss due to parsley’s diuretic properties
3. Prevention of cancer
4. Cleansing the kidneys, helping in the break up of kidney stones
5. Promoting better digestion and waste elimination
6. Reducing muscle stiffness and joint pains
7. Protecting you against heart conditions and cardiovascular disease
8. Helping you get rid of water retention, indigestion, or bloating
9. Regulation of menstrual cycle and ease of pre-menstrual syndrome
10. Boosting a woman’s fertility or pregnancy
11. Strengthening bones and teeth due to its calcium content
12. Lowering cholesterol levels
13. Balancing women’s hormone levels
14. Reducing stress
15. Neutralizing carcinogens like those acquired from smoking cigarettes
How Do You Grow, Buy, and Store Parsley?
Know that you can grow parsley indoors or outdoors – all year round. Although parsley originated from the Mediterranean countries, this herb is now widely cultivated. This herb is also biennial, which means that you need to do seeding in its second year in your garden for you to continue a fresh supply. Parsley grow well in cool environment, so avoid exposing it to too much sunlight, specially in the summer days. Growing parsley from seed can take 3 or more weeks to germinate and grow. You can grow parsley in pots as long as the soil is rich and make sure it can retain water.
If you are buying parsley, you can choose to buy fresh or dried ones in your local supermart. Fresh parsley has more flavor than dried ones. If you are buying fresh, store them in a plastic bag and put it inside the fridge for a week or less. For dried parsley, you may remove the leaves from the stems and put the leaves on a flat, clean, and dry surface. This will allow for natural air drying. Keep away from direct sunlight. When the leaves have dried completely, put it inside an airtight container.
You may also enjoy parsley with a cup of aromatic, parsley tea. No matter how you enjoy your parsley, only remember that nothing beats your alternative healing better than choosing natural, healthy options that are truly best for you. Love Your Natural Herbs!
A Good Old Video on Parsley:
