Parsley is an herb, which is often used as a garnish in American food. What you may not know is that it is also one of the most common spices used in American food. Because of its light scent and fresh taste, parsley can be used in anything from soups to sauces to vegetables as well as medicinally.
Scientific Name
Petroselinum crispum
Description
There are two forms of parsley that are used as herbs. One form has the common name of curly leaf parsley (Petroselinum crispum). The other has the common name of flat leaf parsley, or chervil (Petroselinum neapolitanum). The sprigs used from parsley growth add flavor to various soups, main course dishes and salads.
The growth of parsley seed requires high temperatures for germination. It can take a few weeks for sprouting of the seeds. It is advisable to soak the seeds in warm water before planting them. These seeds can be sown in pots or garden area and kept inside the house for sprouting. In medieval times, people used to place parsley on the tables for absorption of food odors. It used to be applied as a poison antidote, and it was valuable and handy for people running the risk of food poisoning.
Typical Preparations: Parsley Tea
It is used by many people in soups, salads and main course dishes. Apart from giving taste to food, there is also the medicinal value. Both the leaf and root can be used as tea or tincture. Both can be manufactured into an extract. Parsley tea is a widely consumed tea for its taste and medicinal value. Apart from tea, parsley juice is also available – and it has good taste and medicinal value. Parsley juice, being a herbal drink, is quite powerful and is usually taken in quantities of about 2 fl oz (50ml) three times a day and is best mixed with other juices.
Common Uses of Parsley
The common use of parsley includes:
- Important ingredient for sprinkling over, and inclusion in dishes, salads and soups.
- It contains Vitamin C, which is a natural source of aid to the immune system.
- Whitening and strengthening teeth
- It contains Vitamin A, which is essential for good eye sight and preventing other eye-related problems.
- Parsley tea is very popular amongst some cultures. It is good in taste and has high medicinal value more specifically high blood pressure.
- It is a valuable therapy for kidney stones, as a diuretic, for rheumatism, menstrual insufficiency and as a general stimulant.
- It is often used to stimulate a women’s menstrual cycle.
- Parsley juice is an herbal drink and recommended by doctors.
- It relaxes the body and gives strength to it.
- It can also be used topically to control itching from insect bites.
The most common use of parsley is as an edible breath freshener. In cooking, it lightens the taste of garlic and the odor of fish. It can be added to almost any food except sweets. Naturopathic practitioners often recommend fresh parsley as a detoxifier because of its concentrated chlorophyll.
Precautions
There are some people who may display some allergic reactions on skin and mucus membranes from the systemic use of parsley. Excessive use of parsley can cause problems like kidney and liver damage, abortion, gastrointestinal hemorrhage and nerve inflammation. Large amounts of this element should not be taken during pregnancy or by kidney patients.
