Parsley
Parts Usually Used
Fruits, berries, stems, leaves, and roots
Description of Plant(s) and Culture
An erect, hairless perennial plant with a distinctive scent. It has shiny, pinnate leaves with triangular-lobed leaflets, often curled in cultivated plants. The small yellowish flowers grow in flat-topped, compound umbels, each with 8-15 smaller umbels. Fruits are egg-shaped, ridged, somewhat flattened. Other varieties: P. hortense; P. crispum; extra curled dwarf; neapolitanum; gigante; tuberosum; decora.
The Chinese use the herb (Apium petroselinum) (“Inn sai” is the Chinese name) and call it parsley. Seems it is used similarly to Petroselinum sativum L. Some have categorized parsley as in the carrot family, some in the umbel family and yet others say it has its own parsley family. Let the reader choose or if anyone has proof of which is correct, please forward the information.
Where Found
Cultivated and occasionally found growing wild in waste places or around buildings in eastern and Pacific areas of the United States and Canada. Gathering of wild parsley is not recommended.
Medicinal Properties
Diuretic, carminative, anthelmintic, emmenagogue, expectorant, stimulant, antispasmodic, aperient, laxative, carminative Juice: febrifuge, promotes menstruation
Biochemical Information
Apiin, apiol, bergaptein, calcium, fatty oil, flavone glycoside, furanocumarin bergapten, iodine, iron, isoimperatorin, mucilage, myristicene, volatile and essential oils, parsley camphor (apiin), petroselinic acid, phosphorus, pinene, potassium, and vitamins A and C.
Legends, Myths and Stories
Some references claim that parsley belongs to the carrot family. It is claimed, when the parsley herb is rubbed against a glass goblet or tumbler, it will break it. The cause of this phenomenon is unknown. Rose bushes like for parsley to be grown near them, because they keep away rose beetles. Parsley is native to the Mediterranean region of Southern Europe and has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years.
It was originally used as a medicinal plant (see below) prior to being consumed as a food. Ancient Greeks held parsley to be sacred, using it to not only adorn victors of athletic contests, but also for decorating the tombs of the deceased. While it is uncertain when and where parsley began to be consumed as a seasoning, historians think it may be sometime during the Middle Ages in Europe.
Some historians credit Charlemagne with its popularization as he had it grown on his estates.
Uses
Historical herbalists employed parsley for a wide variety of complaints, particularly those involving fluid retention, such as dropsy, edema, and bed-wetting. Traditional practitioners recommended it for urinary and digestive issues, including gravel, kidney stones, bladder troubles, gallstones, indigestion, gas, and jaundice. It was also administered in folk traditions for respiratory ailments like coughs, colds, fever, and asthma, as well as for musculoskeletal pains such as rheumatism, lumbago, and sciatica.
Herbal texts noted its application for thyroid swelling or goiter, general gland enlargement, obesity, night blindness, and intestinal worms. Externally, folk practices utilized preparations of the plant as an eyewash, as a poultice for bruises and snakebites, and to address swollen breasts. It was historically chewed to sweeten the breath, and the oil was applied topically to the scalp under the belief that it would encourage hair growth.
How Sold
Parsley tablets or fresh cut herb
Warning
Do not use parsley if a kidney infection is present. Do not take parsley juice or oil if pregnant, it is a uterine stimulant. Best grown in the garden rather than gathered wild, since it resembles poisonous wild plants like Poison Hemlock.
Bibliography
The Nature Doctor: A Manual of Traditional and Complementary Medicine , by Dr. A. , 27 Pine Street (Box 876) New Canaan, CT. 06840-0876. Copyright Verlag A. , Loma Linda, CA 92354, Original copyright 1939, revised edition 1994 Indian Herbalogy of North America , by Alma R. , Pantheon Books, Knopf Publishing Group, New York, 1994, first edition The Magic of Herbs , by David Conway, published by Jonathan Cape, Thirty Bedford Square, London, England.
, Lotus Press, PO Box 325, Twin Lakes. , Copyright 1988, published 1992 American Folk Medicine , by Clarence Meyer, Meyerbooks, publisher, PO Box 427, Glenwood, Illinois 60425, 1973 Prescription for Nutritional Healing, Fifth Edition: A Practical A-to-Z Reference to Drug-Free Remedies Using Vitamins, Minerals, Herbs & Food Supplements , by James F. D. and Phyllis A. , 15 Columbus Circle, New York, NY 10023 An Instant Guide to Medicinal Plants , by Pamela Forey and Ruth Lindsay, Crescent Books (January 27, 1992).
, West Nyack, NY, 1987. The Yoga of Herbs: An Ayurvedic Guide to Herbal Medicine , by Dr. David Frawley & Dr. Vasant Lad, Lotus Press, Twin Lakes, Wisconsin, Second edition, 1988. The Rodale Herb Book: How to Use, Grow, and Buy Nature’s Miracle Plants (An Organic gardening and farming book) , edited by William H. Hylton, Rodale Press, Inc. , 1974 Country Home Book of Herbs , Meredith Books, Editorial Dept.
RW240, 1716 Locust Street, Des Moines, IA 50309-3023, copyright 1994