Parsley is the Rodney Dangerfield of herbs; it gets no respect. Probably not even from Rodney Dangerfield. We’re talking NO respect.

Once upon a time, most restaurants used parsley as a perky, colorful accompaniment on your plate, whatever you ordered. Most eaters ignored it, though, pretty much ending the parsley era.

We need to reconsider our attitude here. Parsley is a nutritional powerhouse. And, better yet, a little dab’ll do ya. In fact, it would be hard to munch through a dollar’s worth in a week.

So let’s talk about parsley.

The Practicality of Parsley

• Parsley freshens your breath. While it won’t handle a plateful of garlic, it does a nice job otherwise. Pinch off some fresh leaves, put them on your tongue and chew away. Before a job interview. Before a date. Before a lot of situations and events. Parsley to the breath rescue!
• And parsley tames intestinal gas. And it does a far better job than any of the over-the-counter remedies you can get. Raw or cooked, it works. Since the most common complaint doctors hear is gas, this problem is huge, and parsley’s ability is greatly to be praised. Parsley to the clean air rescue!
• You don’t really have to worry about calories, either. Some say a tablespoon of chopped parsley has three calories; others measure 2.7 calories in two tablespoons of parsley. Either way, it’s less than a stick of sugar-free gum. Parsley to the diet rescue!

The Power of Parsley

• Parsley supports the liver in its efforts to get rid of toxins and to balance the endocrine system. Especially the adrenals.
• And it offers a boost to ovulation.
• Strange but true, parsley both slows down heavy menstruation and starts menstruation when it’s not happening.
• Parsley helps tame high blood pressure.
• Also, parsley acts as a mild diuretic.
• It soothes and detoxes the kidneys.
• A digestive system in turmoil can find help in parsley.
• And parsley can start and intensify labor contractions. Use it sparingly during pregnancy.
• The nutrition in parsley acts as a general tonic for whatever ails you.
• Raw parsley cleanses the blood.
• One source recommends raspberry-parsley tea to prevent and treat kidney stones.
• Parsley clears up mucous.
• Raw parsley acts as a gentle laxative; parsley juice offers a more powerful laxative.

And I could go on. See why parsley earned the reputation as a cure-all back in the days of Hippocrates?

Side note: I like things that have hundreds years of history. In the case of parsley, thousands of years. If bad news hasn’t come out yet, it never will.

Some Parsley Warnings

• As I mentioned, parsley starts and speeds up labor, so use it very sparingly during pregnancy.
• Parsley contains oxalic acid. If gout’s a problem for you, tread carefully.
• Small birds, even chickens, can’t handle parsley.
• Rabbits love parsley, and they’ll invade your garden to get it. Fence them out or grow your parsley indoors.
• As with any other herb–or any food, for that matter–some of us are allergic to parsley.

Now that you know of the wonder of parsley, show a little respect, will ya?

Printer-friendly version