Top Health Benefits of Parsley!

In the kitchen, there may be no garnish more widely used than parsley.  Often, its presence is to add color rather than flavor or nutritional value.  Many believe this culinary custom began with the Romans, who added parsley to their plates under the belief that parsley would prevent food contamination.  The Ancient Greeks actually used parsley in a ceremonial fashion; they would crown victors of games and war with a garland of the leafy green!  Somewhere along the line, however, the medicinal properties of parsley began to surface, and scientific studies have begun to support these claims, finding parsley to be rich in antioxidants and nutrients, such as vitamin K.  So move over, Main Course!  Here’s the top 5 health benefits of parsley:

1. Fights Cancer:  Fresh parsley leaf contains a diverse array of antioxidants, including flavonoids, carotenoids, ascorbic acid (vitamin C), and tocopherol. These components protect the body from free radicals, molecules that damage healthy cells and lead to cancer development.
2. Aids Detox:  Parsley extract has been shown to inhibit sodium-potassium (Na+-K+) channels in the kidney and colon, which leads to a decrease in Na+ and K+ reabsorption and gives parsley a natural diuretic and laxative effect.
3. Strengthens Bones: Just one cup of raw parsley provides 1230% of one’s daily value in vitamin K!  Vitamin K is believed to reduce the risk of osteoporosis, as it is crucial for the production of osteocalcin, a protein required for proper bone formation.
4. Promotes Circulation Repair: When blood vessels are damaged, vitamin K goes to work, forming proteins that stop blood loss and signal cell repair.

And that’s not taking into account that parsley is a great source of folate, iron and has more vitamin C than the equivalent weight in oranges!  So the next time you need a parsley fix, come to one of our juice. Nashville shops and try our all-green juice hi five. ,or refreshing zing,.  Cheers to your health!

-Michael Guido, Juice Ambassador, BA Biological Sciences, University of Chicago

References:

1. Allam AA, Maodaa SN, Abo-Eleneen R, Ajarem J. Protective Effect of Parsley Juice (Petroselinum crispum, Apiaceae) against Cadmium Deleterious Changes in the Developed Albino Mice Newborns (Mus musculus) Brain.
2. Kreydiyyeh SI, Usta J.  Diuretic effect and mechanism of action of parsley.
3. Sener G, Saçan Ö, Yanardag R, Ayanoglu-Dülger G. Effects of parsley (Petroselinum crispum) on the aorta and heart of Stz induced diabetic rats.
4. Booth SL, Broe KE, Gagnon DR, Tucker KL, Hannan MT, McLean RR, et al. Vitamin K intake and bone mineral density in women and men.
5. Institute of Medicine. Dietary reference intakes for vitamin A, vitamin K, arsenic, boron, chromium, copper, iodine, iron, manganese, molybdenum, nickel, silicon, vanadium, and zinc.