Have you ever gotten confused between Parsley and Cilantro/coriander?
If yes, don’t worry you are not alone … they do look very similar.
The best way to differentiate between parsley and cilantro is their smell.
Simply pluck a leaf and smell cilantro’s strong and unique fragrance and parsley’s mild scent.
If you don’t want your fingers to smell like either after leaving supermarket than notice carefully the shape of the leaves... Cilantro has rounded curved leaves whereas parsley has pointed flat leaves.
Parsley is native to the central Mediterranean region including Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Portugal, Greece and Italy. It is commonly used in European, Middle Eastern, and American cuisine.
Parsley is herb plant and belongs to the same family as celery. Two basic types of parsley are:
Curly parsley - As the name suggest it is wrinkly with crinkled leaves and is bitter.
Italian parsley - has flat leaves and is strong flavored.
Health Benefits
1. Parsley is rich in antioxidants
When it comes to parsley we have always used and thought it as a garnish, but it is an exceptional herb supplying cell-protecting antioxidants—especially the flavonoids. Researchers have proved that flavonoids play major role in fighting heart disease and cancer.
And unique property of parsley is – it is rich in apigenin—an antioxidant that helps other antioxidants work better. Parsley has lutein, an antioxidant that helps prevent age-related macular degeneration, the leading cause of blindness.
Parsley is also rich source of vitamins A, B and C and the minerals calcium and iron.
2. Parsley is excellent for detoxifying the body
Parsley is rich in the flavonoids apigenin and myristicin, which helps detoxify the body. These flavonoids are responsible for increasing the liver enzymes needed for detoxification. No wonder, parsley was used as a diuretic in olden days, to cleanse the kidneys and bladder, relieve from water retention and bloating and to reduce high blood pressure. Parsley is claimed to have laxative properties and was used for constipation by traditional healers.
Parsley is excellent for flushing the urinary tract and preventing kidney stones. It can be used for treating constipation, indigestion, flatulence and for menstrual difficulties.
3. Parsley for Heart health
Parsley is excellent for heart health as it is rich in B vitamins especially folate. The folate helps in fighting cardiovascular diseases by reducing homocysteine, a common amino acid in the blood. Homocysteine in high concentrations can damage blood vessels and is very dangerous for heart health. It increases the risk of heart attack and stroke.
According to the book Healing Spices by Bharat B Aggarwal, a team of Moroccan researchers declared that, parsley may be used as a nutritional preventive measure to avoid cardiovascular diseases. They tested its effectiveness in reducing platelet accumulation, the blood thickening that causes the blood clots in the artery resulting in heart attacks and strokes. Parsley reduced platelet aggregation by up to 65 percent.
Using Parsley
- Add few parsley leaves to traditional pesto sauce recipe for a twist.
- Combine chopped parsley, garlic, ginger and lemon zest, and use it as a rub for tofu or root veges before grilling or sautéing.
- Garnish recipe with chopped parsley for example salads, vegetable sautés and grilled tofu.
- Add parsley in soups and sauces.
Make traditional middle eastern dish, tabbouleh with finely chopped parsley, with tomatoes, mint, onion, bulgur, and seasoned with olive oil, lemon juice, salt and pepper.
Home Remedies
The best way to enjoy parsley is by drinking parsley tea.
1. Add the rinsed parsley leaves to 1 cup of boiled water. Steep the leaves for10 minutes, strain and enjoy. This parsley tea is remedy for many ailments including indigestion, constipation, bloating, flatulence and for menstrual cramps.
2. Dip cotton pads in parsley tea and place in on eye to get rid of puff eyes.
3. Chew the fresh parsley leaves for removing bad breath.
4. Inhaling vapors of parsley tea can relive from coughing and congestion.
5. Extract juice from fresh parsley leaves and apply on skin to treat acne, blemishes and dark circles. Rinse after 15-20 mins. Witness flawless skin after 2 weeks😊