Parsley
History
Parsley: Herb native to Central or Southern Europe and Mediterranean regions in particular. For a long time associated with death, it used to decorate tombstones. Nevertheless, Hercules chose it for his crowns. The Romans used it to feed their horses. And they only ate it at festivals or used it to make garlands to fend off bad odours or prevent drunkenness.
Beliefs
- It only grows if planted by a pregnant woman or witch.
- It should be planted on Good Friday to obtain a good harvest
- it brings bad luck if transplanted
Virtues
- Rich in vitamins (including C) and minerals (Iron, etc.)
- Antiseptic (thanks to chlorophyll). Used for urinary infections.
- Diuretic
- Against water retention
- Favours breast milk production
- Tones the uterine muscles
- Used as a cataplasm against sprains, wounds, stings, etc.
BE CAREFUL : Only use the essential oil if advised by a doctor as it is not recommended for pregnant women
Tips and tricks
it is the best antidote to raw garlic!
Composition
- leaf
- 83% water
- 1.4% carbohydrate
- 6% fibres (cellulose, hemicellulose)
- 4.4% protein
- 0.5% fat
- 1.7% minerals (mg/g): K (8), Ca (2), P(0.7), Mg(0.4), Na (0.44), B (0.00001), Fe (0.055), Mn (0.012), Zn (0.006), Cu (0.0013), Ni (0.0007), Cr (0.00007), Co (0.00001), Se (0.00001),...
- vitamins (mg/g): ProA (0.07), B1 (0.0014), B2 (0.003), B3 (0.013), B9 (0.0017), C (1.5 to 2.0), E (0.022 to 0.027)
- 3-6% essential oil
- 60-80% myristicin (var tuberosum)
- 70% apiol (var foliosum)
- 55-75% allyl tetramethoxy benzene
- Presence of a low concentration of toxins (poly-yne)
- Root
- Essential oil similar to the leaf
- photosensitisers: furo-coumarines, bergaptene, isoimperatorin
The plant
Petroselinum crispum
Apiacées family, like persil, carrot, cumin
Smooth bi-annual with cut-out leaves (flat or curly depending on the variety), yellow-green flowers.
- Varieties:
- PC, curly or double parsley: 30-40 cm high, small white flowers in the summer forming an umbel, bright green curly leaves, mainly decorative.
- PC hortense, common, flat-leaved, Italian parsley: Bi-annual plant, 45-60 cm high, small creamy white flowers forming an umbel in the summer. Smooth and very fragrant green leaves
- PC var tuberosum or var radicosum, parsley with large root, tuber. Hardy (annual when grown) 15cm root, green leaf similar to PC Hortense, grown for its root which is used like salsifi.
BE CAREFUL : not to be confused with Fool's Parsley (Aethusa cynapium) which is extremely toxic!
Articles extraits de Toil'd'épices |
Garlic
Cinnamon
Lemon grass
Coriander
Orange blossom
Ginger
Bayleaf
Oregano
Parsley
Chilli
Rosemary
Thyme
Vanilla
