Properties of parsley
Parsley (Petroselinum crispum)
It is a species of biennial plant of the celery family. It comes from the Mediterranean region and its benefits have been known for nearly 2,000 years. It grows wildly all over Europe, America, Africa and even Japan.
There are two types of parsley-root: one from which roots and leaves are harvested, and one from which leaves are obtained.
It is most often used as an ingredient in soup and soup vegetables sets. It improves the taste of many dishes due to its aromatic smell and characteristic taste. It is also added to many healthy cocktails and cleansing juices. It goes well with apple and lemon. Regular consumption can contribute to the improvement of well-being, supports weight loss, has a positive effect on skin appearance and cleansing the body.
It contains a lot of provitamin A. Healthy combination of iron, magnesium and vitamin C is also beneficial. It also contains a lot of chlorophyll. Thanks to the content of parsley oil the parsley leaves have a strong smell and as such are used to season many dishes. They contain up to 5410 mg of beta-carotene as well as calcium. Due to the content of the psychoactive substances of apiol and myristicin in the oil obtained from seeds (5%), it can have similar effects to those of marijuana.
Parsley is also a medicinal plant that has a diuretic, antiseptic and carminative effects. It reduces tension of intestinal smooth muscle and urinary tract. In addition, it stimulates the secretion of saliva and gastric juice, which facilitates digestion and assimilation of food.
Cultivated parsleys
– Root parsley forms an edible root and rosette in the first year of cultivation. Popular varieties are Berlin, Lenka, Fakir, Eagle.
– Parsley forms an inedible, highly branched tallow root and a beautiful rosette of edible leaves that are smooth or curled, shiny, dark green and always tripartite.
When the leaf blades are smooth, the leaves are broad on short petioles. They can also be curly, which are especially valued when decorating dishes. It can be consumed directly in the fresh state as well as a valuable raw material for the industry – drying or freezing.
There are many varieties on the market that differ in colours of leaves, which can be light or dark green, and leaf blades of different varieties can be smooth, such as the Karnaval, Festival, Gigante d’Italia, Novas and Felicja varieties. Curly leaves are distinguished by such varieties as Extra Triple Curled, Mos Curled, Verta and Robus.
