We all hear about the benefits of the herb ‘parsley’. The word parsley comes from two Latin words, ‘petros’ and ‘selinon’ means ‘shake’ and ‘celery’ individually. Dioscorides, a Greek physician of the early Roman Empire, is said to have given the plant its name, “Petroselinum crispum.”
Parsley is primarily a herb that is very aromatic, vibrant and delicious to taste with magnificent health properties. parsley leaves has not traditionally been widely used in India, but has only recently become popular in urban areas due to its global influence. Parsley is inhabited as far as the South Mediterranean Region Europe. Parsley has been farmed for more than 2,000 years. It was first utilized as a medicine before being consumed as a food. Parsley is one of the most common nutritious culinary herbs used in the kitchen, Since it contains a good amount of folic acid, one of the most important B vitamins, as well as a lot of vitamin A, C, and K. It also contains a lot of iron and folate. Parsley is rich in potassium, contains 466 mg of potassium.
Aside from its many nutritional attributes, this herb has also been found to be beneficial for diabetic people. The young Indian population are at a high risk of the increasing burden of diabetes and its associated complications. The growing prevalence of diabetes stems from a combination of factors like rapid urbanization, sedentary lifestyles, and central obesity.
Parsley has been used for a long time as one of the medicinal herbs to cure diabetes in Turkey and now in the whole world
Glycemic Index of Parsley is low (32). Several research studies have been done so far to know more about the effectiveness of parsley leaves in curing diabetes. A review conducted demonstrated proof that diabetic rats that were fed parsley really showed a diminishing trend in their sugar levels over a one-month period.
Antidiabetic functions of parsley are considered may be due to its rich content of terpenoids, flavonoid glycosides, coumarins or otherwise due to the presence of ascorbic acid. Parsley contains a flavonoid called myricetin, which can reduce glucose levels by reducing insulin obstruction.
However, there is limited research on this subject, and more research is indeed needed to confirm its anti-diabetes properties.
Another parsley health benefit is to treat diabetic complications. Diabetic nephropathy is a common complication of uncontrolled diabetes , that can lead to glomerulosclerosis, fibrosis, and infiltration of inflammatory cells of renal tissue. Presence of apigenin , a flavone in parsley , reduces oxidative stress and fibrosis of the kidney and helps to alleviate diabetic nephropathy.
But anyone can use a lot of parsley in their dish because it is a strong source of vitamins and other nutrients providing lots of benefits. Other nutritional values of parsley are:
- Rich Source of Antioxidants like luteolin, apigenin, lycopene, beta-carotene, and alpha-carotene which protects the cells from damage.
- Control Weight as 1 cup of parsley contains only 72 calories and 1.14g of total fat,, which implies that this nutritious herb can be included in many dishes without any extra calories or fats
- Reduce Water Retention – Parsley ‘s diuretic properties help to alleviate swelling or edema as it expels overabundant water from the body and scrub the kidneys and livers
- Apigenin, a flavone in parsley has anticancer properties that keeps the movement of malignant growth and stops tumor development
- Promote eyesight as parsley is rich in three carotenoids, namely, lutein, beta carotene, and zeaxanthin which is beneficial for good eyesight
- Maintain bone health as it is rich in nutrients B-complex, C, and K, and calcium which can help in support bone health
- Parsley helps in detoxification due to the presence of rich nutrients and powerful flavonoids • Aid kidney health by fighting inflammation and controlling high blood pressure. But for the kidney failure patients , parsley leaves have to be incorporated in diet very cautiously as it is in rich potassium that can lead to hyperkalemia.
Parsley can also help to treat urinary tract infections (UTIs), kidney stones (nephrolithiasis), gastrointestinal (GI) disorders, constipation, jaundice, intestinal gas (flatulence) , aneamia .
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