Is There Any Health Benefit of Parsley?

Have you ever wondered if there is any health benefit of parsley? You can find parsley in almost any dish as a garnish. It can be chopped or picked with some leaves left and put over a dish to make it look pretty.

Sometimes you don’t eat it and just put it aside instead. Parsley, like any other vegetables, has benefits for our health. Maybe it’s time to have more parsley in your meal. Here is a list of its benefits.

Preventing cancer

The myricetin that parsley contains is a kind of flavonoid which acts as an antioxidant. Parsley is so rich in myricetin that it contains the most of it per 100 grams. Now it’s time to incorporate more parsley in your diet, don’t you think?

When you cook meat, it develops heterocyclic amines which have the potentials of causing cancer. The myricetin in parsley can block the cancer risk from heterocyclic amines. A study shows that parsley helps to prevent skin cancer.

Other than myricetin, parsley also contains apigenin. Apigenin has been shown to help reduce tumor size in a breast cancer case. It is also believed to be a promising natural chemical to be used in future cancer treatment.

Promoting anti-aging

It is mentioned that parsley helps in preventing skin cancer. Not only that, the antioxidant inside parsley helps to keep the youthful glow of your skin. Antioxidants are known to fight free radical damage that is one of the causes of aging. Since parsley contains flavonoid, it can prevent early aging process on your tissues.  

Helping with diabetes

Parsley has myricetin which is associated with prevention and treatment of diabetes. Myricetin is proven to decrease insulin resistance and lower the level of blood sugar.

Acting as diuretic

Parsley stimulates kidneys to produce urine and therefore relieve excess water retention. A research was once done on a rat which produced more urine after given parsley seed extract. The release of water retention ultimately leads to the elimination of discomfort from bloating.

Improving digestion

Parsley essential oil is believed to help stimulate the secretion of essential gastric enzymes. Those enzymes are important in food absorption process. With a good digestion system, the excretion of waste is also going well and thus prevents bloating, nausea, indigestion, and constipation.

Protecting the bones

Parsley contains some vitamins; they are vitamin A, C, and K. Vitamin A acts as an antioxidant while vitamin C acts as an immune booster to help your body fights against diseases. Vitamin K is one of the essential nutrients to keep the bone density. When the bone has a good level of density, it will not break or crack as easily.

After knowing that there are so many health benefits that parsley has, you might want to start incorporating parsley in your every meal. One thing to remember, a person’s health is not determined by only one factor. A balanced diet, sufficient water consumption, and regular physical exercises are also critical for having a good health. Search more benefits of other food to compliment the health benefit of parsley.