Parsley Leaf and Root Profile
Also known as- Petroselinum crispum, Common Parsley, Garden Parsley, and Curled Parsley.
Introduction
While all of us know parsley as a condiment and garnish, most of us never consume its most flavorful part„the root. Parsley has been an important food for at least 3,000 years. The Odyssey records that the island of the nymphs Ogygia was a "beautiful land of parsley and violets."
Constituents
The root and leaves contain the same essential oil, although concentrations are greater in the root. The main components (10*30%) are myristicin, limonene and 1,3,8-p-menthatriene; minor components are mono- and sesquiterpenes. The curly varieties tend to be richer in myristicin, but contain much less essential oil)
The essential oil in the "seed" (3*6% of the total weight of the fruit) is either dominated by myristicin (60 to 80%; mostly var. tuberosum and var. crispum) or by apiole (70%; mostly var. latifolium). Seed may also contain allyl tetramethoxy benzene (55 to 75% in some varieties.
Parts Used
Leaf, whole or chopped, fresh or dried; "seeds" (actually fruits); and root.
Typical Preparations
Both the leaf and root can be used as tea or tincture; usually used in cooking. Both can be manufactured into an extract.
Summary
The most common use of parsley is as an edible breath freshener. In cooking, parsley lightens the taste of garlic and the odor of fish. Parsley can be added to almost any food except sweets.
Naturopathic practitioners often recommend fresh parsley as a detoxifier because of its concentrated chlorophyll.
Precautions
Parsley root salad, very popular in German and Scandinavian cuisine, can increase risk of sunburn if eaten by fair-skinned person who take ACE inhibitors (e.g., lisinopril) for high blood pressure. Parsley leaf and parsley seed do not have this effect.
