Petroselinum crispum, commonly known as parsley, is a biennial herb in the Apiaceae family, originating from the central Mediterranean region (Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia). Widely cultivated as a culinary and medicinal herb, parsley is recognized for its vibrant green, curly leaves, which are often used as a garnish or flavor enhancer in various dishes.

Botanical Classification

Kingdom: Plantae
Clade: Angiosperms
Class: Eudicots
Order: Apiales
Family: Apiaceae
Genus: Petroselinum
Species: P. crispum

Plant Characteristics

Parsley grows about 30 cm tall, featuring bright green, curly or flat leaves depending on the variety. The plant forms a rosette of leaves at the base from which stems extend, ending in umbels of small, yellow-green flowers in its second year.

Chemical Composition and Structure

Parsley is rich in vitamins C and K, and it also contains significant amounts of flavonoids, carotenoids, and essential oils like apiol and myristicin. These compounds are known for their antioxidant properties and contribute to the herb’s distinctive aroma and flavor.

How to Cultivate It

To successfully cultivate parsley:

1. Soil: Prefers rich, loamy, well-drained soil with a neutral pH.
2. Light: Thrives in full sun but can tolerate partial shade.
3. Water: Requires consistent moisture to keep the soil evenly moist, not waterlogged.
4. Temperature: Hardy and can tolerate frost; it performs best in cooler temperatures of spring and autumn.

Uses and Benefits

Parsley is not only a staple in the culinary world but also has various medicinal properties. It is used to promote digestion and kidney health, and its high vitamin content supports immune function. Additionally, it’s applied in traditional remedies for its diuretic and anti-inflammatory properties.

Applications

• Culinary: Widely used fresh in dishes for its flavor or as a garnish. It is essential in many seasoning blends and herbal mixtures.
• Medicinal: Utilized in herbal medicine to treat ailments like hypertension and allergies.
• Cosmetic: Extracts are used in skincare products for their antioxidant and skin-brightening properties.

Environmental and Safety Considerations

Parsley is an environmentally low-impact plant, requiring minimal pest control and fertilizer when grown under proper conditions. 

It is safe for most people when consumed in typical food amounts, but excessive consumption can lead to health issues due to its oxalate content and the essential oil apiol, which can be toxic in large quantities. 

Sustainable and organic farming practices are recommended to maintain soil health and reduce environmental impact.

Studies

Its components flavonoids, coumarin, tocopherol, carotenoids and ascorbic acid give this herb antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and antihypertensive activity.

Vitamin C, an antioxidant, is present with a high content, 248 mg/100g and chlorophyll which has an inhibitory effect on the dehydration of calcium oxalate with 0,185mg/g (1).

Overall, parsley has been shown to be effective in preventing urolithiasis (the process of stone formation in the urinary tract) (2).

In this study, the histopathological and biochemical results of oral administration of a parsley-rich diet demonstrated efficacy in reducing stress-induced gastric lesions by supporting the cellular antioxidant defense system (3).

Scientific evidence of the traditional use of parsley extract as an anti-diabetic agent and antioxidant in type 1 diabetes mellitus is confirmed in this other study (4).

Parsley studies

References_________________________________________________________________________

(1) Kuźma P, Drużyńska B, Obiedziński M. Optimization of extraction conditions of some polyphenolic compounds from parsley leaves (Petroselinum crispum). Acta Sci Pol Technol Aliment. 2014 Apr-Jun;13(2):145-54. doi: 10.17306/j.afs.2014.2.4. PMID: 24876310.

Abstract. Background: Parsley leaf is a rich source of natural antioxidants, which serve a lot of functions in human body and prevent food from oxidation processes. The aim of the study was to investigate the influence of different extraction solvents and times of extraction on natural antioxidants content. Owing to the knowledge of the properties of extracted components and solvents, as well as their interactions, it is possible to achieve a high effectiveness of active compounds recovery.....Results and discussion: In this study the best extraction solvent for polyphenols was acetone 70% and for catechins was distilled water. All extracts examined displayed the antioxidative activity, but water was the best solvent in the method of assaying the activity against ABTS(•+) and Fe(2+) ions chelating capability, whereas methanol turned out to be the least effective in this respect. Opposite results were observed in the case of determining the activity against DPPH(•). The prolongation of the extraction time enhanced or decreased antiradical activity in some cases. Additionally, important biologically active compounds in parsley leaves, such as vitamin C (248.31 mg/100 g dry matter), carotenoids (31.28 mg/100 g dry matter), chlorophyll (0.185 mg/g dry matter) were also analysed.

(2) Nirumand MC, Hajialyani M, Rahimi R, Farzaei MH, Zingue S, Nabavi SM, Bishayee A. Dietary Plants for the Prevention and Management of Kidney Stones: Preclinical and Clinical Evidence and Molecular Mechanisms. Int J Mol Sci. 2018 Mar 7;19(3):765. doi: 10.3390/ijms19030765. 

Abstract. Kidney stones are one of the oldest known and common diseases in the urinary tract system. Various human studies have suggested that diets with a higher intake of vegetables and fruits play a role in the prevention of kidney stones. In this review, we have provided an overview of these dietary plants, their main chemical constituents, and their possible mechanisms of action. Camellia sinensis (green tea), Rubus idaeus (raspberry), Rubia cordifolia (common madder), Petroselinum crispum (parsley), Punica granatum (pomegranate), Pistacia lentiscus (mastic), Solanum xanthocarpum (yellow-fruit nightshade), Urtica dioica (stinging nettle), Dolichos biflorus (horse gram), Ammi visnaga (khella), Nigella sativa (black-cumin), Hibiscus sabdariffa (roselle), and Origanum vulgare (oregano) have received considerable interest based on scientific evidence. Beside these dietary plants, phytochemicals-such as catechin, epicatechin, epigallocatechin-3-gallate, diosmin, rutin, quercetin, hyperoside, and curcumin-as antioxidant dietary phyto-phenols were found to be effective for the prevention of urolithiasis (the process of stone formation in the urinary tract). The main underlying mechanisms of these dietary plants and their isolated phytonutrients in the management of urolithiasis include diuretic, antispasmodic, and antioxidant activity, as well as an inhibitory effect on crystallization, nucleation, and aggregation of crystals. The results as presented in this review demonstrate the promising role of dietary plants and phytophenols in the prevention and management of kidney stones. Further investigations are required to confirm the safety and efficacy of these compounds.

(3) Akıncı A, Eşrefoğlu M, Taşlıdere E, Ateş B. Petroselinum Crispum is Effective in Reducing Stress-Induced Gastric Oxidative Damage. Balkan Med J. 2017 Jan;34(1):53-59. doi: 10.4274/balkanmedj.2015.1411. 

Abstract. Background: Oxidative stress has been shown to play a principal role in the pathogenesis of stress-induced gastric injury. Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) contains many antioxidants such as flavanoids, carotenoids and ascorbic acid. Aims: In this study, the histopathological and biochemical results of nutrition with a parsley-rich diet in terms of eliminating stress-induced oxidative gastric injury were evaluated.....Conclusion: Oral administration of parsley is effective in reducing stress-induced gastric injury by supporting the cellular antioxidant defence system.

(4) Abou Khalil NS, Abou-Elhamd AS, Wasfy SI, El Mileegy IM, Hamed MY, Ageely HM. Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Impacts of Desert Date (Balanites aegyptiaca) and Parsley (Petroselinum sativum) Aqueous Extracts: Lessons from Experimental Rats. J Diabetes Res. 2016;2016:8408326. doi: 10.1155/2016/8408326. 

Abstract. Medicinal plants are effective in controlling plasma glucose level with minimal side effects and are commonly used in developing countries as an alternative therapy for the treatment of type 1 diabetes mellitus. The aim of this study is to evaluate the potential antidiabetic and antioxidant impacts of Balanites aegyptiaca and Petroselinum sativum extracts on streptozotocin-induced diabetic and normal rats. The influences of these extracts on body weight, plasma glucose, insulin, total antioxidant capacity (TAC), malondialdehyde (MDA) levels, and liver-pyruvate kinase (L-PK) levels were assessed. Furthermore, the weight and histomorphological changes of the pancreas were studied in the different experimental groups. The herbal preparations significantly reduced the mean plasma glucose and MDA levels and significantly increased the mean plasma insulin, L-PK, and TAC levels in the treated diabetic groups compared to the diabetic control group. An obvious increase in the weight of the pancreas and the size of the islets of Langerhans and improvement in the histoarchitecture were evident in the treated groups compared to untreated ones. In conclusion, the present study provides a scientific evidence for the traditional use of these extracts as antidiabetic and antioxidant agents in type 1 diabetes mellitus.