Parsley

Scientific name: Petroselinum crispum

Other names: Common Parsley, Garden Parsley, Hamburg Parsley

Description:

Parsley is native to the central Mediterranean region (southern Italy, Algeria, and Tunisia)and widely used elsewhere as an herb, a spice, and a vegetable. It has numerous leaflets and a rosette of tripinnate leaves about 10 to 25 cm long and grows as a biennial. The leaves are often used as a garnish. Many dishes are served with fresh green chopped parsley sprinkled on top. It is also used as a condiment, food and flavoring. Root parsley is eaten as a snack or is added in soups, stews and casseroles.

The oil of the parsley seed is used as a fragrance in soaps, cosmetics and perfumes.

Parts used: leaf, seed, and root 

Health Benefits:

Parsley is packed with vitamins and minerals namely vitamin A, vitamin K, vitamin C, vitamin E, thiamin, riboflavin, niacin, vitamin B6, vitamin B12, pantothenic acid, choline, folates, calcium, iron,
magnesium, manganese, phosphorous, potassium, zinc, and copper. Parsley's high concentration of boron and fluoride can also help prevent bone thinning and osteoporosis.

Medicinal properties and uses:

* Antibacterial
* AntiCancer
* Antirheumatic
* Carminative
* Diuretic
* Emmenagogue
* Vasodilator

Parsley can be used fresh, juice or in teas

Parsley Juice
Put fresh apples and/or carrots in blender, osterizer or juicer and add a bunch of parsley. You may also juice parsley alone but this takes a whole lot of parsley to get just a small amount of juice.

Parsley Teas

Place fresh parsley leaves in a mug and pour boiling water. Leave the water and parsley to steep for 5 minutes.


Parsley have been used mainly to remove kidney stone, bladder infection, and as jaundice medications.  It also prevents gas and bloating, helps stimulate the appetite, improves digestion, increases urine production, reduces spasms, and increase menstrual flow. Both parsley leaf and root can be used in teas to help gout, osteoarthritis, and rheumatism.

Parsley can also reduce fatigue and swelling of eyes by dipping a cloth in an unsweetened tea and placing it over closed eyes for 10 minutes. Leaves and roots are pounded into paste and mixed with a small amount of water or tea and applied on head to repel head lice. For external use, the paste can also be applied to ease bug bites and stings. It is also known to to help speed up the disappearance of black-and-blue marks/bruises.

Parsley contains a large amount of chlorophyll which acts as a breath freshener. Simply chew fresh sprig of parsley after meals.


Precaution:

Fool's parsley and parsley piert is different from parsley so be careful not to confuse parsley with fool's parsley and parsley piert.

Concentrated parsley extracts should be avoided by those with kidney problems and women who are pregnant because it can stimulate the uterus.

Blueberry

Scientific name: Vaccinium corymbosum

Description: Blueberries specifically the northern highbush blueberries are native to North America.  They are perennial, deciduous, woody shrubs which are slow-growing, upright, multi-stemmed and spreading branches. Blueberry trees have flowers that are long bell- or urn-shaped white to very light pink; dark glossy green leaves that turns to brilliant red, orange, yellow, purple and/or burgundy during autumn. The fruits are 6.4–12.7 mm diameter blue-black berries.

Blueberries are eaten fresh or sold processed as individually quick frozen (IQF) fruit, purée, juice, or as jellies and jams.

Parts used: fruits/berries, leaves

Nutrition Facts:

Blueberries are low in calories yet packed with vitamins especially vitamin C, potassium, manganese, copper, iron and zinc. Blueberries are among the highest anti-oxidant value fruits, it is also rich in dietary fiber, anthocyanins and various phytochemicals.

Medicinal properties and uses:

Blueberries have a number of medicinal properties that have been used for generations to treat and prevent digestive orders, improve circulation, maintain eye health, and reduce inflammation.

Antioxidants have been shown to help prevent a number of long-term illnesses such as heart disease, high blood cholesterol, cancer and eye disorders such as cataracts, glaucoma and macular degeneration. Blueberries are also brain boosters and can help with memory loss and increased circulation, which may help to combat the start or progression of degenerative diseases like Parkinsons and Alzheimers. It is also a laxative and helps to treat diarrhea, ulcers, urinary tract infections (UTIs), arthritis, multiple sclerosis (MS), colic, fever, varicose veins and hemorrhoids.

Potassium in an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure.

Vitamin C aids the formation of collagen, maintains healthy gums as well as a healthy immune system. helps maintain healthy gums and capillaries, and promotes iron absorption and a healthy immune system.

Traditionally, blueberry leaves have been used to control blood sugar levels in people with diabetes.