Parsley Good For Neuralgic Headaches, the Circulatory System and to Loose Weight

A little over a year after our first son was born, I started having headaches, which was completely a new experience to me. I started taking over the counter medication and when I realized the headaches only got worse went to the doctor who ordered X rays and gave me some very strong medication that kept me under the radar. Not a good thing when your first baby is barely a year old and your family has been transferred to a new country where you have many things to learn and do.

The headaches kept increasing in length and strength; they would start over my right eyebrow and slowly would creep down the right side of my neck, my back and my leg. I still functioned but under duress. Several years passed by until I finally found a naturist doctor that prescribed the following:

7 strands of parsley
The juice of 3 limes
Put it all in the blender (if you need you may add a little water) and then sieve
Drink that juice 3 times a day

I love parsley, I love limes and what I did is add a little salt to make believe it was some kind of salad (may be...) and wonder of wonders, my headaches improved the very first day and altogether disappeared.

As an added bonus, I lost weight - hooray!!

Later on I read that Parsley is very rich in iron; iron helps oxygenate the blood stream, vitamin C is needed to metabolize the iron.

At any rate, although I do not take the parsley juice anymore, those horrendous headaches disappeared.

Now, I have found that that Ste. Hildegard von Bingen, in the middle ages used to prescribe parsley wine to improve the blood circulation; it was believed that that would help a heart condition as well; here it is:

10-12 parsley strands
1 litter of wine - red or white (I am partial to red)
2 tablespoons of white wine vinegar
Boil 10 minutes and then add
9 ounces of honey
Sieve and keep in glass bottles
Take 1 tablespoon three times a day

One day while talking to a French nutritionist, my neighbor, who had worked in Guatemala, she told me that the Indian women in the mountains took parsley tea in abundance as a "family planning" tool. Since then I have found that it is not recommended to pregnant women in big amounts because of its hight apiol content, this oil stimulates uterine contractions.

This same oil is also very good to stimulate kidney function.

I have heard that in Guatemala, lactating mothers eat parsley and also put strands of it on their breasts when they want to stop the flow of milk.

Here are some good things about parsley:

-Medicinal herb known for more than 2,000 years.
-Good to sweeten your breath, if you are a smoker try it, it works beautifully. That's also the reason why it often accompanies garlic dishes.
-The Greek used its seeds and roots for its diuretic and soothing effects when affected by kidney and bladder ailments.
-It strengthens the digestive system.
-It is good for the liver.
-Good to regulate the menstrual cycle.
-Its diuretic effects are good for those women suffering PMS.
-Rich in potassium, calcium, iron, folic acid, vitamins A and C.
-Good in the treatment of anemia.
-Purifies the blood and accelerates the elimination of toxins.
-Helps to stabilize metabolism.
-Diminishes stomach aches and nausea.
-Alleviates the symptoms of arthritis.
-Helps prevent cardio-vascular disease.
-Good in the treatment of cancer due to its high content of the amino acid histidine, which inhibits tumor growth.
-It reduces the cardiac rhythm.
-Reduces blood pressure.


Cooking tips:

-Never cook it, the heat destroys its nutritional value. Always add parsley when food is ready and just before serving.
-Do not use dry parsley, is not as tasty or nourishing.
-Choose Italian parsley over the curly type, higher nutritional value and better flavor.
-Parsley can be frozen.
-If you want to keep it fresh, sprinkle it with water and wrap in paper towels, put it in a sealed plastic bag and refrigerate.
-It may also be placed in a container with water, just as you would do with a flower bouquet and then put it in the refrigerator.