Benefits of parsley tea have a lot. Parsley tea health benefits include being rich in antioxidants, improving blood sugar control, boosting your immunity, acting as a natural detoxifier, helping regulate menstruation, rich in folic acid, may prevent cancer, may prevent kidney stones, alleviating respiratory issues, maintaining healthy blood pressure & cholesterol, strengthens blood vessels, improves circulation & treats anemia, and boosts eye & bone health. Here we are going to discuss the benefits of parsley tea.
Benefits of Parsley Tea
Improves Blood Sugar Control
Parsley can also be used as a natural remedy for blood sugar levels. Additionally, parsley has exhibited several antidiabetic properties and the ability to support steadier blood sugar control. A study by PubMed Central found that diabetic rats who were treated with parsley exhibited improved liver health as well as lower blood sugar levels. Granted, it should be mentioned that more human trials and research are needed.
Boosts Your Immunity
Whenever you get sick, vitamin C and vitamin A are key to rebuilding your immune system. Fortunately, parsley tea has potent concentrations of both vitamin C and vitamin A. Vitamin C will promote the production of white blood cells. It can also act as an antioxidant and fight the impact of free radicals on your body. Additionally, vitamin C can protect you from several chronic diseases. Lastly, vitamin C is a key component in the creation of collagen. Collagen is a type of protein that keeps your skin, hair, bones, joints, tendons, muscles, and other body parts strong and healthy. Moreover, the chlorophyll in parsley is antibacterial and anti-fungal. As such, your immune system gets an extra boost against viruses, autoimmune diseases, and chronic inflammatory diseases.
Natural Detoxifier
Parsley tea can also be used as a diuretic. This means you can use it can trigger urination and help in detoxifying your bladder and kidneys. Diuretics are particularly helpful in eliminating toxins, retained water, salts, and fats from the body. This reduces the stress on the kidneys and can be used to support weight loss. Parsley tea’s diuretic properties have also made it a great way to reduce the risk of bladder infections. Moreover, parsley tea may reduce gland swelling and treat prostate conditions. Lastly, parsley tea as a detox tea can also be used to maintain a healthy liver. Parsley tea can keep your liver clean of toxic agents and promote healthy living function. As a detox tea, it can even keep your skin looking fresh and clean!
Helps Regulate Menstruation
Parsley tea is also an amazing natural remedy to alleviate menstruation symptoms and hormone levels. This is largely due to the presence of myristicin and apiol in parsley. These two compounds can manipulate the production of estrogen and balance hormone levels. Additionally, apiol can regulate periods and lessen the severity of the period of symptoms. Lastly, parsley tea can be an emmenagogue, which is a substance that can help menstrual flow.
Rich in Folic Acid
One of the key components of parsley tea is folic acid. Folic acid is an essential B vitamin that is known to mitigate the risk of neural tube defects in babies. Moreover, folic acid is the key to maintaining healthy blood vessels. In the body, folic acid neutralizes the effects of homocysteine, which is the compound that can damage your blood vessels and negatively affect your cardiovascular system.
May Prevent Cancer
In addition to antioxidants, parsley tea also has cancer-fighting properties. According to several studies, parsley has a flavonoid known as apigenin, which is a compound that is known to block the growth of cancer cells. Parsley is also rich in luteolin which has the potential to prevent tumor growth. Moreover, another study found that parsley extract had a 41% chance of preventing DNA damage and deterring the spread of breast cancer cells. Additionally, myristicin is a compound found in parsley oil that is released when you brew parsley tea. This compound has been linked to slowing the progression of tumor growth. Granted, more research is still needed.
May Prevent Kidney Stones
Kidney stones can cause a great amount of stress and pain in your body. Parsley tea may provide a natural remedy to avoiding kidney stones. First and foremost, parsley tea is a diuretic. As such, the increased urination and general cleansing of your bladder can prevent the formation of kidney stones. There have been several animal studies done, but research on the impact on humans is minimal. As such, the full effects on humans remain to be seen.
Alleviates Respiratory Issues
If you suffer from asthma or any other respiratory conditions, parsley tea could be a great remedy to add to your routine. Parsley tea is rich in beta-carotene, which is associated with lowering the risk of asthma. Additionally, parsley tea can also reduce the presence of residues in your lungs. Parsley tea’s infection-fighting compounds can loosen up phlegm and mucus that might be coating your throat and lungs. As a result, parsley tea can neutralize the potential to develop congestion and bacterial infections.
Maintains Healthy Blood Pressure & Cholesterol
Another great advantage of parsley tea is its effect on blood pressure and cholesterol levels. Parsley tea can be a natural and effective way to treat hypertension and high cholesterol. Taken regularly, this tea can lower blood pressure and protect you against chronic diseases.
Natural Breath Freshener
Other than being used as a garnish, parsley is a popular method of freshening one’s breath. However, it does not just take your breath smell better. Parsley’s antibacterial properties make it an awesome supplement for your dental care. As such, if you are looking for a natural way to keep your mouth fresh and clean, consider incorporating parsley tea into your routine.
Anti-Inflammatory Properties
Parsley tea can also be used to reduce swelling and pain from arthritis. Among its powerhouse of vitamins, nutrients, and antioxidants, parsley also contains an oil known as eugenol. Studies have shown that eugenol has strong anti-arthritic properties as well as anti-inflammatory properties. This can greatly reduce joint swelling and pain. Remember, as we mentioned above, parsley tea is a diuretic. Not only does it flush toxins out of your bladder, parsley tea can also flush out liquid deposits from your joints.
Strengthens Blood Vessels
The prevalence of folic acid and B vitamins in parsley are key to protecting and strengthening your blood vessels. Folic acid is key to reducing homocysteine, which is an amino acid that naturally appears in the blood. However, too much of this amino acid can cause damage to blood vessels. A high homocysteine level can cause blood clots and arterial damage. Moreover, this can also result in even more serious issues like heart attacks or strokes.
Improves Circulation & Treats Anemia
Another key aspect of parsley tea is that it is rich in iron, which is essential to a healthy cardiovascular system and blood health. As such, drinking parsley tea is a great way to improve blood circulation and prevent risks of anemia. As a matter of fact, a quarter cup of parsley tea is an easy way to meet your daily iron needs. Additionally, iron is an important component in the production of healthy red blood cells. Healthy red blood cells promote bringing oxygenated blood to cells in need of oxygen and nutrients for repair. Moreover, parsley tea is rich in vitamin C and calcium. Both of these nutrients also help the body absorb iron. As a result, your circulatory problems are further relieved.
Boosts Eye & Bone Health
Remember that parsley tea is rich in vitamin A, a key nutrient in anyone’s health plan. Vitamin A has many advantages, but it is particularly effective in strengthening your eye health. Derived from the beta-carotene found in parsley, vitamin A can relieve any oxidative stress in your eyes. As a result, you have a lower chance of developing macular degeneration, night blindness, and cataracts. Parsley tea is also rich in vitamin K, which is a key nutrient that assists in the absorption of minerals in the body. Additionally, vitamin K is key to producing and maintaining strong, healthy bones. It is particularly potent in parsley tea because when you heat or boil parsley, the amount of vitamin K released is doubled.
How to Make Parsley Tea at Home
The quickest way to enjoy parsley tea is by using a parsley tea bag. You’ll find many brands online and in many health food stores. Parsley tea bags are manufactured using dried leaves, so you can store them in a cool dry place and they will last much longer than fresh parsley. However, it is also very easy to learn how to make parsley tea at home. Since the herb is inexpensive, making the tea at home is also cheap.
How to Make Parsley Tea in 5 Simple Steps
- Choose your desired parsley: flat, curly, or Italian. Remove the leaves from the stems. Gather about 1/8-1/4 cup of leaves for each cup of tea. Place the leaves in the bottom of your cup or into a tea infuser. Note: you can also use a french press to make parsley tea. To do so, simply place the loose leaves at the bottom of the press.
- Heat water to boiling.
- Fill the cup or press with hot water.
- Allow the leaves to steep for about four minutes. Steep longer if you prefer a stronger cup. If you are new to parsley tea, start with a weaker cup and gradually increase the strength of your tea as you get used to the taste.
- Remove the parsley leaves with a spoon or remove the infuser and discard the leaves. If you are using a press, place the plunger on top and slowly press down to separate the leaves from the tea.
Flavor your tea with lemon or a dash of sugar if desired. Eventually, enjoy parsley tea without sugar to gain the benefits of parsley tea without increasing your sugar intake.
Parsley Tea Side Effects
Parsley is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration. However, consuming large amounts of parsley (more than you would typically consume in amounts commonly found in food) can be dangerous. You’re not likely to consume a lot of parsley if you simply have a cup of tea each day. But if you make tea with parsley oil or ground parsley seeds your intake could be much higher than normal.
People who consume too much parsley may experience anemia, and liver or kidney problems. If you have diabetes, fluid retention, high blood pressure, or kidney disease you should talk to your doctor to see if consuming parsley is safe for you as it may cause side effects that can worsen your condition. Patients who plan to undergo surgery are often advised to avoid parsley in the two weeks before their procedure.
