Fresh Parsley Tea

Fresh parsley tea is a great way to use some of that extra garnish you’ve got laying around the house while reaping the multiple health benefits that come from this powerful herb.

Before it was a garnish, parsley was used as a medicine. It has, in fact, been used medicinally for more than 2000 years. This could be because the piece of green that’s usually left on the plate when dinner is done packs a powerful - and surprising - nutritional punch. Two tablespoons of parsley has fewer than three calories and still contains:

• 154 percent of the USRDA for vitamin K
• 16 percent of the USRDA for vitamin C
• 13 percent of the USRDA for vitamin A
• About 3 percent of the USRDA for both folate and iron

Some of the reported health benefits of parsley (and fresh parsley tea) are:

• It is rich in antioxidants, which fight disease and aging in the body.
• It has volatile oils that are believed to inhibit tumor formation – particularly in the lungs. *The folic acid, which can be found in fresh parsley tea, has been found to inhibit colon and cervical cancers.
• Folic acid is also essential in heart function, so drinking parsley tea may lead to better heart support and health.
• The vitamin C in parsley has been shown to improve the symptoms of rheumatoid arthritis.
• Parsley has been used as a diuretic.
• Parsley may be helpful in the treatment of kidney stones.
• It is believed that parsley can help balance out menstrual irregularities.
• Parsley has general stimulant properties.

The most effective parsley tea comes from fresh parsley, not the dried herb. To make the tea:

1. Put a kettle of water to heat on the stove.
2. Meanwhile, chop about ¼ cup of fresh parsley.
3. Place the parsley in a single layer of cheese cloth and tie it off in a bundle.
4. Place the bundle in the bottom of a tea cup and pour the boiling water over the top.
5. Allow the parsley to steep for up to five minutes. The longer you allow the parsley to steep, the stronger the tea will be. Stronger tea has more of the vitamins and benefits than a weaker tea.

If you don’t have cheese cloth, you can make the parsley tea by placing the parsley in a heat proof dish and pouring the boiling water over it. After the tea has steeped for the appropriate amount of time, pour the concoction through a fine mesh sieve into a tea mug to strain out all of the bits of chopped parsley.

There’s probably a reason that the parsley garnish is often left on the plate. By itself, parsley has a somewhat bitter herbaceous flavor that many people find distasteful. If you are among those who don’t enjoy the flavor of pure parsley, then you may wish to sweeten the tea with honey or add in an herb with a flavor that is more palatable to you.

There are two varieties of parsley that you will typically find at your local grocers. Curly leaf parsley is the parsley most commonly seen used as garnish. The other type is flat leaf parsley, also known as Italian parsley. Either is fine to use.

• You may want to select organic parsley. Conventionally grown parsley is sprayed with pesticides and fertilizers that could be detrimental to your health. Organic parsley may be available in the organic section of your grocer’s produce aisle, or at local farmers’ markets.
• Those little curly (or flat) leaves can hold a lot of dirt. They can also hide insects. Before chopping parsley for use in your tea, be sure to thoroughly wash it. To wash your parsley, fill a bowl with cold water and submerge the parsley. Gently swish it around in the water. Remove the parsley from the water. Empty and refill the bowl. Repeat until there is no dirt or grit in the water. When you are done washing the parsley, roll it in paper towels to blot out extra water and chop, or store rolled in paper towels in the crisper section of your refrigerator.

Don’t you think it’s time to get that parsley off of the side of your plate and into your tea cup? By following the simple instructions contained in this article, you can begin to reap the amazing health benefits of this undervalued herb.

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