When people think about what leafy greens to juice, kale and spinach and wheatgrass come to mind. While these are all super healthy leafy greens, they are not the only ones you should have in your juicing repertoire. You should also have parsley. It’s a little known fact that parsley is one of the most healthy leafy greens out there. So, next time you think of parsley, don’t think of a garnish on a plate, but instead a leafy green that you should be juicing alongside your organic wheatgrass and organic dino kale.
Here are the two amazing health benefits that you will get.

 

Parsley Can Fight Against Breast Cancer

 

When the study was published, the world took notice. It was a shocking announcement. A compound found in parsley called apigenin was found to be incredibly helpful in dealing with breast cancer. The study was done at The University of Missouri was done on mice and found that mice who were exposed to this chemical compound had two major benefits. First, the mice that were exposed the apigenin developed far fewer instances of breast cancer than those mice who did not get the compound. Secondly, those that did develop tumors showed very slow tumor growth when they were compared to mice who did not get the compound.

 

Parsley Can Protect Your Brain From Cognitive Disease

 

Another interesting benefit of juicing parsley is that it has been found to have positive effects on your brain. Parsley has a flavanoid called luteolin which can help prevent inflammation in the brain and can also help with memory. The way in which it does this is very interesting. The scientists found that the flavanoid luteolin helped to stop microglia (which are a special type of cell in your brain) from overproducing and over responding to inflammatory responses. The link between memory improvement is also tied into inflammation in the hippocampus. So, in essence, parsley reduces inflammation in your brain, which can improve your memory and also protect against the ravages of age.

Source: University of Illinois, Urbana- Study

 

A Natural Liver Detox

Parsley is one of the most common ingredients in liver detox concoctions. Why is that? Well, normally you will read about how it cleanses, or purifies. What exactly does that mean? Most people tend to not examine the exact reasons.

There are studies that have been done on parsley and found that it is beneficial when given to diabetic rats. The result was that there was a lower level of dangerous blood glucose levels, as well as other positive liver changes.

Source: Study Done at Istanbul University

 

Which Type Of Parsley To Juice: Flat Leafy Or Curly

Both varieties of parsley will give you the same benefits. It’s not like other leafy greens such as kale where you have the problem with oxaliac acid. With Kale, as opposed to other leafy greens, you really should try and juice lacinato you have the option.

The only thing you should look for when getting parlsy is to choose one that is labeled organic. Non-organic parsley will have the same benefits when it comes to apigenin and luteloin, but you should choose an organic brand so that the soil and harvesting techniques are cleaner and there is less chance of pesticide residue. Parsley can be tricky to clean. I recommend using an organic vegetable wash.