A hardy, aromatic, biennial herb, sometimes lasting up to 4 years producing a rosette of finely divided radical leaves in the first year and a flowering stalk up to 100 cm. high, in the second. Leaves 2-or 3-pinnate, ultimate segments cuneate-ovate or sometimes linear-oblong, incised, dentate or entire, often much crisped in cultivated plants, upper cauline leaves often ternate; flowers yellow or yellowish green in compound umbels; fruit (commonly known as seeds) 2-3 mm. long, crescent shaped, conspicuously ridged, consisting of two mericarps.

Diuretic, carminative, ecbolic, emmenagogue, antidandruff, antispasmodic, aperient, digestive, expectorant, galactofuge, kidney, stomachic, tonic and antipyretic (herb); antiscorbutic (leaves)

Parsley
Floridata
Parsley - Petroselinum crispum
Plants for a future
PIER
Herb Information

8-methoxy-psoralen, imperatorin, isoimperatorin, psoralen (fruit); 1,3,8-p-menthatriene, alpha-phellandrene, alpha-pinene, alpha-terpinene, alpha-terpineol, alpha-tocopherol, apiole, benzaldehyde, beta-bisabolene, beta-pinene, camphene, delta-3-carene, delta-cadinene, elemicin, estragole, gamma-terpinene, geraniol, limonene, myrcene, myristicin, p-cymene, rutin, terpinen-4-ol, terpinolene (leaf); apigenin, ascorbic acid, beta-carotene, eriodictyol, ethanol, folacin, inositol, kaempferol, lutein, methionine, naringenin, niacin, osthole, pantothenic acid, quercetin, riboflavin, rosmarinic acid, thiamin (plant); bergapten (root); caffeic acid, chlorogenic acid, p-coumaric acid, protocatechuic acid (stem); isopimpinellin, xanthotoxin (shoot); oleic acid, palmitic acid (seed)

Inflammations of the bladder, urinary tract and prostate (plant); to bites and stings of insects (bruised leaves); to get rid of lice and skin parasites (mericarps). An infusion of the roots and seeds is taken after childbirth to promote lactation and help contract the uterus; as a diuretic where it is effective in ridding the body of stones and in treating jaundice, dropsy, cystitis (plant).

May lead to nerve inflammation if taken at a high concentration for an extended period of time; should not be taken at all if pregnant.

Stary, The Natural Guide to Medicinal Herbs and Plants.