Health Benefits of Parsley

Parsley, scientifically called Petroselinum crispum, is a popular cooking and medicinal herb from the Mediterranean region. Adding parsley to dishes is an affordable way to add flavor and nutrition. In the kitchen, many people use the herb to season sauces, garnish pasta and soup dishes, and make chimichurri—a parsley-based condiment to top grilled meats.

Parsley is also available as a supplement in powder or capsule form. The herb has a high antioxidant content—especially rich in flavonoids, polyphenols, and carotenoids—which offers several health benefits.

Historically, people have used parsley medicinally to promote kidney, liver, brain, and heart health. Research shows it may help prevent kidney stones, support heart health, and more. Parsley essential oil also has antimicrobial qualities that may prevent foodborne illness.

Rich in Antioxidants

Like other green herbs, parsley contains an abundance of antioxidants. Some of the most prominent antioxidants in parsley are vitamin C, phenolic compounds, flavonoids, and carotenoids. 

Antioxidants help prevent oxidative stress, which is linked with serious chronic conditions like heart disease, Alzheimer’s, chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), rheumatoid arthritis (RA), and kidney disease. 

Parsley is especially high in polyphenols, which have many evidence-based health benefits. Consuming more of these potent antioxidants is linked with better blood lipid levels, blood pressure, insulin resistance, and less systemic inflammation. Researchers think this might be related to how polyphenols influence the gut microbiome (the community of microbes, including bacteria, fungi, and viruses, in your gastrointestinal system). 

May Reduce Heart Disease Risk

The antioxidant content of parsley may reduce your risk of developing heart disease. For example, the carotenoids in parsley could help lower low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol (bad cholesterol), blood pressure, and inflammation—all of which can increase your risk of developing heart disease at high levels. 

Some studies also show that vitamin C helps prevent the oxidation of LDL cholesterol, especially if you currently have a low vitamin C intake. Oxidized LDL cholesterol can lead to plaque buildup on the artery walls, increasing cardiovascular risk. Researchers aren’t yet sure if supplemental vitamin C benefits heart health, so it’s worth eating enough food sources of this nutrient, like parsley. 

May Help Prevent Kidney Stones

Parsley is used in complementary medicine for various kidney ailments. Research shows it may help prevent kidney stones. Kidney stones develop when excess waste in your urine causes crystals to form, attracting other elements and ultimately creating a hard mass that is painful to pass through the urinary tract.

Some studies suggest that parsley helps regulate the pH of urine to prevent the formation of calcium oxalate crystals. A rodent-based study found that parsley helped reduce urine saturation, particularly of calcium and protein, which can prevent kidney stone formation. The chlorophyll and magnesium in parsley may be partly responsible for these benefits.

Promotes Bone Health

Parsley is especially high in vitamin K, an important nutrient for bone health. Low vitamin K levels are linked with increased bone fractures and lower bone mineral density. 

Vitamin K is necessary to produce proteins that affect bone metabolism. For example, osteocalcin is a vitamin K-dependent protein that may influence bone turnover and mineralization.

Adding parsley to dishes can help increase your vitamin K intake to prevent the need for a vitamin K supplement. Just 2 tablespoons (tbsp) of fresh parsley provides a full daily dose of vitamin K.

Nutrition of Parsley

Parsley is low in calories and packed with vitamins, minerals, and antioxidants. A 2-tbsp serving of fresh parsley provides:

• Calories: 3
• Fat: 0 grams (g)
• Sodium: 2 milligrams (mg)
• Carbohydrates: 0.5 g
• Fiber: 0.2 g
• Added sugars: 0 g
• Protein: 0.2 g
• Vitamin K: 124 micrograms (mcg), or 103% of the daily value (DV)
• Vitamin C: 10 mg, or 11% of the DV

Parsley is a good source of vitamin C, an essential vitamin that promotes immune health and enhances nonheme (plant-based) iron absorption. Adding parsley to a source of nonheme iron, like beans or spinach, can help you absorb more iron from these plant foods.

The herb is also rich in vitamin K, an important nutrient for blood clotting and bone metabolism. However, given vitamin K's role in blood clotting, people taking anticoagulant drugs like Coumadin (warfarin) should be careful about altering their parsley intake since the variations in vitamin K can have potentially dangerous drug interactions.

Parsley is also a source of phenolic compounds that act as antioxidants in the body, which may benefit the kidneys, brain, liver, and heart.

Dried parsley is a much more concentrated source of these vitamins and antioxidants. One study found that the same serving of dried parsley has about 18 times as many phenolic compounds as fresh parsley. 

Parsley as a Supplement

Parsley is most commonly used as a cooking herb, but it's also sold as a dietary supplement. Taking a parsley supplement allows you to get a higher concentration of antioxidants in a convenient form.

Along with antioxidants like flavonoids and carotenoids, parsley contains chlorophyll, an antioxidant pigment that gives green vegetables and herbs their color. Some studies suggest chlorophyll has antioxidant benefits that could reduce cancer risk and protect against endocrine disruptors. 

However, research on chlorophyll is fairly new, and more research is needed to evaluate its health effects, particularly in supplement form. Plus, some research shows that high-dose antioxidant supplements may actually cause harm, whereas eating enough antioxidants from foods has been shown to be beneficial.

Some parsley supplements are marketed for detoxification, but research does not support this. A supplement cannot detox your body; your liver, kidneys, lungs, and skin do this naturally if they function properly. 

There is no standardized or recommended dosage for parsley supplements. Speak with a healthcare provider before starting a parsley supplement for individualized guidance on safety and dosage.

Risks of Parsley

Parsley is generally recognized as safe (GRAS) by the U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA). However, it may cause allergic reactions, especially for people allergic to other plants in the Apiaceae family, such as carrots, celery, and fennel.

Vitamin K plays a key role in blood clotting, so it can alter the activity of blood thinners. Because of parsley’s vitamin K content, people taking anticoagulant drugs like Coumadin (warfarin) should speak with a healthcare provider before altering their parsley intake or starting a parsley supplement.

Tips for Consuming Parsley

Parsley is a fresh, earthy, peppery herb you can use in many different dishes. Here are some tips for using parsley:

• Add finely chopped parsley as a garnish on soups, hummus, tacos, and vegetables
• Chop it and mix it into salads, pasta dishes, and cold grains like quinoa or couscous
• Make parsley pesto
• Add it to a homemade pasta sauce
• Use fresh parsley to make Italian gremolata—a condiment made from parsley, garlic, and lemon zest
• Add finely chopped parsley to olive oil for bread dipping
• Make homemade chimichurri sauce using parsley, oregano, garlic, olive oil, vinegar, and red pepper flakes
• Sauté shrimp in parsley, garlic, and olive oil

To store fresh parsley, trim the ends off and place it in a jar of water on the counter or in the fridge. Keep dried parsley in a closed container in a cool, dry place.

Research shows that certain cooking methods increase parsley’s antioxidant capacity while others decrease it. Cooking methods like microwaving, simmering, and stewing make parsley's antioxidants more readily available. Methods like grilling, frying, and other cooking methods with dry heat can decrease parsley’s antioxidant capacity.

Other Uses for Parsley

Parsley essential oil has antifungal and antibacterial properties that can help protect against foodborne pathogens (disease-causing bacteria). Research shows this is due to a few compounds called apiol, myristicin, and b-phellandrene. One study found the essential oil to be effective in inhibiting the growth of several fungi and bacteria.

For people who are lactating, parsley can sometimes be used in a warm compress to treat breast pain or engorgement. However, taking parsley capsules is said to both increase or decrease milk supply, and there isn’t much research supporting either use.

A Quick Review

Parsley is a popular, affordable, versatile herb. It’s especially rich in antioxidants and vitamin K, which promote heart, bone, and kidney health. Although eating parsley is generally safe, there isn’t much research on the safety and efficacy of parsley supplements.

People taking anticoagulant drugs should be especially careful about their parsley intake because of vitamin K’s role in blood clotting. Otherwise, parsley is a flavorful herb to add to pasta dishes, cold grains, salads, marinades, meats, and more.