Petroselinum crispum or what we know as Parsley is one of the most popular herbs to use in cooking. Not only it smells fragrance but also can significantly elevate flavor in cooking. This celery-looks-like herb also has vast benefits from helping people that have bad breath until anemia and even baldness. That’s just some of the benefits. Although parsley is not common is Asia, it is well-known in the West. Many people from the West add parsley to their food such as salad, soup or even add it to cooking dishes before serving. In Asia, we mostly used its cousin-celery-into our cooking. They have similar benefits because they come from same botanical family. 

Magical herb, Parsley, and its benefit

Bad breath, anemia, and baldness that are mentioned above just some of the examples of health problems that people commonly suffer which can be treated by consuming parsley. But parsley can do better than curing those diseases. It is said that parsley is rich with antioxidant that is good to eliminate free radical. Why is this fact important? The reason is because free radicals are responsible for many kinds of serious disease like cancer. Listed below are some benefits of parsley that can reduce cholesterol:

• Increase antioxidant

It helps to build the antioxidant in the blood vessels lowering the free radicals. Therefore; it helps reduce the LDL or bad cholesterol and raise the HDL or good cholesterol.

• Good for people who want to lose weight

It contains a high diuretic substance, therefore; often recommended as a weight loss solution.

 As you can see, parsley is good to lower the cholesterol level but the problem is this herb is very rare in Asia, only its cousin-celery-is common. Because it’s so hard to find it, the price is also expensive for you can only find this herb in a big supermarket that sold imported products. But if you live in an area that is easy to find one, go ahead add this magical herb into your life. It certainly will make your life healthier and happier.

Parsley can reduce your cholesterol level. How?

Parsley is a great source of antioxidant nutrients such as flavonoids (luteolin) and vitamin C. Those two chemicals help in increasing the antioxidant capacity of the blood vessels. Therefore; this magical herb reducing your cholesterol levels by getting rid of the free radicals from the blood vessels. Parsley herb, make it into a drink, can help losing weight. Studies reported that cholesterol level will tend to rise as you gain weight. Therefore; by losing some weight, automatically your cholesterol level will also reduce. This is just a matter of simple math.

The best way to use parsley

Since not all people like to eat parsley raw like in salad or garnish in a cooking dish, they add this herb into their soup but after awhile, people get bored with it. That’s understandable since you can eat soup forever whenever you want to eat parsley. With creativity, some people try to make it into a drink. Some make it into a tea and others into a juice. Now, tea is more interesting because almost majority people love to drink tea but not all like to drink vegetable juice, is it correct? Just read below this paragraph for a simple recipe to make a parsley lemon tea. Believe me, it tastes delicious and healthy! That drink not only can help you to lose weight but also help reduce your LDL or bad cholesterol. Remember the fact mentioned above, as you lose weight, automatically your cholesterol level will also reduce.

Ingredients

2 bunches parsley (leaves only, but you can use the stems if you want)

1, 5 liters of water (you can add more water if you want your juice thin)

2 teaspoon of baking soda

1 kg lemons

How to make:

1. Wash the lemons clean with cold water then put them into a bowl of warm water previously mix with baking soda. Let it steep for about an hour. This step is to clean the lemons perfectly and get the nutrient of the baking soda.
2. While waiting for the lemons; wash the parsley and finely chop it into small pieces. After an hour strained the lemons and finely chop them with their peel on.
3. Put the parsley and lemons into a pot contained 1, 5 liters of water, Cook this mixture over low heat for about 2 or 3 hours until half of the water is evaporated.
4. Let the mixture cool off then put it in a strainer. Then, transfer the liquid into a pitcher or jar or glass bottle (any drink container will do)
5. If you like to drink it sweet, never ever put sugar and its products into it but put honey instead as a substitute. Why is this important? If you put sugar, you will not lose your weight since sugar is a donator to raise your weight. The idea of this drink is to help people losing weight and cholesterol in their blood vessels and adding sugar into this drink will make that idea futile. Got it?

For best result, drink about 50ml of this drink every day on an empty stomach and wait for half an hour before eating anything. There’s no side effect in consuming this drinks every day. The only effect that this drink gives is lowering your cholesterol level by helping you to lose some weight but of course, it will only work if you also have a good diet and exercises.