The Benefits of Parsley for Your Kidneys
Parsley is one of the most popular herbs in the world and is used in many recipes. However, did you know it also contains many medicinal benefits, especially with regard to the health of your kidneys?
Indeed, added to its delicious and vibrant flavor are its healing properties, which are often overlooked in its popular role as a food seasoning.
The kidneys are two organs in your body that constantly filter your blood. They do this by making sure that waste products leave your body in the urine. Certain lifestyles and habits such as an unhealthy diet or a sedentary lifestyle facilitate the accumulation of toxins, so the kidneys have to work harder.
Apart from leading a healthy lifestyle, one of the ways to ensure that your kidneys work properly is by taking advantage of some natural remedies. For example, adding a touch of parsley to your meals, or enjoying it in a refreshing drink.
The benefits of parsley for your kidneys
This herb is capable of providing a certain amount of essential nutrients for the health of your entire body. For example, vitamin K, vitamin A, vitamin C, folic acid, and iron. These are all really important for kidney health.
1. Improves the health of your kidneys
Parsley is a diuretic and helps eliminate body fluids. It assists in the elimination of waste and toxins from your body and also adds vitamins and minerals.
In addition, parsley aids in the prevention of kidney stones and gallstones.
2. Reduces inflammation
Parsley contains active ingredients such as apigenin which has important anti-inflammatory properties. It also contains flavonoids that act as powerful antioxidants for the body, as well as vitamin C and quercetin, natural antioxidants that help relieve inflammatory processes.
As some studies point out, these ingredients act as protective substances against reactive oxygen species. To do this, they neutralize free radicals such as superoxide anions, nitric oxide, and peroxynitrites, among others.
You might also like to read: What Do Your Kidneys Do?
3. Promotes the elimination of waste
Parsley stimulates digestion and kidney function by being a part of the entire process of the elimination of toxins. Essentially, parsley helps improve overall digestion and effective waste elimination.
In addition, you should know that parsley leaves are carminative. Therefore, they help relieve flatulence by preventing the formation of gas in the gastrointestinal tract. In turn, this reduces swelling.
4. Dissolves kidney stones
Kidney stones are deposits of salts and minerals that form within the kidneys or urinary tract. It’s a condition that can affect anyone. However, men between the ages of 30-50 are more likely to develop kidney stones than women.
Parsley contains a low percentage of sodium, which controls blood pressure and helps prevent kidney and cardiovascular diseases.
Keep in mind that high blood pressure can damage and harden the blood vessels in your kidneys. This can lead to the buildup of unwanted debris and kidney stones.
Thanks to its effect on blood pressure and the increase in renal filtration, parsley prevents the accumulation of calcium oxalate in the kidneys. This is the most common cause of kidney stone formation,
You also might be interested to read: Discover The Right Diet for Kidney Stones
5. It’s a natural diuretic
Finally, parsley is a highly effective natural diuretic. This means that it helps increase urination and decrease fluid retention in the body.
Consequently, it has a cleansing effect on the kidneys by reducing deposits and by maximizing the elimination of pathogens.
Parsley seeds themselves are diuretic. They promote an increase in the body’s excretion of water, thus reducing fluid retention.
Their diuretic effect is due to two ingredients: apiol and myristicin. Among other functions, they help eliminate toxins, excess sodium, and water accumulated in the body. All of which improve kidney function.
As you can see, you should definitely include parsley in your diet on a regular basis. Indeed, in addition to adding flavor to dishes, it helps keep bacteria, fungi, and parasites at bay.
All cited sources were thoroughly reviewed by our team to ensure their quality, reliability, currency, and validity. The bibliography of this article was considered reliable and of academic or scientific accuracy.
- S. Martínez-Flórez, J. González-Gallego, J. M. Culebras y M.a J. Tuñón. Los flavonoides: propiedades y acciones antioxidantes. Nutr. Hosp. 2002; XVII (6) 271-278
- Vicente-Vicente A. Eficacia y seguridad de la quercetina como complemento alimenticio. Redalyc.org. 2018. http://www.redalyc.org/html/919/91931189008/
- Kreydiyyeh, S. I., & Usta, J. (2002). Diuretic effect and mechanism of action of parsley. Journal of Ethnopharmacology, 79(3), 353–357. Retrieved from http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pubmed/11849841