Last updated on October 23rd, 2023 at 08:59 pm
Parsley is the most popular seasoning herb in Europe. Hardly a hearty dish or salad that can do without parsley. But did you know that parsley contains toxins? Interesting facts about the origin and cultivation of parsley.
Facts about the parsley
- Botanical name: Petroselinum crispum
- Origin: Mediterranean area
- Plant family: Umbelliferae
- Common names: Peterling, Peterli, Silk
- Age: Biennial plant
- Leaves: Dark to light green, smooth or curly
- Flowers: Yellow-green
- Flowering time: June – July
- Harvest time: All year until flowering
- Use: Spice and medicinal plant
- Habitat: Windowsill, balcony, open ground
Tips for planting parsley
Parsley is somewhat sensitive at first. Because of its Mediterranean origin, it germinates best at higher temperatures.
It does not tolerate direct sunlight, nor does it get waterlogged.
Parsley is not suitable for planting in a herb spiral, because the soil must be changed with each new planting.
How to care for parsley properly
Once parsley finds a favorable location, it requires little care.
Care should be taken when watering, because the plants do not tolerate too much moisture and then do not grow, but die.
You should also be careful with fertilizing, as parsley does not tolerate fresh organic fertilizer.
Use of parsley
Most often, the leaves of parsley are used raw as a seasoning for potatoes, salads and more.
Its use as a medicinal herb is less well known today. Parsley can be used as a tea for urinary problems.
Why is parsley poisonous?
In the leaves but even more in the seeds the toxic essential oil apiol accumulates. It causes it to contract the muscles of digestive organs and uterus.
Once the plant flowers, the leaves should not be eaten. The parsley should then be discarded.
Pregnant women are generally advised against eating parsley. The seeds were even used in the past as a means of terminating pregnancy.
Tips & Tricks
Originally, parsley had basically smooth leaves. However, since these looked very similar to the very poisonous dog parsley and serious poisoning occurred, monks bred curly and mossy varieties. These cannot be so easily confused with the smooth-leaved, poisonous herb.