Parsley

lat. Petroselinum crispum

Cultivation of parsley began over 5000 years ago. In ancient Rome, it was associated with Persephone, goddess of the Underworld, and was employed in funeral rituals.

FOLKLORE:

Common parsley, rock parsley, garden parsley, hamburg parsley. Some names in German reflect the widespread belief that it enhances male potency.The Old English name, petersilie, derives from the Greek words petros and selinon (general name for several types of umbellifer). This word merged with the Old French peresil to give the plant its modern name.Parsley belongs to the family of the Apiaceae.

APPEARANCE:

Parsley is biennial and can grow to a height of between 30 and 100 centimetres, depending on conditions. The leaves, which have an intense dark green colour, are two or three pinnate and shaped in various ways, depending on the variety. Wild parsley has narrow, rough serrated leaves.

HABITAT:

Parsley requires nutrient-rich and moist but well-drained soil. It is frost hardy and grows best in full or partial sunlight.

RANGE:

Parsley is believed to have originated in the southern or western Mediterranean region. At present, this plant grows throughout Europe and as far north as Iceland, Norway and western Greenland; in North and South America; India; Japan and Australia.

USE FOR ABORTION:

Apiol, one of the substances parsley contains, is a strong abortifacient. In addition to stimulating breast milk production, it also causes contraction of the uterus and possibly miscarriage. For this reason, no late medieval text on herbs fails to mention that pregnant women should avoid consuming parsley in any quantity.

HISTORY:

Archaeological evidence of parsley found north of the Alps dates from the Neolithic Age, and this plant was cultivated over 5000 years ago. The first reliable mention of parsley can be found in the writings of Pliny, who described its curly leaves. Apparently, the leaves and seeds were frequently used for cooking purposes in ancient Rome, and it was presumably cultivated, including by the legionnaires posted north of the Alps. Evidence of the latter has been provided by archaeological finds made in Xanten. In Rome, parsley was associated with Proserpina, goddess of the Underworld, and was used during funeral ceremonies.

INGREDIENTS:

Vitamin C, essential oils, apiin, apiol, apiolin, flavonoids, furocoumarins, tannin, glycosides, myristicin, salicylate, thymol, umbelliferone, violaxanthin, zinc

EFFECTS:

Diuretic, antispasmodic, expectorant, tonifying, stimulates menstruation, enhances male potency

APPLICATIONS:

Loss of appetite, digestive weakness, flatulence, bad breath, gout, rheumatism, bladder stones and inflammation, kidney stones, high blood pressure, earache, depression, fatigue, spring fever, insect bites, tumours

Note:

In reference to parsley’s presumed effect on male potency and as an abortifacient, streets containing brothels were frequently termed ‘parsley alleys’ in the Middle Ages. A saying, ‘Parsley puts a man in the saddle and a woman under the earth’, also reflects these varying effects.

This song sung by young children in German-speaking countries describes parsley’s effects:

Parsley and chervil

Grow in our garden.

Our (Ännchen/Liesel) will be married,

She shouldn’t wait any longer.

Red wine,

White wine,

The wedding’s tomorrow.

This song, sung during a circle dance, contains some important information: rosemary, thyme, parsley and chervil were used as contraceptives in the distant past. Women obtained them from midwives or grew them in their own gardens. Application of these herbs had apparently been familiar for some time, as the lines ‘Red wine,/White wine,’ refer to menstruation and the subsequent days.

It is assumed that the strong essential oils contained in the plants described here affect the young protein of the egg cell during ovulation in such a way as to prevent fertilisation.We also know from this children’s song that young, unmarried girls practice contraception to live out their sexuality with men.

Anke Wolf-Graaf: Die verborgene Geschichte der Frauenarbeit [‘The Secret History of Women’s Work’], 1983 (ISBN: 3-407-85035-2)

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