A recent topic on the Healthy Living Course which I run was the immune system and immunity-boosting foods, quite apt I hoped for this time of year, and we spent a fair amount of the time discussing parsley — the best ways of growing it, how we could include it in as many dishes as possible and its remarkable healing properties. It’s great to be able to enthuse people with the fact that keeping healthy doesn’t have to be a chore, or worse still, a great expense. Parsley is a really good example of us already having some excellent ‘super foods’ in this country without the need to trawl specialist shops for pricey ingredients from far-flung shores.

As a homeopathic remedy, parsley, or to give it its Latin name ‘Petroselinum’, does not take up much space in the Materia Medica. Its symptoms however are very distinct and not surprisingly, (as most people think of parsley as a great cleanser), they are based primarily on the urinary system. There is much burning, tingling and itching with a sudden irresistible desire to urinate, and a keynote of being ‘thirsty and hungry but desire falling on beginning to eat or drink’. There are many other remedies with greater scope when prescribing for urinary complaints so parsley is rarely chosen. As an herb however it is widely used and thoroughly underestimated.

I never grow enough parsley to meet my needs so last summer I planted double the amount I normally would and am over-wintering plants to give them a good start for the coming year. My problem is that I pick too much from young plants and they do not get the chance to become well established and I hope that by treating it as the biennial it really is rather than using it as an annual, I will be able to rectify this situation. I have plants in various positions around the garden and in various states of ‘dress’ and ‘undress’. Some are in pots against the house wall, some are in pots under cover in a small ‘assemble-yourself’ plant house with a plastic cover and others have been left in open ground with the lucky ones being given the luxury of fleece protection. In my opinion you can never have too much parsley so I am keeping my fingers crossed that they will all survive, picking the bare minimum and buying in extra supplies from the greengrocers to tide me over.

I rave about parsley because it is one of the best immune-boosting foods there is — a culinary multi-vitamin if you like. Not only does it contain high levels on vitamin B12, vitamin K, iron and calcium, it has more vitamin C than citrus fruits and, surprisingly, a significant amount of essential fatty acids (great news if you’re not keen on fish or flax oils). Parsley acts as a warming food in the body, provides essential nutrients and stimulates the organs so that their ability to utilise those nutrients is increased. It is particularly beneficial for the digestion, liver, kidneys and adrenal glands and helps purify the blood and other body fluids. In general it supports the body’s defensive mechanism and chokes negative bacteria.

It is the high chlorophyll content of parsley which purifies the body and inhibits the spread of bacteria, fungi and other undesirable organisms and which helps to relieve all ‘damp’ conditions — such as sinusitis, where too much mucous is produced. Digestion and liver function can both be improved through the use of parsley in the diet as can many kidney and urinary complaints. Cystitis may respond particularly well and if this is a recurrent problem then a general boost to the immune system will be very welcome.

The uses for parsley are almost endless. For the course I was running I served it only raw as I believe it keeps its nutritional benefits best if served in this way. It can of course be added to salads and during the summer months I often do just that. In the winter however I like to combine it with lemon juice and other immune boosting foods such as garlic, mushrooms and sprouted chickpeas or to make it into a pesto with either pine nuts or toasted seeds from winter squashes. I don’t always add parmesan to a pesto either because I think you can get a cleaner and fresher taste with just the herbs, nuts or seeds, lemon juice, olive oil and seasoning. The quantities aren’t that important, just use up what you have available and you can very quickly whiz up a delicious pasta sauce, a topping for baked potatoes or a great addition to vegetable soups, stirred in just before serving.