Parsley in pregnancy

Cooks and pharmacists can argue for a long time about what parsley is: a popular seasoning or a medicinal plant? Both will be right, although parsley, which grows green in every garden, is still better known as a fragrant additive to various dishes and preserves. Both professionals and home cooks use fresh vitamin greens or roots, enhancing the taste and health benefits of first courses and sauces, salads and marinades.

At the same time, traditional medicine has long used the healing properties of the “summer cottage queen” for medicinal purposes.

Can everyone season their daily menu with this green without looking back? In particular, what are the risks of parsley during pregnancy and how does it affect the body of a pregnant woman?

Can you eat parsley during pregnancy?

A pregnant woman more than anyone else should take care of healthy eating. This concept certainly includes moderation. After all, any excess, even if it does not harm, is unlikely to be beneficial.

Parsley is also necessary and useful during pregnancy, in the usual quantities for seasoning. Because it

• contains iron, which is necessary for the mother and fetus in increased quantities
• is a source of minerals, antioxidants, vitamins C, K, folic acid
• eliminates gas, bloating and other digestive problems
• has a positive effect on vision.

Parsley also retains its beneficial properties when dried or frozen.

Cosmetologists recommend using parsley masks to whiten the skin from unwanted pigment spots that bother women in the postpartum period.

As a seasoning - always desirable in the menu. As a medicine - requires caution in dosage.

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Parsley during early pregnancy

Parsley during pregnancy (like other greens) should be guaranteed to be of high quality. If possible, it should be grown independently, without chemicals and other harmful substances.

• If you buy, choose carefully, paying attention to appearance, freshness, and smell.
• Greenhouse parsley is less useful.
• Before adding parsley to dishes, it should be washed well, dry and wilted leaves should be removed. Even a small amount of unprocessed seasoning can cause disorders or food poisoning.

When dosed correctly, parsley will replenish a woman's body with many essential substances, improve digestion, and enrich it with much-needed hemoglobin, calcium, and phosphorus. It is parsley that will help carry a baby without renal and cardiac edema.

Parsley during early pregnancy does not pose a threat to a healthy woman who monitors her diet and condition. No specific amount of its use has been established. The woman's responsible attitude to bearing a child, her tastes, and individual reaction to various substances and products are of decisive importance.

Some experts still believe that parsley root can pose a threat in the early stages of pregnancy, so they recommend that women exclude it from their diet in the first trimester.

Traditional medicine has long used parsley as a herbal abortive remedy. The quality of parsley during pregnancy is used to stimulate the uterine muscles and cause their contractions. But such termination of pregnancy is dangerous to health; abortions cannot be performed without medical supervision.

Parsley during late pregnancy

Everything that concerns the quality and dosage of greens during early pregnancy should certainly be followed in all subsequent months. You should not completely refuse parsley during pregnancy in the later stages (if there are no already mentioned diseases and other contraindications), but you should still be careful when using it. Because premature stimulation of the smooth muscles of the uterus is undesirable, sometimes dangerous consequences. And it is not without reason that the peoples of the Mediterranean - the birthplace of this spice, at first considered it only a medicinal potion, and not a spice.

• Pharmacologists have studied that different parts of parsley contain different concentrations of essential oils, with the highest concentration (tenfold) in the seeds.
• Because of this, parsley seeds are extremely dangerous during pregnancy – as a powerful abortive agent.
• Therefore, despite such numerous nutritional and medicinal properties, parsley during pregnancy should be used individually and with special caution.

It will be beneficial for a woman who has given birth, as it is a natural stimulant of lactation. In general, parsley is a real find for women at different periods of life.

• regulates monthly cycles
• contains substances needed to prepare the body for conception
• has a positive effect on the quantity and quality of breast milk.

Parsley decoction during pregnancy

Parsley is a biennial plant. It is a real pharmacy. In medicine, its leaves, roots, and seeds are used. As a medicine, parsley is used during pregnancy in the form of a decoction, infusion, and tea.

• The decoction is a well-known folk remedy for the safe treatment of inflammation of the eye conjunctiva. Cotton swabs soaked in the decoction are applied to the eyes several times a day. After several procedures, the pain, swelling and other symptoms of conjunctivitis disappear.
• If you are bothered by gum inflammation, this remedy will also help solve the problem. After boiling a bunch of parsley in a glass of water for two minutes, it should be infused, squeezed out and rinse your mouth with the strained liquid.
• In the summer season, the plant can be used against mosquito bites. The bitten areas are simply rubbed with leaves.
• A herbaceous plant with a specific spicy aroma disinfects and refreshes the oral cavity well, therefore it is very useful for stomatitis.

Parsley root during pregnancy

Parsley root contains many vitamins, so it is especially useful in the spring and winter diet. Parsley during pregnancy in the form of a salad vitaminizes the body of the expectant mother, increases the protective properties against colds and other seasonal ailments.

Parsley roots are usually preserved in winter in the same way as carrots and other root vegetables. A decoction of the roots is a remedy tested by many generations of pregnant women for swelling of the hands, feet, and face. The decoction also has anti-inflammatory properties.

• It is worth remembering: parsley during pregnancy, in particular the root, requires caution. Too large a dose of its useful substances can cause irreparable harm and cause a miscarriage.
• The strong diuretic property is dangerous for patients with cystitis and kidney problems. Substances concentrated in the roots and stems are an additional irritant.
• Parsley juice can cause allergies, rashes, headaches.

If you have the slightest suspicion that problems are caused by parsley root, it is better to avoid it or replace it with fresh herbs.

Parsley infusion during pregnancy

Almost all mothers are familiar with the extremely uncomfortable feeling of morning sickness. It accompanies the early stage and is the very first symptom of pregnancy. A healing potion can also relieve a woman of this ailment.

• The infusion is made from parsley seeds: one teaspoon per two glasses of boiled water, leave for eight hours, strain, and take 1 tablespoon half an hour before meals.

Parsley during pregnancy in the form of a decoction is an effective remedy for getting rid of excessive pigmentation. It is best to use it with the first signs of spots.

• Pour boiling water over several green stems, let it sit for an hour, strain and wash your face with the infusion every day. It is even better to freeze it and wipe your face with ice cubes twice a day. The effect is double: depigmentation plus skin toning.

Inflammatory phenomena on the skin of the face also disappear when washing with an infusion of this garden plant.

It is not recommended to drink parsley seed tea during pregnancy at all.

Benefits of parsley during pregnancy

In order for parsley to bring only benefits during pregnancy, you should not abuse its quantity. It is safe to say that the usual portion of a healthy pregnancy will not harm.

• Parsley as a decoration or ingredient of a dish improves the taste and nutritional qualities of a salad, soup or broth. Increases appetite and improves digestion, which is very important during pregnancy.
• Just a few stems of the plant will provide a daily dose of vitamin C, which is found in parsley in greater quantities than in citrus fruits and currants.
• Parsley greens are also rich in other vitamins: PP, K, B1, B2, E, A. It contains almost as much carotene as carrots.
• Satisfies the body's need for iron, phosphorus, flavonoids, and folic acid.
• Increases hemoglobin, helps prevent anemia.
• Thanks to potassium and magnesium, it protects women from swelling; anti-inflammatory substances relieve swelling and pain in the joints.
• Parsley during pregnancy, in the absence of any medical contraindications, is an excellent supplement to the diet of expectant mothers. Together with other herbs, it makes food incomparably more aromatic, more pleasant to look at and taste.

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Why can't you eat parsley during pregnancy?

The risks are that parsley is considered in folk medicine to be a means of terminating unwanted pregnancies.

It is a strong stimulant that can cause hypertonicity of the uterine muscles, premature opening of the uterus and provoking a miscarriage.

Concentrated fresh juice is especially dangerous, as it contains an increased dose of these substances.

Parsley contains a hallucinogenic substance that causes loss of coordination, balance, and even convulsions.

Parsley during pregnancy is contraindicated for women with kidney problems: kidney stones, and absolutely not for nephritis.

The ban on the use of the popular plant applies to those who are prone to individual intolerance to the leaves or root of parsley.

If a woman has already had a miscarriage, or when her pregnancy is at risk - regardless of the reasons, parsley, even in minimal quantities, should be avoided for the entire period of waiting for motherhood.

In case of doubt, a qualified specialist will always help the patient.