botanical name(s): Petroselinum crispum, Apium petroselinum
synonyms: parsley, common parsley, garden parsley, rock parsley, gartenpetersilie, petersilie, persil
part(s) used: leaves, seed
qualities:
affinities: bladder, kidneys, uterus
actions:
dosage:
» tincture: 2 - 4 ml.
therapy:
AHPA Botanical Safety Rating: 2b, 2d
toxicity: 2; essential oil is very toxic
» contraindicated during pregnancy; the essential oil, apiole, is an abortifacient (von Oettingen, p. 237) and animal uterine stimulant (Brinker, De Smet, Lust, Farnsworth)
» contraindicated in kidney inflammation due to the toxicity of the essential oil apiole (De Smet, Lust)
» psoralens may produce phototoxicity (Keeler and Tu, pp. 354-356)
» potential Urtica spp. side-effects develop due to the essential oil: sensation of warmth, headache, giddiness, vertigo, tinnitus, followed by visual disturbances, nausea and vomiting; 1-5 ml. may cause pulmonary edema, respiratory disturbances, and seizures; overuse may lead to renal and liver degeneration with hepatitis and jaundice (Duke, pp. 356-357; von Oettingen, pp. 126, 237)
» laboratory test results: polyuria, hematuria, uremia, anuria, findings consistent with nephritis; bilirubinemia.
constituents: volatile oil, containing apiole, myristicin; flavonoids, psoralens
footnotes
Brinker F. 1996. The Toxicology of Botanical Medicines, rev. 2nd ed., Sandy, Oregon: Eclectic Medical Publications.
De Smet PAGM et al. (eds.). 1993. Adverse Effects of Herbal Drugs 2, Berlin: Springer-Verlag
Duke, J.A. 1985. C.R.C. Handbook of Medicinal Herbs. Boca Raton, FL: The C.R.C. Press.
Farnsworth NR, Bingel AS, Cordell GA, Crane FA, Fong HHS. 1975. Potential Value of Plants as Sources of New Antifertility Agents I. J. Pharm. Sci., 64:535-98.
Keeler, R.F., and Tu, A.T. 1983. Handbook of Natural Toxins. New York: Marcel Dekker, Inc.
Lust, J. 1983. The Herb Book. New York: Bantam Books.
von Oettingen, W.F. 1958. Poisoning: A Guide to Clinical Diagnosis and Treatment. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders and Company.