How to recognize wild parsley

Wild parsley, scientific name Crispy parsleyit’s a aromatic and medicinal plant with excellent virtues. It belongs to the Umbelliferae family and, therefore, it is distant relative of the dreaded Hemlock, with which it is easily confused by appearance. For this reason, in order to avoid errors and adverse events, it is very important to know e know how to recognize the plant in its wild state.

But remember, the same rule always applies in foraging: if you’re not really sure what you’re harvesting, avoid it.

Recognizing wild parsley: here’s how

Wild parsley is a plant very resistant and widespread, a feature that has inspired several popular sayings. One above all: “tick like parsley” or “parsley” to indicate an intrusive person or always present.

Parsley is a plant native to Asian countries, but which has found perfect asylum and diffusion in Mediterranean regionswhere, precisely, it grows almost everywhere and with a certain intrusiveness.

It is a small plant with an intense and bright green color, not dissimilar from the cultivated varieties, which grows spontaneously even up to 50/60 centimeters. It has thin stems and jagged leaves that give off the typical smell. The mountain varietyhowever, are dark green and generally have curled leaves, while the maritime varieties they have smooth leaves and a brighter colour.

What is edible wild parsley

Wild parsley is absolutely edible and indeed it is awidely used aromatic to flavor first courses and soups, meat and fish. It is used together with other vegetables to enhance their flavor and parsley-based gravies and sauces are common to accompany dishes.

It also has great validity as medicinal plant for hers diuretic properties, antiseptics e antispasmodicheas well as being the herb with the most high concentration of vitamin Cvery useful for the health and proper functioning of the human immune system.

Is parsley poisonous?

Parsley, therefore, is not poisonous. The plant, however, also contains good quantities of apiolo which, concentrated inparsley essential oilis responsible for the abortifacient effects of the plant. Not surprisingly, in the past another common name to refer to brothels, as well as “brothel” or “casino”, was “houses of parsley” precisely because of the abundant use made of it internally in order to interrupt unwanted pregnancies. It is therefore not recommended to use it in case of pregnancy and breastfeeding.

Instead, more often it is recommended to be careful when picking wild parsley because it is very similar in appearance to the dreaded parsley hemlock planthighly toxic.