Parsnip, a carrot-like fruit, is not very popular in our area, although it has been known as an agricultural crop for several centuries.

Our ancestors widely used parsnip as a vegetable in cooking. beneficial properties this root crop is so numerous that it was actively used in folk medicine. Let's take a closer look at this unique plant, find out what benefits it can provide to our body and whether there is any harm in it.

Information about parsnips

The plant belongs to the salad and celery family. The earliest mentions of parsnips are found in the chronicles of Greece, and they came to our region around the 12th century.

Visually, the fruit is very similar to carrots, only it has a light yellowish or creamy tint. Parsnips taste sweetish, have spicy notes and a unique bright aroma.

On a cultivated farm, the vegetable is planted in mid-spring and harvested in September.

In cooking, parsnips are used in fresh and dried. Due to its spicy aroma, it is often used for canning. Unlike green carrot shoots, parsnip leaves are also used in food and cooking. healing infusions. They also contain a lot useful substances and have a fragrant smell.

Parsnips are a biennial plant and very unpretentious to grow. Some people grow it in their dacha gardens, but the vegetable is cultivated for industrial purposes only in a few regions.

Parsnip vegetable: benefits and harm to the body

Like any plant, parsnips have beneficial properties and some contraindications. Let's look at everything in order.

Useful properties of the plant

The root vegetable contains large number carotene, vitamins C, PP, B, etherol, potassium, phosphorus, sulfur, silicon, amino acids and some other elements important for the body.

The spicy vegetable has the following useful actions on our body:

• Improves digestion, relieves spasms in the intestines.
• Helps increase appetite.
• Strengthens the heart and capillaries, prevents angina pectoris.
• A decoction of the leaves and fruit treats asthma, bronchitis, tuberculosis, and helps thin sputum when coughing.
• Has a diuretic, anti-edematous effect.
• Effective for hypertension.
• Due to the ester content, it has a slight anti-inflammatory effect.
• Tones and improves immunity.
• Has sedative effect, increases resistance to stress, improves sleep.
• Strengthens the muscular system.

Parsnips are low in calories; 100 g of product contains only 47 kcal. People watching their figure are recommended to introduce it into their diet on an ongoing basis.

Is there any harm?

There are no serious contraindications to the use of this root vegetable. It is recommended to use it with caution by elderly people and children, and for allergy sufferers it is better to do a test first. High content ether may provoke a reaction.

The plant contains furocoumarin, which increases skin sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation. Parsnips should not be eaten by those who suffer from photodermazodes and Vitiligo disease.

In summer, green shoots of the vegetable synthesize active production of etherol. Close contact with leaves may cause irritation.

How to eat parsnips

In cooking, fresh fruit is added in small quantities to first and second courses to give them flavor and piquancy. When canned, parsnips are used in lecho, vegetable caviar, salads, and pickles.

For the winter it can be dried and ground into powder. In this form, it is also suitable as a spice for many dishes. The fruit can also be frozen; it can be stored in the freezer for up to 6-8 months.

For medicinal purposes, tinctures, decoctions are made from the roots and shoots, or consumed fresh as part of hot dishes, salads, and snacks.

Now you know about parsnip, a vegetable whose beneficial properties will help maintain your health. Be sure to try this unique plant. You can buy the spice in dried form in the herbs and spices section of any supermarket, or look for the fruits in the vegetable stalls.

Parsnips are not a picky plant. It can grow along roads, in meadows, among grass. A cultivated plant was bred from a wild one. The herb is no different in its medicinal properties. You can plant it in a separate bed in your garden or collect it yourself in meadows and forest belts. The plant is biennial, zoned. It reaches a height of 150 cm. The root looks like an elongated radish. Fusiform, thick, fleshy. Parsnip leaves have a pleasant green. Somewhat darker at the top, softer at the bottom green tint. The entire plant is covered with soft hairs and fluffy growths. The leaves are long-petiolate, sessile. Parsnip blooms in July. The flowers are bright yellow or pale in color. The fruits of the plant are hanging, easily split.

Harvesting and storing parsnips

Harvesting takes place in the summer. IN medical purposes Both leaves and roots of the plant are used. Parsnips are dried separately (roots separate from leaves) at a temperature of at least 40C. And packaged in a clean, dry paper towel.

Use in everyday life

Parsnips do not serve as decoration for facades and vegetable gardens. However, for medicinal purposes, you can devote a little space to this plant in your garden. He doesn't require special attention and is able to grow independently, without daily supervision. In everyday life, parsnips are used to increase appetite and restore stomach flora. Parsnip prevents angina pectoris, is a high-quality diuretic, fights sand and stones in the kidneys and bladder.

Dried and ground parsnip root is spicy seasoning in various dishes.

Medicinal properties of parsnip

1. Parsnip is an herb that has calming properties; when you mix chamomile and oregano with parsnip, you get a pleasant summer herbal cocktail that can be consumed by anyone.
2. The decoction is an excellent remedy for cramps and constipation. Removes painful sensations, brings the body's functioning back to normal.
3. In Bulgaria, parsnips are valued as a remedy for excessive thinness and loss of appetite. Parsnip decoction is taken in rehabilitation periods after operations, difficult birth, stomach diseases, kidney failure.
4. For patients with dropsy, parsnip herb is also an excellent non-aggressive medicine.

The use of parsnips in folk medicine

Parsnip decoction for loss of strength

If your body is under stress, you feel a loss of strength, impaired potency, digestion, frequent dizziness and pain, then you need to brew parsnips in hot water, let it cool for five hours and take half a glass every day 2 times a day for 10 days. You can brew parsnip root fresh every day. To do this, you will need to have 1 tablespoon of crushed root per 250 ml of water daily.

Soothing parsnip leaf tea

It has also long been taken as a decoction to relieve delirium tremens and hallucinations. The sleepy effect of the herb calms and tidies up nervous system, fills the body with new energy and healthy mind. Parsnip decoction restores skin healthy looking and restores melanin lost from ultraviolet rays.

Parsnip infusion for baldness

The infusion is rubbed into the head in a bathhouse, when the pores of the skin have finally opened and the person has sweated. You can also make your own hair mask at home by simply mixing dry plant powder with a moisturizing mask, wrap your head in a towel and wait 15 minutes before rinsing. Your hair will become noticeably thicker and its growth will increase quickly.

Decoction of roots for allergic rashes and psoriasis

If you have the misfortune of struggling with psoriasis, lichen, allergic rashes on skin, then parsnip root powder will definitely help you get rid of the disease. If, after boiling, you strain the tea, and wrap the remaining broth in gauze and apply it to the sore spot, then such a compress will quickly help relieve pain, swelling, and heal wounds and purulent formations.

For general strengthening of the body in winter and summer, creamy soup with the addition of parsnips is good.

Add dry cream and milk, a tablespoon of quickly melting cheese, and diced potatoes to boiling water. The broth can be meat or chicken. For those who like to go on a diet, you can add zucchini to the soup instead of meat. After the potatoes are ready, add diced carrots and peeled parsnips, previously fried in a frying pan in oil with onions, to the soup.

Contraindications

Parsnips have no prohibitions as such and side effects from its use have not been identified. But it's best before serious treatment Consult your doctor before using this plant. Particularly careful use of parsnips in food is recommended for people with liver disease, kidney disease, severe disorder nervous system.

Acute intolerance to herbal plants. Personal allergic reaction.

Parsnip - biennial or perennial herbaceous plant family Umbelliferae. Popularly known as popovnik, field borscht and kozelka. It is used in both folk and official medicine.

For medicinal purposes, parsnip roots are mainly used, and less commonly, leaves and seeds.

Chemical composition

Biologically active substances, included in parsnip:

• Furocoumarins: pastinacin, sphondin, bergapten, xanthotoxin, polyin;
• Mineral salts;
• Fatty oil;
• Starch;
• Sahara;
• Proteins;
• Pectins;
• Fiber;
• Flavonoid glycosides;
• Essential oil containing octibutyl ester of butyric acid;
• Vitamins A, B1, B2, B3, B5, B6, B9, C, E, H;
• Macro- and microelements: potassium, calcium, magnesium, sodium, phosphorus, iron.

Useful properties

The most useful properties of parsnips are:

• Diuretic;
• Painkiller;
• Expectorant;
• Emollient;
• Antioxidant;
• Antispasmodic;
• Sedative;
• Tonic.

In addition, the plant:

• Increases appetite;
• Improves performance gastrointestinal tract;
• Reduces blood sugar;
• Normalizes cholesterol;
• Strengthens the immune system and walls blood vessels.

Indications for use

IN medicinal purposes parsnips have been used since ancient times. The healer Dioscorides prescribed it as a diuretic and aphrodisiac, recommended it for hallucinations, to increase appetite, as an analgesic - for liver, stomach and renal colic, as an emollient and expectorant - for colds upper respiratory tract.

Due to the fact that the roots of the plant strengthen the walls of blood vessels, they are recommended for prevention and treatment cardiovascular diseases, including angina pectoris and cardioneurosis.

A decoction of the leaves is used as an effective diuretic to cope with edema, including in pregnant women. This remedy is also suitable for people suffering from kidney diseases; it helps remove sand and stones.

Tincture of leaves and gruel from grated fresh root have antispasmodic effect, used for renal and hepatic colic, vasospasm, muscle cramps, constipation and asthma attacks.

Fresh juice from the root vegetable has an expectorant effect and is used for diseases of the upper respiratory tract, helps with stomach diseases and gastric colic.

A decoction of parsnip herb in combination with chamomile and oregano is an effective soothing tea, a tincture of the roots in vodka is good remedy from loss of strength and depression.

Popovnik is an excellent aphrodisiac; regular consumption of the fruit with sugar helps with sexual weakness.

The root vegetable is successfully used in cooking. It can be consumed fresh, including added to salads, fried, stewed, baked, used as a side dish for vegetable, fish and meat dishes, as a seasoning for soups, sauces and preserves. Such dishes will replace immunomodulators, fill the body with vitamins and energy, help recover after surgery, normalize cholesterol levels, and improve the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract.

Parsnips are recommended to be eaten during asthenia, anemia and during pregnancy. This plant cleanses the body and improves hematopoietic processes. A high content of vitamin B9 will ensure normal intrauterine development of the child, reduce the risk of developing cardiovascular diseases and dementia, and improve the health of both the baby and the expectant mother.

Powder from the dried root and lotions from the leaves are recommended for dermatitis and psoriasis - they will help get rid of discomfort, itching and pain, and cleanse the skin. A decoction rubbed into the scalp is effective for incipient baldness.

The pharmaceutical industry produces several drugs using parsnips. Furocoumarins are extracted from the root crop and are used to make medicines. For example, “Beroxan” (based on bergapten and xanthotoxin, available in the form of tablets, 0.25% and 0.5% solution) is a drug for the treatment of dermatological diseases, including vitiligo, psoriasis and alopecia areata. Another drug - "Pastinacin" (based on furocoumarin pastinacin, available in tablets) - an antispasmodic drug used for neuroses with coronary spasms, with coronary insufficiency, to prevent attacks of angina pectoris.

Contraindications

As such, parsnips have no contraindications for use, except in cases individual intolerance plants.

It should be borne in mind that popovnik promotes the removal of kidney stones, which in the absence of medical supervision can lead to their uncontrolled passage, therefore the plant is contraindicated in urolithiasis.

Parsnips increase skin sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, so it is not recommended for use for medicinal purposes by children and the elderly (there is a high risk of age spots and sunburn).

Root vegetables should be consumed with caution by people with kidney and liver diseases and severe nervous system disorders.

Homemade remedies from parsnips

• Parsnip decoction, recommended for loss of strength, stress, headaches, potency disorders, digestive disorders: 1 tbsp. chopped fresh root pour 250 ml hot water, leave for 5 hours and strain. Take 2 times a day, ½ cup for 10 days;
• Expectorant and cough emollient: 2 tbsp. dry leaves, pour 1 cup of boiling water, leave for 30 minutes. This infusion can be gargled several times during the day, taken orally;
• Remedy for the treatment of diseases of the gastrointestinal tract: 1 tbsp. dry herbs pour 2 glasses of hot water, cover with a lid, boil for 10 minutes, then leave for 2 hours and strain. Take 0.25 cups 3 times a day 20 minutes before meals for the first week, 0.5 cups 3 times a day for the second week;
• Choleretic agent: 1 tbsp. parsnips pour 1.5 cups of water, boil for 30 minutes in a water bath. Take 2 tbsp 30 minutes before meals;
• Diuretic used for dropsy: 2 tbsp. pour 1 cup of boiling water over fresh leaves, leave for 20 minutes and strain. Take 2 times a day, 2 tablespoons;
• Painkiller for bruises, sprains and other injuries: 3 tbsp. Scald chopped dry roots with boiling water and wrap in gauze. Apply such compresses to sore spots.

Ancient healers believed that a person who eats parsnips fills his heart with wisdom and kindness, gains health and longevity.

Pasternak: historical background

The historical homeland of the plant is presumably Northern Europe. In our latitudes, parsnips appeared in the 17th century, then they called them “field borscht”. The current scientific name comes from the Latin word pastus, which means “food”.

IN ancient medicine Parsnip roots were used as a diuretic, stimulant, and analgesic. Parsnip decoction was used to treat coughs and appetite disorders, and to strengthen strength after long-term illnesses. In addition, it has been proven that parsnips strengthen the walls of capillaries, stimulate the activity of the endocrine glands, normalize metabolism, and remove stones and salts. It is an effective tonic and prophylactic from many diseases, including diabetes.

Parsnip: botanical information

Parsnip is a spicy-flavored vegetable plant from the celery family. It is a biennial: in the first year its roots grow, and in the second year it flowers and sets seeds. The flowers of the plant are yellow and resemble small umbrellas. Parsnip fruits are large, greenish-yellow achenes, flattened on the sides. When the fruit is fully ripe, it splits into 2 parts, each containing one seed. Fruit ripening occurs in early autumn - in September and the first half of October.

Parsnips are a cold-resistant crop; its seeds are sown in early spring, and some gardeners sow it before winter. Winter parsnip shoots appear very early, around mid-March. The plant is very unpretentious and grows quietly on any soil, in that part of the garden that receives enough sunlight. The parsnip harvest (root crops) is harvested in late autumn and stored in the cellar for the winter. They can be dried or salted, but they are also perfectly stored fresh.

Parsnip root has white pulp, a pleasant sweetish taste and a subtle spicy smell. It contains a huge amount of pectin substances and essential oils, as well as potassium, phosphorus, vitamins B, PP, C, cadmium, sodium and the natural vasodilator furocoumarin.

Parsnips in cooking

Parsnip root can be used to prepare delicious and healthy dishes- salads, soups, stews, casseroles, pickles and marinades, side dishes, seasonings for meat and fish dishes, as well as sauces homemade. Baked or deep-fried parsnips are part of the traditional Christmas dinner in English-speaking countries. It is worth considering that root vegetables that are too large become woody during storage, so for use for food or medicinal purposes, you should choose medium-sized root vegetables.

Calorie content of parsnip root is 47 kcal per 100 g.

Nutritional value of 100 g of root pulp: proteins - 1.4 g, fats - 0.5 g, carbohydrates - 9.2 g.

Dishes made from parsnip as a vegetable

As a full-fledged vegetable, parsnips are added to puree, combining it with potatoes, carrots, celery, zucchini, cauliflower, turnips and rutabaga. A salad with apples, carrots and lemon juice is prepared from peeled grated root vegetables - a real vitamin bomb! Parsnips can be an excellent component of any vegetable, meat or fish soup along with potatoes and carrots.

Dishes using parsnip as a spice

In small quantities, dried, salted or fresh (chopped) parsnip root can be added to first and second courses, sauces, multi-component salads with a meat component, chicken dishes and even desserts.

Parsnip: medicinal properties

The miracle root vegetable stimulates metabolism and the activity of the endocrine glands, strengthens the walls of blood vessels, relieves spasms of smooth muscles internal organs, has analgesic, sedative and tonic properties.

Fresh parsnip juice - excellent remedy with exhaustion, loss of strength, chronic fatigue.

Prepare the juice immediately before use, take 1-2 teaspoons before meals, maybe with a small amount of honey. Thanks to this remedy, digestion improves, metabolic processes and tissue regeneration.

With increased excitability, as well as sleep and appetite disorders traditional healers It is recommended to use a decoction of parsnip roots. It is prepared like this: the peeled root vegetable is crushed, 1 teaspoon is poured into two glasses of boiling water, boiled for 15 minutes over low heat, filtered and taken hot, 50 ml three times a day before meals.

Parsnips to strengthen the immune system

In order to increase the body's resistance to infections in the autumn-winter, an infusion of parsnip root is prepared: 2 tablespoons of crushed, pre-peeled pulp are poured with a glass of boiling water and left in a thermos for 12-14 hours. Then add a tablespoon of honey, stir until dissolved, filter through a strainer and take 1 tablespoon 4 times a day half an hour before meals. This remedy is good to use after severe injuries, operations, or long-term illness.

An infusion of parsnip root in milk is used to treat anemia. 2 tablespoons of grated root vegetables are poured into a liter of hot milk, left in a thermos for 6 hours, filtered and taken for 2 days in a row, half a glass 3 times a day before meals. After which they take a break for 2-3 days and repeat the course of treatment.

Contraindications for eating parsnips

Parsnip root as remedy It is not recommended for use by very elderly people, children under 12 years of age, as well as people suffering from photodermatosis. Before being treated with parsnip juice, decoction and infusion, you need to make sure that the plant does not cause allergies in the patient. It is better to start treatment with small doses, carefully monitoring how you feel and how your body reacts.

Syn: meadow parsnip, spindle root, white carrot, field borscht, field wrestler, lamb carrot, white carrot, goat, deer grass, parsnip, posternip, deer food.

Biennial herbaceous plant with powerful roots, pinnately dissected leaves and umbellate inflorescences. The root crop of the plant has not only nutritional but also medicinal value. Parsnips have expectorant, antispasmodic, diuretic, tonic properties and are used for many diseases.

Ask the experts a question

In medicine

Common parsnip is not included in the State Pharmacopoeia of the Russian Federation and official medicine not used. However, it is a pharmacopoeial plant of Belarus. In Russia and many countries it is widely used in folk medicine as an antispasmodic, diuretic, expectorant, sedative. Known as a spicy-aromatic and edible plant, parsnip has many healing properties, stimulates the appetite, eliminates stomach cramps, normalizes the functioning of the gastrointestinal tract and cardiovascular system. The vegetable helps strengthen blood capillaries, activates blood flow, normalizes high blood pressure, used for angina and muscle cramps, gout, improves sleep. Parsnips are used as a diuretic, choleretic agent. The plant is also known as an expectorant in the form of an aqueous decoction or infusion for bronchitis, laryngitis, pneumonia, and colds. Used as an immune booster used after serious illnesses. A water infusion of parsnip enhances male potency. Fresh plant juice activates hair growth. A decoction of the roots of the plant is popularly used to treat vitiligo and lichen spots.

From medicinal antispasmodics based on the fruits of parsnips in medical practice Beroxan, Pastinacin, Eupiglin and others are known. Beroxan is indicated for the treatment of vitiligo, psoriasis, and nested hair loss (pattern baldness). Parsnip furocoumarins (xanthotoxin and bergapten) help increase skin sensitivity to ultraviolet radiation, thereby repigmenting discolored skin areas in people suffering from vitiligo. The drug is used in conjunction with dosed ultraviolet irradiation under the supervision of a physician. Pastinacin is used for coronary artery sclerosis, coronary neurosis, spasms of the coronary vessels, bronchi, spasms of the bile and urinary tract.

Contraindications and side effects

Despite unique composition and beneficial properties of parsnip, the vegetable is contraindicated for photodermatosis, individual intolerance, hypotension, and is not recommended for elderly people and small children. When taking preparations based on parsnip, it should be taken into account that the plant contains furocoumarins, which increase the sensitivity of the skin to ultraviolet radiation. Therefore, in the summer, before going to the beach, it is not recommended to eat parsnips.

In cooking

Parsnips are popular in cooking and in the confectionery industry. The root vegetables of the plant have a spicy, sweetish taste and a faint aroma, similar to the smell of parsley. Parsnips are eaten fresh, fried, stewed and dried. Fresh and dried, powdered parsnip root is added to first courses, salads, and sauces. Parsnips are used as a seasoning for meat dishes and curries. Root vegetables are added to marinades and pickles. Fresh leaves parsnips give salads a piquant, spicy taste. Parsnips are often found frozen in canned vegetables and soup mixes.

On the farm

Common parsnips are grown as feed for animals, in particular for cows, since such a product improves the quality of milk. This same plant is an excellent honey plant. Parsnip honey is light and of high quality.

In cosmetology

Thanks to the rich mineral complex and the presence of ascorbic acid in the plant, parsnips found wide application in cosmetology. The essential oil of the plant is used for cellulite, eliminates acne and other skin inflammations, helps smooth out fine wrinkles, having antioxidant properties. Parsnip-based masks have a whitening effect and nourish the skin well. Parsnip extract is used for some dermatological diseases– patchy baldness and vitiligo.

Classification

Common parsnip, sowing parsnip or meadow parsnip (lat. Pastinaca sativa) - type species genus Parsnip (Latin Pastinaca), belonging to the Umbrella family (Latin Apiaceae).

Botanical description

Common parsnip is a biennial herbaceous plant with a fleshy, succulent root. The stem is erect, angular-furrowed, pubescent, from 30 cm to 3 m in height. Parsnip leaves are pinnately dissected, long-petioled, shiny on top, covered with soft, thick hairs below, the lobes of the leaf blade have sharp teeth and deep cuts. The leaves release essential oils in hot weather. Parsnip flowering begins in July and continues until September. The flowers are bisexual, regular, small, yellow in color, collected in complex umbels that have 8-12 rays. The calyx is five-toothed, with a lower bilocular ovary, five petals, and five stamens. The fruit of the parsnip is an oval, two-seeded plant, which, when ripe, splits into two small parts. Common parsnip is a cultivated species obtained as a result of breeding work from wild parsnip. It differs from the latter by its powerful, sweetish-tasting root vegetable. The whole plant exudes a weak but pleasant aroma. In the first year of life, the vegetable forms a rosette of leaves, as well as a spindle- or cone-shaped, fleshy root vegetable. Flowering occurs in the second year in July - August. Parsnip fruits ripen in early autumn. Parsnip seeds are flat-compressed, round-elliptical in shape, yellow-brown in color. Common parsnips prefer fertile, well-drained garden soil. Areas for growing crops should be sunny and warm. Parsnips are propagated by sowing seeds. The seedlings can withstand frost. Interestingly, the plant has no pests and is easy to grow. There are two main varieties of parsnips - “Round” and “Long”, respectively, the names indicate the shape of the root crops.

Spreading

Parsnips are naturalized and cultivated in small areas as a food and medicinal plant almost throughout the world. On the territory Russian Federation the plant is widespread in its European part, in Western Siberia and in the North Caucasus. It grows wild in Europe, in the Altai region and in the south of the Urals, in the Caucasus, in Turkey, North America. Parsnip is an unpretentious plant; it can be seen in grassy places, meadows, clearings, and sometimes grows along roads. The cultivated form of the plant is grown in vegetable gardens for its thick root, which is eaten as a seasoning for many dishes.

Regions of distribution on the map of Russia.

Procurement of raw materials

For medicinal purposes, parsnip root, stems with leaves and its fruits - umbrellas - are used. Only parsnips are harvested; wild parsnips are toxic and cannot be used for culinary or medicinal purposes. A high-quality root vegetable should be white (the whiter, the sweeter it is), hard (softness is a sign of the beginning of the rotting process), without cracks, damage or dark spots. When choosing parsnip root crops by size, you should opt for medium roots, since large ones may turn out to be stringy on the inside. Small vegetables are sweeter, and large ones are suitable for making goulash and broths. Parsnips are harvested in late autumn, while observing precautions: in hot weather, protruding from the leaves essential oil may cause skin burns. Root vegetables are not washed, but cleaned of soil. Cutting off the top will extend the shelf life of the parsnip. Store parsnip roots, sprinkled with damp sand in a dark, cool room. Root vegetables for drying are cut into strips (about 3 mm thick), then dried in the oven at a temperature of 50°C, stirring occasionally. The resulting raw materials are stored in closed glass jars for no more than 1 year.

The fruits of the plant are harvested when they are fully ripe. The umbrellas are cut, dried, and then threshed. The shelf life of fruit umbrellas is up to 3 years. Parsnip grass (stems with leaves) is harvested during flowering. The collected greens are laid out thin layer on paper. Dry in the shade, on outdoors, stirring occasionally.

Chemical composition

Fresh parsnip roots contain up to 10% carbohydrates, starch (4%), up to 0.5% fatty oil, essential oil (up to 3.4%), pectins (approximately 7%), pantothenic and nicotinic acid, riboflavin, carotene, fiber, thiamine, ascorbic acid, vitamins PP, B2, minerals (potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, zinc, etc.). Parsnip seeds contain furocoumarins (xanthotoxin up to 1%, sphondin, bergapten), coumarins, flavonoid glycosides, fatty oil(up to 10%). Octyl butyl ester of butyric acid was found in the essential oil (3.5%), which gives the plant a peculiar spicy odor. Fresh grass common parsnip contains vitamin C, carotene, riboflavin, thiamine, folic acid, essential oil, furocoumarins.

Pharmacological properties

During experimental studies of parsnips, European scientists identified furocoumarins, and they turned out to be pharmacologically active substances. It has been proven that furocoumarins have pronounced antispasmodic properties, as well as photosensitizing activity, that is, they increase the sensitivity of the skin to light. These active substances help to depigment the discolored skin areas in people suffering from vitiligo. Currently modern medicine applies medicinal properties parsnips for the treatment and prevention of many cardiovascular diseases. The benefits of parsnips for the body are obvious: laboratory tests vegetables have shown the plant's ability to improve digestive process, strengthen the walls of capillaries, have an expectorant and antispasmodic effect. European scientists noted and dietary properties plants. The root vegetable has diuretic properties and is rich in potassium, which helps eliminate excess liquid, relieving swelling.

Use in folk medicine

Root vegetables and parsnip leaves are used in folk medicine. A water infusion and decoction of parsnip roots, the properties of which are of medicinal value for the body, are drunk as an expectorant to separate sputum for bronchitis, pleurisy, pneumonia and tuberculosis, used as an antispasmodic for pain of various origins, gastric, renal and hepatic colic, gout . Grated fresh root vegetables also relieve attacks of pain and are used for cholelithiasis. Parsnips are a good tonic for strengthening the body after serious illnesses. The root of the plant is used as diuretic for urolithiasis and dropsy. A water infusion of parsnip has a stimulating effect and activates sex hormones. An infusion of parsnip root has a calming effect, strengthens the walls of capillaries, and relieves spasms of blood vessels. Parsnips are used for muscle cramps, neuroses, angina pectoris, hypertension, and insomnia. The plant is taken as a general strengthening and immunomodulatory agent. Alcohol tincture herbs and plant roots helps get rid of hallucinations and bad mood. IN folk cosmetology parsnip decoction or juice raw root vegetable helps with baldness, stimulates growth hair follicles. The decoction is used to lubricate lichen spots and treat vitiligo.

Historical background

The first mention of parsnips dates back to the 1st century BC. e. During archaeological excavations of a Neolithic village, seeds of this plant were found. The famous Roman scientists Dioscorides and Pliny mentioned healing properties plants in their treatises. Dioscorides used parsnips as a diuretic. The Quechua Indians cultivated this plant in ancient times. The plant's root, valuable for its proteins, was used by ancient healers as an aphrodisiac, an analgesic, a metabolic stimulant, and an expectorant. Parsnip became known as a cultivated vegetable and fodder plant from the end of the 12th century, and before the advent of potatoes it had an important nutritional value in Europe. It was only in the 17th century that parsnips, known as “field borscht,” began to be actively grown in Russia. personal plots and vegetable gardens as a valuable agricultural crop, rich in vitamins and minerals.

Literature

1. All about medicinal plants in your beds / Ed. Radelova S. Yu.. - St. Petersburg: “SZKEO”, 2010. - P. 183. - 224 p.

2. Sheptukhov V.N., Gafurov R.M., Papaskiri T.V. et al. Meadow parsnip (common parsnip) - Pastinaca sativa L. // Atlas of the main species of weeds in Russia. - M.: Kolos, 2009. - P. 125. - 192 p.

3. Dudchenko L.G., Kozyakov A.S., Krivenko V.V. Spicy-aromatic and spicy-flavoring plants: Handbook / Responsible. ed. K. M. Sytnik. - K.: Naukova Dumka, 1989. - 304 p.

4. Pasternak // Encyclopedic Dictionary Brockhaus and Efron: in 86 volumes (82 volumes and 4 additional). - St. Petersburg, 1890-1907.