IJCBS, 9(2016):49-55 International Journal of Chemical and Biochemical Sciences (ISSN 2226-9614) Journal Home page: www.iscientific.org/Journal.html © International Scientific Organization Parsley: A review of habitat, phytochemistry, ethnopharmacology and biological activities Sidra Sarwar1, Muhammad Adnan Ayyub1, Meriam Rezgui2, Shafaq Nisar1*, Muhammad Idrees Jilani1 1Department of Chemistry, University of Agriculture, Faisalabad, Pakistan and 2Laboratory of management and valorisation of forest resources, Institut National de la Recherche en Génie Rural, Eaux et Forêts (INRGREF)- University of Carthage, Ariana, Tunisia Abstract Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is a biennial herb belongs to the carrot family (Apiaceae). It has been cultivated throughout the world and used for thousands of years for food flavoring, essential oil applications and in traditional medicines. Mostly parsley contains apiole, myristicin, α-pinene, β-pinene and elemicin contents. The extent of each of these chemical constituents varies depending on the type of species or cultivars as well as cultivation conditions such as soil type, weather, irrigation, pruning and other horticultural practices. Parsley is an essential component of several industrial applications that range from food to cosmetics to pharmaceutical products. More uses and applications of parsley by-products are continuously added. Further research on maximizing yield per hectare and optimum preservation and oil extraction methods are needed, particularly in the developing world where parsley leaf and flower harvesting and post-harvesting processing methods are much traditional. Key words: Apiaceae, Vitamin K, Antioxidant, Myristicin, Cosmetics Full length article *Corresponding Author, e-mail: [email protected], Tel: +923237628206 1. Introduction Hindi it is called as Ajmood, in Malayalam it is called as Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) belongs to the Seema mali and in Kannada it is called as Achu moda. In carrot family (Apiaceae). Parsley is bright green biennial Swedish language, it is known as Persilja, in German, it is plant in temperate climates and it is an annual herb in known as Petersilie, and in French, it is known as Persil. tropical and subtropical areas (Figure 1). It has been used for Plant is glabrous, upright or erect, varying in size from thousands of years and has become an essential ingredient in 60cm to 1m depending on the species. The leaves can be cooking. Italian or flat leaf parsley, curly leaf parsley and smooth, shiny, and curly and they can be light yellow to root parsley are three main varieties of parsley and greenish in color. The flowers’ color is yellowish green. The numerous cultivars exist for each variety. These varieties are essential oil contents of parsley are equally variable between native to the central Mediterranean region [1]. Variations are species and cultivars and are thought to be related to present among the varieties and variability is prevalent in growing conditions, geographic regions, genetic factors, morphology, growth habit, flower color, stem, leaves and different chemotypes and differences in the nutritional status chemical composition. Pollination occurs in parsley through of plants. In Poland, chemical composition of essential oil insects such as butterflies and bees. Parsley can also be extracted from parsley seeds of eleven cultivars in which pollinated using a small paintbrush with soft bristles. eight cultivars are of root parsley and three cultivars are of Paintbrush is also used to prevent parsley from cross leaf parsley, were assessed. A large amount of variation was pollinating with other herbs or flowers. To complicate found [2]. matters further there are a number of plants outside of the 2. History/Origin genus Petroselinum with the common name parsley, Parsley (Petroselinum crispum) is native to the including, “fool’s parsley” (Aethusa cynapium) which is Mediterranean region but now it is cultivated worldwide. poisonous.Petroselinum crispum is known by different Parsley has been cultivated for more than 2,000 years, names depending where you are in the world. The most although it was first used in medicine and not food. The common names of Petroselinum crispum are garden parsley, genric name Petroselinum comes from the Greek words, common parsley, curled parsley and moss curled parsley. In “petra” which means stone or rock and “selinin” means the Indian language parsley has different names such as in celery. Parsley plant got its name from a Greek Physician of Sarwar et al., 2016 49 IJCBS, 9(2016):49-55 the early Roman Empire, Pedanius Dioscorides (100 A.D.). and an optimum pH of 6.5. Parsley has deep roots and a The ancient Greeks held parsley to be sacred, using it to not high water requirement [7]. only adorn victors of athletic contests, but also for 5. Chemistry decorating the tombs of the dead. The practice of using Parsley is an impressively aromatic plant used as an parsley as a garnish actually has a long history that can be herb [8]. Parsley has varied leaf color from green to light traced back to the civilization of the ancient Romans. While yellow and plants may grow from 0.6 cm to 1 m in height it is uncertain when parsley began to be consumed as a depending on the types of species. The distinctiveness of seasoning, it seems to be sometime in the Middle Ages in fragrance and aroma in many parsley cultivars is due to the Europe. Some historians credit Charlemagne with its essential oil present in leaves and seeds of the plant. Mostly popularization since he had it grown on his estates. In some parsley contains flavonoids, apiol and myristicin in its countries, the curly leaf variety is more popular. This may essential oil extracted from leaves, stem, root and seeds [9]. have its roots in the ancient preference for this type since The extent of each of these chemical constituents varies people were oftentimes reticent to consume the flat leaf depending on the type of species or cultivars. Curly leaf variety because it resembled fool's parsley, a poisonous variety of parsley has more bitter taste and less fragrant than weed. Turnip-rooted (or Hamburg) parsley, a relatively new the Italian variety. species, having only been developed within the past two 5.1. Chemical Composition hundred years, has only recently begun gaining popularity. Chemical composition of the plant varied with Today, the plant parsley is extensively used as a spice and different season [10].Parsley is also known for good source cultivated all over the world. of vitamin C and minerals. Fresh parsley (100 g) has 36 3. Demography/location kcal, 133 mg of vitamin C, 554 mg of Potassium, 138 mg of Although parsley is grown in a variety of climatic Calcium plus smaller amount of vitamin E and others and environmental conditions, the optimum conditions are vitamins, minerals, protein and fiber. found in countries with a warm climate. Warmth, light and 5.2. Phyto-chemistry moistures are the key ecological requirements for cultivation Petroselinum crispum has explicit aromatic odor of parsley. Parsley is grown widely as a spice, a herb and a because of the existence of essential oil or volatile oil, which vegetable in the following countries: Pakistan, India, is largely confined in seeds. Leaves and roots of parsley also Madagascar, Thiland, Indonesia, Egypt, Morocoo, France, possess the essential oil [10]. Essential oil is generally Israel, Bulgaria, USA, Southern Italy, Portugal, Greece, analyzed by GC-MS analysis [10-12]. Essential oils possess Spain, Algeria, Malta, Morocco and Tunisia, Russia and various activities like antioxidant [11], antimicrobial [13-17] South Africa, Turkey, Germany, Hungary and Poland [3]. and anticancer etc. The two main components of parsley are 4. Botany, Morphology, Ecology myristicin and apiol. Leaves of parsley contain aldehyde, Petroselinum crispum is an upright, branching monoterpene alcohol, sesquiterpene hydrocarbon, alcohol herb, 0.6 cm to 1 m hight with angular stems and branches, and ketone compounds [18]. Roots of parsley contain usually green in color. The leaves of parsley are ovate, furanocoumarin, seeds contain sesquiterpene and stem simple and tripinnate. Leaves are 10 cm to 25 cm long with contains phenylpropanoid. The parsley essential oil numerous leaflets which are 1cm to 3cm in length. The customarily carries α-pinene, β-pinene, sabinene, ρ-cymene, flowering stem is almost 75 cm in length with sparser β-phellandrene, α-phellandrene, limonene, myristicin, γ- leaves; flat topped yellowish umbels whose diameter is 3 cm terpinene, 1-allyl-2,3,4,5-tetramethoxy-benzene, elemicin, to 10 cm and numerous yellow to yellowish green flowers carotol, apiol, eugenol, α-elemene, β-elemene, γ-elemene, β- whose diameter is almost 2 mm. Petals of parsley are caryophyllene, phenylacetaldehyde, α-terpineol, ρ-1,3,8- splayed with a curved tip. The style thickening is very menthatriene, α-thujene, camphene, hexanal, toluene, 3- developed. The fruit is orbicular ovate and greenish-gray, carene, cis-Hex-3-en-l-ol, 4-isopropenyl-1 methylbenzene, with 2.5 mm length. The seeds of parsley are ovoid in shape m- or ρ-xylene, myrcene, limonene, 2-pentylfuran, cis-β- and 2 mm to 3 mm in length with prominent style remnants ocimene, trans-β-ocimene, α-terpinolene, ρ-cymene, ρ-1,3, at the apex [4]. Parsley requires warm temperate or 8-menthatriene, α-cubebene, benzaldehyde, α Mediterranean conditions. Optimum temperature for copaene,cryptone, β-bisabolene, 2-(ρ Tolyl) propan-2-ol, δ- germination is 20 ºC with growing temperatures of 7 ºC to cadinol and elemicin contents [18-19]. The presence of 25 ºC. Parsley is a shallow rooted crop requiring uniform vitamins and minerals in Petroselinum crispum are soil moisture levels. Water stress will reduce leaf growth presented in Table 1. development and restricting yields [5]. The plant develops 6. Post- Harvest Technology best in long-day, full-sun conditions. Parsley cannot tolerate Conventionally, the best harvesting time of parsley drought as the plant tissue is very tender.