Celery Seeds
Proven Health Benefits of Celery Seeds
- Celery seeds prevent and fights against tumors of the liver, stomach and pancreas
- Compounds in the seeds have protective action on stomach mucosa
- Celery seeds increase production of breast milk
- Celery seeds are a potent diuretic and are employed when flushing the system
- Celery seeds are effective for treating arthritis and kidney rheumatoid
- Celery seeds are a potent antibacterial and can inhibit both spoilage and pathogenic bacteria
What are Celery Seeds?
Apium graveolens L., is the name celery goes by in the scientific community. It belongs to the family, Apiaceae. The plant is an annual or perennial herb with hollow stem and thin roots. The plant only grows to between one and half a meter. The plant has pinnate leaves with leaflets and the flowers are small and creamy white in color. The seeds are broad and like a flattened baseball. Celery seeds are not lost to the culinary world, and any chef worth their sort might have featured it some once in their stews, soups, sauces or coleslaw. Although the seeds are bitter when bitten into, and also give a burning sensation, they are among the most popular powdered spices one would find. Celery seeds are considered most complementary to fish and egg sauces. Celery has always been in a tug between the kitchen and the medicine man’s bowl. Its use and application in herbal medicine has been immense, almost a pace ahead of the other parts of the plant.
What is the Usefulness of Celery Seeds?
Phthalides in celery seeds are known to have antirheumatic properties, imparting sedative and nerve-stimulating effect. As such, the seeds are employed to help treat rheumatoid arthritis, detoxify the blood and help circulation to the muscles and joints.1 One study shows how injection of celery seed extracts into rats after inducing edema in them with carrageenan, resulted in a reduction of thromboxane B¬2, leukotriene C¬4 ¬ and floating lipids and the enzymes, cholesterol acyltransferase and HMG-GA, and hence edema.2 These are the main indicators of inflammation, while pain was observed to also decreased with decreasing cyclooxygenase enzymes, showing analgesic effects. Celery seeds have also been seen to protect the liver and testes against harmful effects of thioacetamide drugs.3
Health benefits
- Anti-inflammatory
- Arthritis
- Antitumor
- Antibacterial and antifungal
- Antioxidant
- Hypertension
- Neuroprotection and brain stimulation
- Alzheimer’s disease
- Diabetes
- Liver protection
Nutrition
Besides the loads of minerals and vitamins, it is the 2 – 3% volatile oils in celery seeds that holds most of its phytochemicals. These include a host of flavonoids, alkaloids, steroids and glycosides. Chief among them is limonene, selinene, furocoumarin and associated glycosides. Phenols such as apiin, apigenin and isoquercitrin are also present.
Toxicity
Close to zero toxic effects on consumption of celery seeds in food amounts has been recorded. Due to the high phenolic compounds in celery seeds, it is believed to have phototoxic effects on some individuals. In that the seeds may irritate the skin when they come into contact under sunlight. Very few individuals are known for this kind of sensitivity.