Celery

by Gudrun Maybaum
Spring 202

Common name: Celery
Biological name: Apium graveolens
Family: Umbelliferae

History

Celery is often believed to be the selinon that Homer mentioned in his Odyssey about 850 B.C. In Ancient Greece, it was considered a holy plant used to crown the heads of athletes and woven into funeral wreaths.

Long before it found its way onto the table as a vegetable, celery was grown as a medical plant used mainly to treat nervousness. Hippocrates cited it as one herb to increase urine flow. The Romans were the first to use it as a cooking ingredient rather than for medical and religious purposes.

Although celery is believed to have originated in the Mediterranean area, Chinese writings of the 5th century after Christ mention it.

Until the late 17th and early 18th centuries, the stronger tasting and smelling wild celery was grown. Then gardeners found that growing plants late in summer and storing them into winter reduced the strong taste. The first four cultivated varieties in America were listed in 1806.

Early wild celery developed into two main different kinds. Celery stalks, which are known and used throughout the world, grow wild in Europe, Africa, and North and South America. Celery root, also called knob celery or celeriac, is very common in northern Europe and lately may be found more often in stores here in the U.S.

Nutrition

Because we can find it in every store, let's concentrate on stalk celery. Celery is often underestimated because its contents are 95% water, but the amount of vitamin C, A, B-complex, carotenes and folic acids should not be underestimated. It is especially high in potassium, calcium and iron. The dark green parts of the stalk and the leaves contain a higher amount of all these nutrients than the better-tasting white part.

Celery is very high in fiber and alkaline. Eaten on a regular basis, it supports the kidneys in releasing toxins and waste and balances the water household of the body.

Medicinal Value

Tests made on animals show that, due to the high amount of potassium and the diuretic effect on the urinary system, celery can aid in the prevention and reduction of high blood pressure. This diuretic effect is also thought to be helpful to such joint problems as gout, rheumatism and arthritis. And celery contains a volatile oil called apiol, which is effective as a urinary antiseptic.

There is also an essential oil in celery that has some tranquilizing properties beneficial in dealing with mental depression. Since the amount in seeds is higher, they are preferred for treating nervous disorders. For rheumatic conditions, celery appears to work best together with dandelion.

The polyacetylene contained in celery is thought to reduce the production of prostaglandins, chemicals that produce inflammation. It also destroys benzopyrene, a cancer-causing substance.

As prevention, celery should be eaten on a regular basis. For medical purposes, it is best to juice it. The concentration of nutrients and medicinal agents is higher in juice, and it is easier to drink an 8 oz. glass of juice than to eat a bunch of stalks.

Did you ever hear the saying: It takes more calories to eat a stalk of celery than are contained in the stalk itself? Celery is high in plant nitrates, which can be reduced by cooking, steaming and braising. Or, just add some lemon or orange juice, because vitamin C neutralizes them.

Cultivation

Celery is a cool-weather crop. The plant grows well in any fertile, medium-textured soil, is best planted April through June and should get 1½ inches of water per week.

Case Study

I have a Quaker named Frankie. When I got him, he was a self- mutilator. You can read more about this part of his life at http://www.holisticbird.com/HBN01/augsep/pages/frankie1.htm

He did fine until about two months ago, when I realized that the joints on his legs and feet were swelling and he spent less and less time on his perches, more on the cage floor. He had always spent a lot of time there anyway. Obviously his legs were hurting, so I took him to the vet, who sampled the fluid in the swelling. Frankie had gout.

The vet concluded that a kidney problem was probably the reason for the self-mutilating in the first place.

Since then, Frankie gets several pieces of celery and one black cherry first thing in the morning. Later he gets greens, carrots, and apples and some seeds in the evening. He sometimes chews on the cherry, but always eats one or two of the celery pieces. His gout has visibly improved within the last two months without taking any medication.

References

http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Apiu_gra.html
http://aggie-horticulture.tamu.edu/plantanswers/publications/vegetabletravelers/celery.html

Prescription for Nutritional Healing by James F Balch, M.D & Phyllis A. Balch, C.N.C
The Natural Year by Jane Alexander
Healing Food by Miriam Polunin
Back to Eden by Jethro Kloss
The Little Herb Encyclopedia by Jack Ritchason,N.D.