Ingredient Information

Function

Celery can obviously be eaten on its own but is also a tasty addition to many cooked dishes: stir fry dishes, soups, stews and casseroles. The petioles and leaves are used for seasoning dishes, especially pansit, chop suey, bachoi, etc. The leaves and root; both are used as vegetable or spice. Celery ribs are mostly used to make salads or soups. Cubed celery is very commonly used in different types of cold slaw salads. They combine very well with apple and nuts. Even celery seeds are used in culinary- they are added to flavor pickles and soups.

Celery, Apium graveolens, Celeriac (root celery)

Other Use and Industries

The volatile oil from celery is of value in perfumery where it is used in combination with various perfumes, both as fixative and/or as additional scent.

Health Effects

Celery is fairly high in roughage and low in calories. It is an alkaline food and should be classified as a protective food. The leaves of celery are rich in potassium, sodium, and sulfur. The raw leaves or tops are excellent in the treatment of diabetes. Celery is a good source of vitamin A derived from carotenes. It also contains vitamins C, B1, and B2, calcium, iron, magnesium, phosphorus, silicon, potassium, and sodium, making it a good electrolyte replacer, if used raw in drinks. Celery appears to be useful in toning the heart muscle and blood vessels, as well as helping in cases of migraine headaches, lowering blood pressure. The leaves act as a diuretic and appetite stimulant.

Celery should be eaten often because it is one of the best foods for keeping the body well. It neutralizes acids and is a good blood cleanser. It has protective properties that are beneficial to both the brain and the nervous system. Celery is an excellent food for people suffering from arthritis, neuritis, and rheumatism. It can also help to lower high blood pressure. Broths made of celery leaves, with other vegetables and milk or cream added, are good for stomach disturbances. A broth made with celery and other vegetables is also good in an elimination diet. Celery aids digestion, counteracts acidosis, halts fermentation, and purifies the bloodstream.

Apple and celery juice combined is great for neutralizing the rheumatic acids in the body. Celery, parsley, and asparagus juice for kidney disorders; celery and papaya juice for asthma; celery and grapefruit juice with a pinch of pure cream of tartar for colds or sinus troubles; celery and parsley juice for fevers, gout, or arthritis; and, if the condition of the teeth is poor, a combination of beet greens, parsley, celery juice, and green kale.

However, many times celery can be very irritating to a sensitive stomach because it contains a great deal of fiber. It is also best to avoid using raw celery leaves if there is any stomach irritation. Celery seeds contain volatile oils, flavonoids, coumarins and linoleic acid and are therefore not good for pregnant women because they may cause contractions in the uterus.

Individuals with kidney disease should not use celery in medicinal amounts or as an extract.

Origins

Celery is native to marshy areas from Scandinavia to Algeria and Egypt and eastward to the Caucasus and into Baluchistan and parts of India. There is mention of a cultivated variety of celery grown in France in 1623, and in 1776 celery seed was sold in England for the growing of plants to be used in flavoring soups and stews. Celery has been grown commercially in the United States since about 1880. Michigan has been a leading celery producer ever since. The species name means strongly smelling (Latin gravis grave, heavy and olens smelling from the verb olere).

Celery belongs to the same family of plants as carrots, parsley, fennel, caraway and anise. It is the second most important salad crop in the nation and is available year-round. It is an erect herb, seldom growing over 30 cm in height. The leaves are pinnate, with large, deeply-lobed segments, on long petioles. The peduncles are short and borne opposite the leaves. The flowers are borne in umbels, very small, and greenish white while the fruit is very small, with narrow ridges. California and Florida are the two leading celery-producing states, but celery is also grown in many other states in the eastern and western United States. Celery is available all year, but its peak season is November through May. It is highly perishable, and should be kept refrigerated.