Celery
Botanical Name : Apium graveolens
Indian Name : Ajmod or Ajwain

Celery is an important salad plant, consisting of the bulbous roots, green leaves and the stem. The leaves sprout directly from the fleshy roots. They are compound with long stalk; which are big and succulent. The fruits are small in size, dark brown in colour and have a peculiar flavour when cut open. The seeds are brown in colour.
The fruits yield a volatile oil, pale yellow in colour. It consists of limonene dselinene sedanonic acid, anhydride and sedanolide

Curative Properties
Celeri which means quick acting, and refers to its therapeutic properties. The green leaves and stem of the bulbous root are all extremely rich in active ingredients that make celery an important medicinal plant. It has a well balanced content of the basic minerals, vitamins and nutrients, besides a good concentration of plant hormones and essential oils that give celery its strong and characteristic smell.

Kidney and Gall Stones Those, who are prone to stone formation in the gall bladder or kidneys. Its regular use prevents stone formation.

Arthritis Celery has a high sodium content. Its organic sodium tends to prevent and relieve the arthritic joint deposits by keeping lime and magnesia in a solution form. It should be taken in the form of freshly extracted juice, using its leaves as well as the stem.

Rheumatism and Gout The alkaline elements in celery outweigh the acidic ones. It is very effective in diseases arising from acidity and toxemia, rheumatism and gout. A fluid extract of the seeds is very powerful.

Nervous Afflictions An abundant use of celery juice combined with carrot juice is beneficial in the treatment of nervous afflictions resulting from the degeneration of sheathing or the protective cover of the nerves.

Haemophilia caused by the inorganic mineral elements and salts taken into the body by means of devitalized foods and sedatives.The herb is used in diseases of the blood such as anaemia, leukaemia, Hodgkin's disease, purpura. The juice of celery in combination with carrot juice should be taken in the treatment of these disorders.This plant is very high in magnesium and iron content, a combination which is invaluable as a food for the blood cells.


Celery with thick ribs and crisply brittle stalks should be selected for use. Its green portions should never be discarded or scraped, as by doing so, valuable vitamins are lost.