So many people want to talk about the potential benefits of drinking pure celery juice every day that it’s become an internet phenomenon in the past few years. But is it for real, or is it all hyped up?

The history of celery

Celery is also known by its scientific name, “apium graveolens”. It’s in the APACA family of vegetables and plants, many of which have beneficial effects. Historically, celery has been used to treat rheumatoid arthritis, gout, hysteria, nervousness, headache, weight loss, and exhaustion. Celery is also used as a sedative, diuretic, urinary antiseptic, digestive aid, anti-flatulence, and as an aphrodisiac in some cultures. It helps regulate bowel movements, stimulate the production of hormones from glands, purify the blood, keep high blood pressure under control, and relieves PMS symptoms. For hundreds of years, it has been part of a delicious trifecta that is the base of so much French cuisine — celery, onions, and carrots.

The science on celery

The most important compound of celery is called apigenin. It’s a natural flavonoid widely distributed in plants such as celery in the APACA family. Research has shown that higher intakes of apigenin can reduce the risk of certain chronic diseases. Dietary or therapeutic apigenin has value as a good cellular regulator in cancer, especially cancers of the gastrointestinal tract.

 

In one study with mice, celery leaf extract or celery stalk extract (i.e. celery juice) reduced blood pressure, cholesterol, tri-glycerides, and improved risk factors in mice for cardiovascular disease. Another study was done on mice on a chemotherapeutic agent called doxorubicin, one of the most potent and toxic chemotherapeutic drugs commonly used in the treatment of cancer. Researchers gave all the mice doxorubicin and only gave a sub-group of mice celery juice. Incorporating celery juice with doxorubicin seemed to protect the sub-group against damage from the potent drug, likely due to increasing a powerful antioxidant called glutathione and other antioxidant effects. Some celebrities and medical mediums have called it a miracle juice.

Benefits of celery juice

Celery juice helps stimulate bile production from the liver and the gallbladder so it potentially can help break down fat and help with weight loss. It has anti-inflammatory effects and is high in vitamin K so it’s good for bone health and heart health. It’s a diuretic and high in nitrates so it can help dilate blood vessels and help with high blood pressure. Celery juice also helps increase blood flow to muscles so this would benefit you if you’re an individual who works out a lot with resistant exercise. Celery seed is also purported to be an anti-bacterial, anti-fungal agent specifically for the urinary tract.

Celery also appears to be good for skin health. The components caffeic acid, ferulic acid, apigenin, leutenin, saponins, camprals, coumarins, and phytosterols, help to fight free radicals and help the skin to look more youthful.

Tips for making celery juice

You can make celery juice with a juicer, that’s pretty easy. You can also make it through a blender. It is recommended that you chop the celery up first so those celery strands don’t bind up the blender. After that, add a little bit of water to the blender, blend it up and then you’ll have to pour it into a muslin bag or a hemp bag and squeeze out the juice. If you want to boost your drink with more benefits, you can make a powerful juice cocktail by adding a few other ingredients such as beet, carrots, apples, and ginger.

It is recommended that you sip the juice and drink slowly. Start with only three to four ounces and work your way up. If you chug celery juice or start with quantities that are too high, it can be too much of a detox and act as a laxative. You may experience loose bowels initially anyway,  but this should only last a day or two.

Precautions for drinking celery juice

Celery juice is generally safe for most people but there are some precautions to take when drinking pure celery juice.

• It may actually prolong the activity of certain medications, like acetaminophen or Tylenol, and certain anti-depressant medications like Effexor.
• It may also have anti-platelet activities due to some compounds in celery so if you have bleeding disorders, proceed with caution.
• It is a diuretic so it can have anti-hypertensive effects and lower your blood pressure. If you’re on Lithium or high blood pressure medications you need to be cautious.
• It does have bile stimulating activities so if you have no gallbladder, proceed with caution.
• It is curiously one of the vegetables that have the highest known allergic responses. So, if you know that you’re allergic to celery please do not drink pure celery juice.
• If you’re prone to diarrhea, if you have IBS or irritable bowel syndrome, it may worsen those symptoms.

At Zenith Labs, we actually have a supplement called Pure Greens. It contains several foods from the APACA family. It consists of 57 superfoods that you can add to your smoothie. It tastes great and it is powerful in its anti-oxidant effects. Check it out and let us know what you think!

---

If you liked this video/article and found it useful, do share it with your friends and loved ones. Subscribe to the Youtube channel for weekly tips on new tools and techniques to improve your health and well-being.

I believe in the original meaning of the word doctor, ‘docere’, which means teacher. I’m here to help educate you on how to take care of yourself in ways that you may not have heard of before, but that are effective. I always want to hear your ideas and feedback so be sure to leave me comments below!