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Botany
Kintsay is an erect herb, seldom growing over 30 centimeters in height. The Chinese variety has short stems. Leaves are pinnate, with large, deeply-lobed segments, on long petioles. Peduncles are short, less than 1 centimeter in length, and borne opposite the leaves. Flowers are borne in umbels, very small, and greenish white. Fruit is very small, with narrow ridges.
 Distribution
- A biennial of Europe and northern Asia which has been cultivated from fairly remote times.
- Introduced in the Philippines.
- Two forms are cultivated in the Philippines: (1) In the lowlands, the small Chinese form, known as "kinchai," raised extensively by the Chinese and common in the Manila markets. (2) Baguio kind has a thicker and larger leaf stalk and is blanched, much smaller than the high-grade celery cultivated in temperate zones.
Properties
- Considered anti-inflammatory, deobstruent,
diuretic, resolvent, pectoral, tonic, carminative, emmenagogue, diuretic, adjunct
to purgatives, lithotriptic, stimulant, antispasmodic, aphrodisiac.
Possible antioxidant.
Constituents
- The plant yields a glucoside, apiin; a volatile oil, mannite and inosite.
- Bulb yields a volatile oil, 0.009%; glutamine; asparagine; tyrosine; mannitol.
- Fruit contains a volatile oil, 2.5-3%; apigenin; protein, 1.3%; choline, linase.
- Volatile oil: d-limonene; a-pinene; cineole; cymene; a-terpineol.
- Seeds are a rich source of phenolic constituents such as flavonoids, anthrons, xanthons and tannins.
Parts used and
preparation
Entire plant.
Uses
Culinary / Nutritional
- Petioles and leaves are used for seasoning local dishes, especially pansit, chop suey, bachoi, etc.
- Excellent source of calcium and iron; contains vitamins A, B, and C.
- Seeds are rich in iron and vitamins, including A, B and C.
- Celery juice before meals as appetite suppressant; after meals as a
digestive.
Folkloric
- In the Philippines, plant decoction is used as a diuretic and emmenagogue.
- Poulitce of plant with barley meal used as deobstruent and resolvent.
- Used as a tonic and carminative adjunct to purgatives.
- Used as diuretic, lithontriptic and alexipharmic.
- Root used as alterative and diuretic, given in anasarca and colic.
- Antiasthmatic (bronchodilation): Pound seeds, wrap in thin cloth and
inhale frequently.
- Used for hypertension, flatulence, indigestion.
- Decoction of seeds for bronchitis and asthma; also for liver and spleen diseases.
- Seeds used as stimulant and cordial.
- Arthritic and rheumatic disorders.
- Seed infusions used for rheumatoid arthritis and gout.
- Celery roots used as aphrodisiac.
- In Mexico, decoction of root used to diminish milk.
Others
Perfumery use: The volatile oil is of value in perfumery, where it is used in combination with various perfumes, both as fixative and/or as additional scent.
 Studies
• Hepatoprotective: Hepatoprotective activity of Apium graveolens
and Hygrophila auriculata against paracetamol and thioacetamide intoxication
in rats: Study showed both extract of seeds to possess
significant hepatoprotective activty.
• Antioxidant: Effect of celery (Apium
graveolens) extracts on some biochemical parameters of oxidative stress
in mice treated with carbon tetrachloride: Study of both extract
of roots and leaves are showed antioxidant activity probably involviing
flavonoids and other antioxidant compounds.
• Anti-Toxicity / Apigenin: Pretreatment with Ag extract effectively alleviated most of the VPA-induced effects suggesting a protective role against experimental VPA toxicity. Apigenin was a major factor of the Ag extract.
• Nematicidal / Antifungal / Mosquitocidal: Study of AG seeds isolated and characterized compounds sedanolide, senkyunolida-N
and senkyunolide-J which showed nematicidal, antifungal, and mosquitocidal
activities.
• Mosquito Repellent / G10: (1) A comparative evaluation of G10, a celery-based topical mosquito repellent product, with Insect Block 28 and standart 25% DEET showed G10 and IB28 exhibited similarly powerful repellent activities with 100% protection, DEET was effective with 99.68% protection. (2) Study showed AG offers a potential against Ae. aegypti, particularly in its markedly repellent effect.
• Antipyretic: Antipyretic effect of celery (Apium graveolens)
extracts in mice: Study showed extracts of celery leaf decreased
the pyrogenic effect of 12% yeast suspension.
• Essential Oil / Cercaricidal: Essential oil of the fresh aerial parts of Ag at its flowering stage yielded: a- and B-pinene, myrcene, limonene, cis-B-ocimene, g-terpinene, cis-allo-ocimene, trans-farnesene, humulene, apiol, B-selinene, senkyunolide and neocnidilide. Study showed a cercaricidal and chemotactic effect.
• Hypolipidemic: (1) Study of the ethanol extract of A. graveolens in adult male albino rats showed significant decrease of total cholesterol, trigylcerides and LDL, and a significant increase in HDL cholesterol. (2) Study on the intraperitoneal effects of AG on serum glucose and lipid levels of diabetic rats showed no significant hypoglycemic effect but could possibly lead to appropriate changes in blood lipid profiles.
• Antinociceptive / Anti-Inflammatory: Study of the aqueous and hexane extracts of AG showed both fractions exhibited remarkable anti-inflammatory effect supporting is traditional use in diseases associated with inflammation.
• Hepatoprotective / Anti-Inflammatory: Methanolic extract of A. graveolens seeds tested against Di-(2-ethylhexyl)phthalate (DEHP) induced hepatotoxicity in rats showed hepatoprotective activity with a significant recovery of biochemical parameters.
• Learning / Memory Benefits in Diabetic Rats: Study showed chronic oral administration of AG could enhance consolidation and recall capability of stored information only in diabetic animals and did not affect spatial memory of diabetic animals.
• Antibacterial: Methanolic extract o
Availability
Wild-crafted.
Small scale commercial production. |
