Using fresh herbs is one of the easiest (and cheapest) ways to take a dish from basic to brilliant. But for the home cook, incorporating fresh herbs can be daunting and probably raises some questions, as previously noted. Here Kelli McGrane, MS, RD, HealthLine.com, reflects on all you need to know about dill:

“Dill (Anethum graveolens) is an herb that’s found throughout European and Asian cuisines (1Trusted Source).

Also called dill weed, the plant has slender stems with alternating soft leaves and brown, flat, oval seeds. While the leaves have a sweet, grassy flavor, dill seeds are more aromatic, with a slight citrus flavor that’s similar to caraway seeds.

As herb and spice, dill is commonly used to elevate the flavor of various dishes. It’s often paired with salmon, potatoes, and yogurt-based sauces.

In addition to culinary uses, dill is rich in several nutrients and has traditionally been used to treat various ailments, including digestive issues, colic in infants, and bad breath (1Trusted Source).

This article reviews the nutritional and health benefits of dill, as well as ways to use it in cooking.

Nutritional Profile

One cup (9 grams) of fresh dill sprigs provides approximately (2Trusted Source):

• Calories: 4
• Vitamin C: 8% of the Daily Value (DV)
• Manganese: 5% of the DV
• Vitamin A: 4% of the DV
• Folate: 3% of the DV
• Iron: 3% of the DV

Fresh dill is very low in calories, yet a surprisingly good source of several essential vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, manganese, and vitamin A (2Trusted Source).

Vitamin A is an essential nutrient that is important for maintaining vision and supporting a healthy immune system. It also plays a role in male and female reproduction (3Trusted Source, 4Trusted Source).

Similarly, vitamin C is vital for your immune system and helps with bone formation, wound healing, and metabolism (5Trusted Source, 6Trusted Source).

Additionally, it has been shown to be a potent antioxidant that helps protect your cells against damage caused by unstable molecules known as free radicals (6Trusted Source, 7Trusted Source).

Dill is also a good source of manganese. While needed in very small amounts, it is an essential mineral that supports normal functioning of your brain, nervous system, and metabolism of sugar and fat (8Trusted Source).

Furthermore, fresh dill provides 1–2% of the DV for calcium, copper, magnesium, potassium, riboflavin, and zinc (2Trusted Source).

However, as fresh dill is usually consumed in smaller quantities than 1 cup (9 grams), the amount of nutrients you get from sprinkling it over your food will be considerably less.

As for dill seeds, they have many similar nutritional benefits. One tablespoon (6.6 grams) of seeds provides 8% of the DV for calcium, 6% of the DV for iron, and 1–5% of the DV for magnesium, manganese, phosphorus, and potassium (9Trusted Source).

Potential benefits of dill

With its name derived from the Old Norse word “dilla,” which means to soothe, dill has been used since ancient times to treat colic in infants and digestive diseases, as well as to help with breastfeeding (10Trusted Source).

While these more traditional uses have not been supported by research, dill has been shown to have other potential health benefits.”

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Read More … Article Source: https://www.healthline.com/nutrition/dill#benefits