Benefits of Coriander Plant

Benefits of Coriander Plant    Apart from being an aphrodisiac, condiment and medicament, coriander is used as a condiment in cuisine for preparing the finest foods, in the perfumery industry because of the volatile oil contained by its fruits but as a medicinal herb also. The coriander contains a powerful diuretic that reduces the sanguine pressure and ameliorates a headache.

Description of Coriander Plant

   Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is a Mediterranean herb grown for its fruits that look like white-rose seeds and its leaves known as "cilantro". It came from the sunny and droughty areas of Asia. It was used a long time ago in India, Iran and China. The Indians used coriander not only in their culinary art, but also in the medicinal field. They used the herb to treat insomnia, the flu and constipation. The recognition of the herb's qualities encouraged its cultivation in Europe. Ancient Greeks and Romans used it to give flavor to their foods and wines. In the Middle Ages it was especially used to give flavor to wines, steaks and cakes. In the 17th century it was one of the ingredients used by the nuns from the Carmelite Order to prepare the Parisian Eau de Toilete. In the same period, coriander was used to prepare two well known drinks for that time: the Benedictine liqueur and Chartreuse. In the 18th century, people used coriander to avoid having an unpleasant breath (they chewed the seeds with sugar).

coriander    In our days, coriander is used mostly in the food industry as an aromatizer and condiment for meat products, fish and pickles. Dried yellow fruits have a nice smell and a sweet flavor. The bitterish taste is predominant to the sweet hot astringent taste. Coriander's leaves resemble the ones of parsley and they taste different from the fruits. It can grow up to 20 inches tall.

   Coriander has many well know medicinal qualities. If the coriander seeds were used in Iran to treat insomnia and anxiety, the recently made experiments from many Middle Orient hospitals confirmed its anxiolytic and sedative effects. Then it was synthesized in the pharmaceutical industry a natural medicament used to treat panic attacks, the depressive-anxious syndrome and insomnia.

Properties and benefits of Coriander

   Coriander fruits contain volatile oil, lipids, starch, pectins and mineral substances. In fact, coriander's flavor comes from the etheric oil contained in proportion of 1,5% - 2,0% . This oil contains linalool (60% - 80%), pinene, dipentene, etc. The fruits contain fatty acids like petroselinic acid, proteic substances, amino-acids, sitosterols, tocopherols, cumarins, caffeic acid and chlorogenic acid. The aromatic contained substance - coriandrol - is a very good adjuvant in the treatment of liver cancer. At the same time, coriander leaves represent a powerful source of vitamin A, C, thiamin, riboflavin, vitamin K, folic acid, calcium, iron, magnesium and potassium. In small quantities it contains also niacin, vitamin B6, phosphor and zinc.

coriander    Furctus Coriandri, in other words coriander fruits are used as a stimulant for the gastrointestinal secretion, sedative and carminative. They ameliorate the abdominal pains, reduce digestive spasms and distend. Coriander is also known as a bactericide, fungicide and anthelmintic. It has also a good influence over the neural system and stimulates memory.

Mixtures and preparation

   Modern phytotherapeutics recommends coriander fruits as adjuvant in: anorexia, dyspepsia, intestinal worms, hypogalactia, dysfunctions of the mammal glands and abdominal pains.

Coriander infusion

   Internally, coriander is used as an infusion, usually prepared from a half of spoon with fruits mixed in a cup, which is consumed during one day. For colic (distend caused by swallowed air or fermentative processes): infusion from a half of spoon of fruits for 3.5 oz of water - the concentration could vary with the baby's age. Adults can consume up to three cups of hot coriander seeds infusion. It's a powerful carminative (eliminates intestinal flatulencies) and spasmolytic agent. For those who suffer from diabetes, it should be taken into account that coriander seeds regulate the level of insulin and decrease the level of cholesterol. In order to obtain this result, one liter of coriander seeds infusion must be consumed each day. For digestive dyspepsia and as an appetite stimulant, the infusion will be prepared during the day from one spoon of mashed fruits boiled in 10oz of water. The infusion must be consumed during the day, two cups after each primary meal. The infusion is also efficient against intestinal worms. It must be taken on an empty stomach and it must be prepared from 0.44lb of fruits boiled in 34oz of water.


Coriander powder

   A simple treatment with coriander powder, recommended for psycho-emotional disorders, is the following: 0.004lb of powder taken four times a day, for a 49 days period with a pause of 10 days. In the case of liver cancer and colon cancer it is recommended to take four spoons of fresh coriander powder each day, for at least three months. The same treatment can be used for mammal cancer. The treatment must be sustained by a low fat diet. Any hydrogenated fats are completely forbidden.

Salad    It can be used to treat allergies. Coriander leaves contain natural antihistamines, vitamin C and bioflavonoids that decrease the allergic reactions such as hay fever. The cures must be 12 days long and they are especially recommended if the exposal to allergic factors is intense. The high content of bioflavonoids from the leaves helps also in the cases of hemorrhoids, varices and other veins disorders.

   Used externally, the juice made up from the fresh herb is good for allergies and cutaneous eruptions. Dry coriander fruits can be used to obtain oil that will help against fatigue and lethargies. It can be used also for stomachal massage and abdominal massage in cases of bad digestion, colics, distend, diarrhea. Because of its heating and analgesic effect, coriander is very useful for calming the rheumatic pains and states of flu or cold. It can be applied locally.


   Caution at the volatile oil contained by coriander seeds, because it can trigger allergic reaction to some.