Coriander is a very popular spice, also known as cilantro or Chinese parsley. Cilantro leaves have a sharp refreshing taste, and its seeds are used as a culinary seasoning, thanks to a specific, slightly sweet taste. Coriander, whose beneficial properties were known 5,000 years ago, hails from China. At first it was used in medicine, and then found application in cooking. The Chinese believed that cilantro was exciting, so they prepared love potions based on it. And in China, it was believed that it has coriander properties that make a person immortal.
Coriander Composition
Cilantro is an excellent natural source of many vitamins: C, B2, B1, PP, A, organic acids, mono- and disaccharides, trace elements (such as sodium, potassium, phosphorus, magnesium, calcium, iron, iodine, etc.), dietary fiber and other nutrients and minerals. Therefore, the therapeutic effects of this plant are very diverse.
Coriander: Health Benefits
Because cilantro is a natural source of vitamin A, it is good for vision and the production of red blood cells. And vitamin C, which is part of it, is necessary to increase our immunity, as well as improve the body's resistance to various ailments and diseases. In addition, the vitamin B1 present in the plant is necessary for healthy skin and improved digestion, and vitamin B2 determines such properties of coriander as a rejuvenating and firming effect.
Seeds and leaves of cilantro are distinguished by a high content of an essential oil of complex composition, in which the main component is linalol. This oil has a strong bactericidal and anthelmintic effect. But we must remember that taking it in large quantities has a depressing effect on the heart. The essential oil of this plant is the raw material for drugs used in glaucoma, conjunctivitis, etc.
Coriander, whose beneficial properties include regulating, analgesic and many other therapeutic actions, with regular use in the diet helps to improve health and well-being. And since coriander exceeds even lemon in the content of vitamin C, tinctures and decoctions from seeds are taken as a choleretic and antiseptic agent for colds and stomach diseases, gastritis and ulcers as a sedative and wound healing agent, increasing the formation of gastric juice.
Cilantro has an invigorating and bactericidal effect, due to which it resists the spread of infectious diseases. Doctors in the Middle Ages recommended rubbing coriander juice with smallpox into the eyelids to prevent eye damage, and also recommended eating coriander to prevent typhus.
Coriander helps improve cardiac activity by nourishing the blood, improving the functioning of the heart muscle and strengthening blood vessels. It is also useful for brain activity, helps with tantrums, a depressed state, suffocation.
Cilantro seeds break down food, strengthen the walls of the stomach, stimulate appetite, have a beneficial effect on the functioning of the sex glands, and have diaphoretic and carminative properties. They are used for hemorrhoids and diseases of the digestive tract. For these diseases, it is best to brew 20 g of seeds per liter of water. Cilantro oil helps to absorb heavy food, remove toxins, especially improves the absorption of root crops and starchy food. With coriander, any food is easier to digest, digested faster, without leaving a feeling of heaviness.
The infusion and decoction of the seeds have a calming effect, relieve seizures. Cilantro seeds are added to food by patients with epilepsy. More seeds eliminate the alcoholic smell and slow down intoxication. Soaking a few leaves and seeds of coriander in vodka or wine, and eating after the party has ended, it will help to quickly fall asleep and greatly ease the hangover syndrome in the morning. Coriander juice is good in the treatment of stomatitis, it stops bleeding of the gums and strengthens them, perfectly soothes toothache.
The essential oil present in the grains has an antibiotic and antiviral effect. Coming out of the body with urine, it disinfects the urinary ducts in its path and heals the injuries and ulcers in them. It also stops bloody diarrhea. Eaten coriander leaves soothe pain in the gall bladder, eliminate thirst, stop inflammation in the stomach and prevent vomiting.
If the child is sick with mumps, a compress of crushed coriander leaves with barley flour will relieve the inflammatory process. In addition, cilantro is also used for insomnia, and also serves as a remedy for high blood pressure. A decoction of leaves and seeds of a plant is given to people with colds, including pneumonia, as a good expectorant.
Coriander: beneficial properties in the food industry
Cilantro seeds are often used in the food industry: confectionery, bakery, liquor, brewing and other industries. This is the main ingredient for "kari" seasoning, added to marinades, sausages, sauces, cheeses.
This is also an excellent seasoning for various dishes. Green coriander is served as a snack or as a seasoning for main dishes. They also add it to meat dishes, since cilantro has a very good effect on digestion and goes well with heavy meat foods, and besides, cilantro leaves rich in vitamins and microelements give health and decorate the taste of dishes.
Without cilantro, Abkhaz adjika, Borodino bread, most Georgian sauces (tkemali, satsibeli, etc.), canned fish, Korean carrots, kebab, kharcho soup, barbecue, lobio and other dishes are unthinkable. So with full confidence we can say that coriander is a worldwide seasoning along with salt, bay leaf and pepper.
Coriander: beneficial properties in perfumery and cosmetology
The essential oil of the plant is widely used in perfumery. Aromatic substances and colognes are often made from it, having the smells of lily of the valley, rose, lemon, lily, violet, etc.
A compress of crushed leaves of the plant, applied to the wound, eliminates burning, it is recommended for erysipelas, eczema and other skin diseases. The anti-infective and antibacterial properties of coriander are also used externally for the quickest cure of acne, various skin lesions and rashes, dermatitis and suppuration in wounds. A decoction of seeds can be used to treat burns, and an infusion or decoction of leaves is recommended to be used regularly to cleanse the skin.
Before using coriander to treat ailments, make sure that you are not allergic to it, and use with caution. Avoid overdose, since eating more than 35 g of leaves or 4 g of seeds can lead to various, sometimes very unpleasant disorders in the body.