Coriander

Coriander is a small, hollow-stemmed plant in the Apiaceae family, in the genus: Coriandrum. Its scientific name is Coriandrum sativum. Pleasant, aromatic and spicy, its seeds have been found utility since ancient times in cooking as well as in various traditional medicines.Coriander is an integral part of Indian cuisine. We regularly use coriander seeds as a spice, and coriander leaves for garnishing curries, salads, or soups.Coriander is known all over the world for its medicinal properties. It is a great source of potassium, iron, vitamins A, K, and C, folic acid, magnesium, and calcium that can heal many health issues.

Coriander is native to South-Eastern Europe and grown extensively all over the Europe, Middle East, China, India, and Turkey. It is recognized as cilantro in the west. This herbaceous plant grows up to 2 feet in height with branching stems, featuring deep-green soft, hairless bi-lobe or tri-lobed leaves. The mature plant bears small light pink color flowers that subsequently turn into globular or oval-shaped fruits (seeds). The seeds measure about 4-6 mm in diameter with a central hollow cavity containing two vertical vittae containing some important essential oils.

          Coriander seeds can be ready for harvest when the plant turn brown, and its leaves begin to dry and fall. Immature seeds are light green and taste bitter. To harvest; cut the crop, tie in small bundles, and sun-dry for several days. Traditionally, to separate the seeds, either the sheaves beaten with a stick or a lightweight roller employed to wear off the pods.

Health benefits of coriander seeds

• Coriander seeds possess many plant-derived chemical compounds that known to have been antioxidant, disease preventing, and health promoting properties.
• The unique aromatic flavor of coriander seeds comes from their essential volatile oils and fatty acids. Some important fatty acids in the dried seeds include petroselinic acid, linoleic acid (omega 6), oleic acid, and palmitic acid. Also, the seeds contain essential oils such as linalool (68%), a-pinene (10%), geraniol, camphene, terpene, etc. Together; these active principles are responsible for digestive, carminative, and anti-flatulent properties of the seeds.
• As in other spices, coriander is also rich in dietary fiber. 100 g seeds provide 41.9 g of fiber, much of this is metabolically inert insoluble content. Dietary fiber increases the bulk of the food by absorbing water throughout the digestive system and thus aids in smooth bowel movements.
• Moreover, dietary fibers bind to bile salts (produced from cholesterol) and decrease their re-absorption in the colon, thus help lower serum LDL-cholesterol levels. Together with flavonoid antioxidants, fiber composition of coriander helps protect colon mucosa from cancers.
• Its seeds are an excellent source of minerals like iron, copper, calcium, potassium, manganese, zinc and magnesium. Copper is essential for the production of red blood cells. Iron is essential for cell metabolism and red blood cell formation. Zinc is a co-factor in many enzymes that regulate growth and development, sperm generation, digestion and nucleic acid synthesis. Potassium is an important component of cell and body fluids that helps controlling heart rate and blood pressure. The human body utilizes manganese as a cofactor for the important antioxidant enzyme superoxide dismutase.
• Unlike other dry spice seeds that lack in vitamin-C, coriander seeds contain an ample amount of this antioxidant vitamin. 100 g of dry seeds provide 21 mg or 35% of RDI of vitamin-C.
• Furthermore, the seeds are the storehouse of many vital B-complex vitamins like thiamin, riboflavin, and niacin.