Coriander natural home remedy
Coriander also known as Cilantro,has lacy, feathery foliage with a unique, strong aroma quite different from the other herbs it resembles so closely in appearance, such as anise, caraway, dill, and fennel, all of whose leaves have, in varying degrees of pungency, a warm, spicy anise-scent. A mixture of lemon peel and sage is one description of the flavor of fresh coriander leaves. The mauve-tinted white blossoms appear in summer in frothy profusion, followed by fruit, which, when green and unripened, have an even stronger scent than the foliage. In fact the name coriander is derived from the Greek koris, which means bug: the soft green seeds do smell exactly like an emerald-colored, odoriferous insect which infests citrus trees. When the small, oval coriander seeds have hardened and ripened to a pale fawn color, they are one of the most deliciously fragrant of all spices used in cooking. Fresh coriander is sometimes known as Chinese parsley.
Hippocrates and other Greek physicians employed coriander in their medicines. The digestive action of the seed is particularly effective with carbohydrates and has been used traditionally, whole or ground, in breads and cakes. Coriander’s use in cornbread, or polenta, goes back to the early Romans. Coriander water (like dill water) was used to ease windy colic. The ground seed, or fluid extract, was often incorporated into laxatives to help make them more palatable, and to prevent griping. Coriander seed, crushed and inhaled, will relieve dizziness. Because of this, it was once called “dizzycorn.” It was among plants mentioned in the Medical Papyrus of Thebes, written in 1552 b.c. Coriander was also believed to be good for purifying the blood and was frequently prescribed for kidney stones and other urinary dysfunctions. European cultures recommend a tea infusion or a soup of coriander leaves and barley water as a tonic-stimulant for convalescents. Ancient Egyptians over 3000 years ago placed sprigs of fresh coriander in tombs to protect the souls on future journeys.
