Herbs & Herbal Remedies @ Green Papaya

The Food and Drug Administration includes coriander in its list of herbs generally regarded as safe. For otherwise healthy non-pregnant, non-nursing adults, coriander is considered safe in amounts typically recommended.

Coriander should be used in medicinal amounts only in consultation with your doctor If coriander causes minor discomforts, such as stomach upset or diarrhea, use less or stop using it. Let your doctor know if you experience any unpleasant effects or if the symptoms for which the herb is being used do not improve significantly in two weeks.

Great for the Garden

Coriander is a bright green, 3-foot annual with lobed lower leaves and lacy upper leaves. Its seeds are small, spherical, ribbed, and brownish. They develop in clusters and when fresh emit an odor that has been compared to burned rubber As they ripen, however, they develop their characteristic spicy fragrance.

Coriander grows easily from seeds sown ½ inch deep in April or May in most parts of the United States. Germination takes up to three weeks, and the plant produces seeds in about three months.

Coriander grows best in moist, well-drained, moderately rich soil under full sun, but it tolerates some shade. Thin plants to 9-inch spacing. Do not over-fertilize. Excess nitrogen impairs the herb’s flavor and aroma.

An extra bonus from growing coriander is the leaveswhich are known in their own right as cilantro, a tasty seasoning herb. To harvest cilantro, cut the small, immature leaves for best flavor.

To harvest coriander seeds, wait until a majority have turned from green to brownish, around the time their aroma stops being unpleasant. Dry and store in airtight jars. The flavor of whole coriander improves with age. Let some seeds fall, and the plant will self-sow.

Coriander is no wonder herb, but who can argue with manna from heaven?

Digestive Aid - Some studies indicate coriander helps settle the stomach, but it’s not as soothing as other herbs - peppermint, chamomile, and caraway, for example. Still, it helps.

Infection Prevention - The ancient Roman use of coriander as a meat preservative has been supported by some Japanese and Russian research. The herb contains substances that kill certain bacteria, fungi, and insect larvae, which attack meats. These same microorganisms can cause human wound infections. Sprinkle some coriander on minor cuts and scrapes after they have been thoroughly washed with soap and water.

Intriguing Possibilities - One animal study shows coriander has anti-inflammatory action, suggesting it might help relieve arthritis. If you have arthritis, try it and see if it helps.

Another study shows it reduces blood sugar (glucose) levels, hinting at possible value in the management of diabetes. Diabetes requires professional treatment, but it can’t hurt to try coriander in consultation with your physician.

Rx for Coriander

Coriander might not be the most potent digestive aid around, but there is one good excuse to select it over the alternatives-its taste. You’ll find it a warm, fragrant combination of sage and citrus. For an infusion, use 1 teaspoon of bruised seeds (or ½ teaspoon of powder) per cup of boiling water. Steep 5 minutes. Drink up to 3 cups a day before or after meals.

Weak coriander infusions may be given cautiously to children under age 2 for colic. For older children and people over 65, start with low-strength preparations and increase strength if necessary.

To use coriander externally, sprinkle some of the powdered herb on freshly washed cuts and scrapes.

Healer from Heaven

Family: Umbelliferae; (includes Carrot, Parsley)

Genus and Species: Coriandrum sativum

Also known as: The fruits (actually seeds) are coriander; the leaves are known as cilantro or Chinese parsley

Parts used: Seeds, leaves

After the Exodus, when the Hebrews were starving in the Sinai wilderness, God fed them manna from heaven, which the Bible says tasted “like coriander.” If manna did what coriander does, chances are none of the children of Israel had indigestion. Warm, spicy coriander, a flavor combination of sage and citrus, has been used as an herbal digestive aid for thousands of years. Science has lent support to the ancients.

Pharaohs’ Favorite

The Hebrews adopted coriander from their former masters, the Egyptians, who used it as a spice, perfume, and digestive aid The Egyptians considered coriander such a basic necessity that seeds have been found in several Pharaoh’s tombs, presumably to prevent indigestion in the afterlife.

Hippocrates and other noted Greek and Roman physicians prescribed coriander as a digestive aid and gas remedy. The Romans also used the spice as a meat preservative.

In India, coriander became an ingredient in curry spice blends and gained a reputation as an aphrodisiac. India’s traditional Ayurvedic healers used it to treat digestive complaints, allergies, and urinary problems, and as an ingredient in eyewashes used to prevent blindness.

Coriander arrived in China from India during the Han dynasty (207 BC to AD 220). At the time it was reputed to enhance lovemaking and confer immortality. Today, Chinese physicians use the herb more modestly to treat dysentery, measles, and hemorrhoids, and as a gargle for toothache.

Around the 8th century, the mythic Arabian princess Scheherazade described coriander as an aphrodisiac in the stories later collected as The Thousand and One Arabian Nights.

Today’s Jawbreakers

Coriander was never a major healing herb in Europe, but it has always been considered a digestive aid, not only in foods but also in candies. In 10th-century England, coriander seeds were used as the centers of hard candies. Queen Elizabeth I loved the candies, which evolved into today’s jawbreakers.

Early American herbalists added coriander to bitter laxative herbs, such as buckthorn: so they would taste better and have less violent action.

Contemporary herbalists recommend coriander internally for indigestion, flatulence, and diarrhea, and externally in salves for muscle and joint pains.