CORIANDER 101: HEALTH & BEAUTY BENEFITS

Happy Friday!

Thank you all so much for the feedback on my new series “HEALTH BENEFITS OF!”

I am SO glad you all are LOVING this series. It mean a lot to me and keeps me moving in giving you all MORE.

SIDE NOTE:  Do you remember that AT&T commercial with the cute kids and the little girl saying MORE, MORE IS BETTER?

No? Just me? K. It was really cute.

On to the good stuff!

This week I am telling ya’ll about the wonder of Coriander.

Coriander, also known as cilantro or Dhania in Hindi, is a green-leafy herb that is part of the parsley family. Coriander is used very frequently in Indian cuisine; seeds, powder and of course, fresh cilantro. We use it as a garnish and a spice. Personally, I love the flavor of cilantro. It is hard to pin point its actual flavor, as in different forms the taste can change. For example, my faves at Serious Eats explain it best.

“When left whole, coriander is as floral as cardamom—its flavor full of citrus and curry, light and sweet (the seeds are fun to crunch on, too). When ground, the seeds’ roasted, nutty aromas come to the fore, though at the expense of all that lovely citrus.”

As you can see, coriander is an extremely versatile spice in the culinary world.

Let’s get into some of the non-culinary uses of coriander.

In Ayurveda treatments, coriander is used mainly for stomach ailments. It is specifically known to treat and ease digestion issues.

According to the Global Health Center in “Ancient Greece they used cilantro essential oils as a component of perfume. During medieval times, the Romans used cilantro to mask the smell of rotten meat. Today, it’s still used by naturopaths and has been the subject of many positive inquiries by formal research institutions. Cilantro is most often cited as being effective for toxic metal cleansing and rightfully so, this herb is a powerful, natural cleansing agent. The chemical compounds in cilantro bind to toxic metals and loosen them from the tissue.”

I have been consuming cilantro my whole life and doing research on this has made me realize how much it has actually helped.  I rarely had tummy issues growing up and I attribute it to cilantro. It was put into almost every dish I ate while growing up.

Check out these other benefits!

Health Benefits of Coriander:

Lowers Blood Sugar

Contributes to lower levels of neurodegenerative diseases

Protective against colon cancer

Eases Digestion

Helps lower cholesterol

Facilitates Hair Growth

Prevents menstrual irregularities

Cures skin ailments like eczema and rashes

Protects the liver

Enhances libido

Full of antioxidants

Reduces strain and stress on eyes

Helps with Anemia

Lowers Blood Pressure

Increases milk flow for pregnant women

Used for flavoring medicines and tobacco

Heals Ulcers

Freshens Breath

An anti-fungal

Helps eliminate excess gas

Relieves spasms and cramps

Natural deodorant

Anti-Inflammatory

Fights Diabetes

Natural laxative

Coriander, like many other herbs and spices, is assorted for various usages.

 Cooking/Health:

 As you all know I am ALL about the tea. I believe a tea can be made to cure almost anything! It is an easy, yet flavorful way to get your “medicine” in.

Annie’s Remedies  put together this awesome coriander seed tea recipe.

“Coriander seeds can be made into a light yellow, aromatic tea that eases digestion and relaxes the mind and body. Coriander works even better in blends, where the taste of the aromatic oils can be softened a bit.”

Ingredients:

• 1/2 teaspoon crushed coriander seeds
• 1/2 teaspoon crushed fennel seeds
• 1 teaspoon ginger root

Use 1 teaspoon of herb mixture to each cup hot water. Infuse for 10 minutes. Blend coriander with fennel for digestion, with cinnamon and ginger to cool fevers.

Beauty:

 The Beauty Gypsy has SO many coriander recipes. Everything from lip balm to mole banishers and healing oil; you gotta see them all! 

Another stellar recipe I found was a tomato and coriander face mask from Makeup and Beauty Home.

“Tomatoes have lots of antioxidants which clear out dark spots in our skin. It can also be used in several natural skin treatments like clearing acne, large open pores, wrinkles, oily and dark skin. Rubbing a slice of tomato everyday over your face, makes your facial skin surface clean, clear and scar free. Tomato juice also natural whitens skin removing sun tan as it has whitening properties. Coriander is an excellent home treatment for pimples, blackheads, blemishes and dull skin. It also has excellent anti-aging, anti-wrinkle properties and reduces the appearance of moles and dark spots with regular use.”

Ingredients:

• 2 tsp. tomato puree
• 2 tsp. extracted coriander juice (you can buy the essential oil)
• 1 tsp. lemon juice
• 1 tsp. Fullers Earth (Multani mitti – earth clay)

Mix 2 teaspoons of tomato puree with 2 teaspoons of extracted coriander leaf juice. Add two drops of lemon juice and a teaspoon of Fullers Earth (Multani Mitti) to mixture and blend well.

Face Preparation

Wash face and remove all makeup

Application of the Face Mask

Apply this smooth facial mask evenly over your face and neck covering the entire surface of your skin. Leave this mask to penetrate and work on your skin for 15 minutes and rinse off with clean water. If your skin is dry, you have to avoid lemon juice and Multani Mitti as they may make your skin even drier. Replace milk cream and honey for lemon juice and Multani Mitti.  Normal skinned people just add rose water to the mixture of tomato puree and coriander juice  That’s it!

Why Is This Mask So Great?

This facial mask, if used at least twice a week gives fast results. Within a month it tightens your skin, removes fine lines, wrinkles, dark spots, acne scars, suntan, dullness and also fades moles.

So that’s that in the coriander world! Who would have thought? I truly hope the tea and masks aid in your journey to health. Let me know your thoughts by leaving a comment below or on Instagram or Facebook. Want to keep it more private? Send me an e-mail.

Have a great weekend and stay tuned next week for some more apple recipes (because its fall, duh!) and of course another edition of “Health Benefits Of.”