The Top 20 Benefits of Coriander & Cilantro [LIST]
The AP Team on
Cilantro is kind of an exotic herb to many people; if you’re a regular meat and potatoes kind of person you may not have had it served to you before or had it called for in one of your recipes.
If you like to indulge in different kinds of foods and explore the world of herbs and spices though, you’ve probably had plenty of cilantro, usually in Indian or Mexican dishes.
Gaia.com gives cilantro a shining review: “Fresh cilantro can revive virtually any meal. Not just for pico de gallo or salsa, try adding a bit to your morning smoothie or juice for a delightfully unexpected fresh taste. With so few calories and no cholesterol, this deep-green cleansing food will be your next favorite secret ingredient.”
If cilantro is new to you, it may surprise you to know that it can be quite a controversial subject around the dinner table.
There are two types of people in the world: those who love cilantro and those who hate it.
There is no in-between.
In fact, according to the Huffington Post, there’s actually a genetic reason that some people hate cilantro. They reported that “after conducting a few separate studies, scientists were able to pin down most cilantro haters as people with a shared group of olfactory-receptor genes, called OR6A2, that pick up on the smell of aldehyde chemicals. Aldehyde chemicals are found in both cilantro and soap. Uh, yummy?”
For people who love cilantro, the reports of soapy-ness are a mystery.
Whether you love it or hate it, the fact is, cilantro has some powerful benefits for your health, and if you don’t enjoy eating it, you might want to consider finding another way to incorporate this exceptional herb into your nutrition regime.
Exclusive Bonus: Discover our favorite ways to use coriander. Click here for your free list.
You may have heard cilantro referred to as coriander. Technically they’re the same plant, but usually when someone says ‘cilantro’, they’re referring to the leaf of the herb, and when they say ‘coriander’, they’re talking about the seed.
One way to get the benefits of the plant is to put coriander oil in your food or take it as a supplement.
Here are our top 20 coriander benefits:
1. It’s Great for Digestion
Coriander is your gut’s best friend. The plant contains powerful antioxidants and antibacterial properties that, when ingested, support the production of digestive enzymes in your body. It’s high in vitamins A, C, and K and is an excellent source of fiber.
Adding it to your food (or consuming it on its own) on a daily basis can help your stomach, liver and bowels function at their best.
Plus, organicfacts.net say that: “Studies have shown that dyspepsia(indigestion) is reduced if coriander is regularly added to the diet.”
It also helps to promote a friendly environment for good bacteria, that help to keep things in balance in there. That means no more indigestion, upset stomach, bloating, gas or heartburn.
2. It’s High in Iron
Coriander is packed with iron. In fact, every 100 grams has 91% of your daily recommended dose of iron. It’s also rich in magnesium and calcium, which means it’s a great way to help your body if you’re anemic or deficient in any of these minerals.
Iron is particularly important for energy and brain function and has been linked to proper organ function. If you’ve got low iron levels, consider making coriander a regular part of your diet.
3. It Helps Your Body Detoxify
Just by breathing, eating, drinking water and letting certain things touch your skin, you are at risk of letting toxic metals seep into your body. Once in your body, toxic metals like mercury, arsenic, cadmium, aluminum and even lead enter your bloodstream and can slowly embed themselves in your central nervous system.
Your body should be able to rid itself of these toxins on its own, but your organs have to be functioning at their peak in order to do that.
Coriander supports your body’s ability to pull those toxic metals from the hiding places in your nervous system and flush them out of your system entirely.
4. It’s a Powerful Natural Antioxidant
You already know that you need oxygen to survive, but what you may not know is that too muchoxygen can create serious problems for proper joint, muscle, organ and brain function. Too much oxygen causes free radicals to form during the metabolic process, which can cause cellular damage.
Luckily, coriander is a powerful natural antioxidant; its high vitamin content and other antioxidant properties help your body get rid of unneeded oxygen within or around cells.
5. It Helps with Irregular Periods
If you suffer from irregular periods, coriander seeds are a great home remedy that can help to restore balance. Coriander is an emmenagogue — a substance that can bring on menstruation.
In the few days before you expect your period to begin, boil the seeds whole and remove them with a strainer, then drink the water.
HomeRemedyHacks.com advise that you should: “drink it three times a day for a few days prior the onset of your period. Follow this remedy for one or two months. Alternatively, you can also drink coriander juice on a daily basis.” Coriander juice is made by crushing fresh cilantro, which requires quite a supply fresh leaves. Eating coriander or cilantro regularly throughout the month also helps, but for the easiest and most convenient option, try coriander seed oil.
Eating coriander or cilantro regularly throughout the month also helps.
6. It Helps with Pimples & Other Skin Issues
Coriander has powerful benefits for your whole body, but perhaps one of the first places you’ll notice it working its magic is your skin. A natural remedy for pimples, blackheads and other skin issues is the ingestion of coriander or the application of coriander oil directly to your skin (spot test to see if your skin is sensitive first).
Coriander is a natural antibacterial and antifungal agent; combine that with its antioxidant properties and that makes it the perfect natural remedy for clearing up your skin. For a list of 15 Coriander oil home remedies, click here to read our blog on the subject.
7. It Has Natural Antibacterial Properties
Dodecenal is an antibacterial agent found in coriander that fights salmonella and supports better oral health. Among other health benefits, coriander has been found to fight fungus and many different strains of bacteria in the gut that can impede the proper digestion of nutrients or even lead to illness. This also makes it good for topical uses, to prevent infection.
8. It Helps with Anxiety
Coriander, or rather the oil found within its seeds, can have powerful effects on your brain. If you experience anxiety regularly, coriander is a natural remedy which can help to alleviate your stress and soothe your symptoms.
The hydroalcoholic extract of Coriandrum sativum (the scientific name for coriander) has a calming effect on your nerves and can improve your sleep.
9. It’s an Antidiabetic Home Remedy
Coriander is a helpful plant for those suffering from symptoms of diabetes; it supports the body in maintaining proper blood sugar and cholesterol levels.
According to NaturalHealth365.com “Coriander seeds contain two volatile oils – linalool and geranyl acetate – which are powerful antioxidants that work at a cellular level. Lab studies have shown that coriander seed extracts were able to decrease the plasma glucose, improve insulin sensitivity and improved the serum lipid levels in rat models.”
Its antioxidant properties also limit the number of free radicals in your body, which can help with metabolic issues that people with diabetes often experience.
10. It Prevents Hair Loss
As it turns out, coriander can help your hair. Free radicals damage cells, including hair cells. By stopping the damage to these cells, coriander encourages fuller, thicker hair to grow.
Coriander oil is also great for cleansing and enriching your scalp, as it has antiseptic and anti-inflammatory properties.
Fitnistic.com are big fans of using coriander for hair and scalp benefits. “Coriander oil is great in curing dandruff and healing dry scalp. It helps the hair become shinier and get more life. It helps in hair regrowth and hair fall, but you will have to give it a few weeks to see the results.“
11. It Helps Balance Cholesterol Levels
Coriander contains healthy acids (linoleic, ascorbic, oleic, stearic and palmitic) that go to work in your body to reduce the amount of cholesterol in your blood. This makes the herb effective for reducing the amount of bad cholesterol (LDL) in your system (thus improving your cardiovascular health), but also for promoting healthy levels of the good cholesterol (HDL), which is essential for protecting your body from a number of conditions and complications.
12. It Relieves and Prevents Nausea
Two very powerful antioxidants can be found in coriander seeds: linalool and geranyl acetate. These oils work to relieve digestive issues and soothe your stomach, alleviating or prevent nausea and vomiting.
As a natural alternative to Gravol, try some coriander tea, or take some coriander seed oil for faster results.
13. It’s Excellent for Promoting Eye Health
Coriander is loaded with vitamins A and C and phosphorous, all of which are antioxidants that can help to prevent vision disorders and degeneration, as well as reducing strain and stress on your eyes.
Its leaves are a source of beta-carotene which protects your eyes from various disorders and illnesses and which some studies suggest might help to reverse degeneration in seniors.
14. It Can Help to Reduce High Blood Pressure
The interaction of calcium ions and cholinergic (a neurotransmitter in the peripheral and central nervous system) allows coriander to assist those suffering from hypertension by relaxing blood vessel tension.
High blood pressure can be a problem for people for various reasons, but one of those reasons is stress, and as previously stated consuming coriander can help to alleviate anxiety and stress, thus potentially reducing blood pressure for those individuals. Plus, by lowering your blood pressure coriander helps to protect your heart.
15. It Can Help to Prevent and Treat Urinary Tract Infections
Urinary tract infections are caused by bacteria that enter the body and inflame the urinary tract, including the bladder and potentially even the kidneys. The antibacterial properties of coriander can help to clear out harmful bacteria and prevent infections before they start.
If you already have a UTI, coriander can help alleviate your pain by reducing excess inflammation (a symptom of infection) and because it has analgesic compounds in it too. It can also assist with clearing away bacteria to speed your recovery.
Promoting healthy gut bacteria (see #1) is an added bonus if you’re taking antibiotics for a UTI or other infection as they tend to wipe out the good bacteria along with the bad.
16. It Alleviates Pain from Arthritis
Due to its anti-inflammatory (linalool) and analgesic properties, coriander oil can be used to reduce pain caused by arthritis. Using the oil topically and massaging it into affected joints is what I often recommend for acute pain, but you can also get relief from consuming the oil, especially if you make it a regular part of your diet. Coriander can also be used to relieve headaches, muscle pain and stiffness for the same reasons.
HerbWisdom.com explores some of the other ways to use coriander for pain relief: “Coriander may also be used in treating muscle pain, headaches and stiffness. Because of its heating and analgesic effect, this plant is used to treat arthritis, pain in bones and rheumatism. The high content of bioflavonoids from the leaves helps in treating varices and hemorrhoids.”
17. It Can Prevent and Treat Food Poisoning
In the same way that it can prevent and treat UTIs, coriander, when taken regularly, can prevent food poisoning by combatting nasty bacteria and keeping your body clear of them.
It can also be used as a treatment, as it quickly attacks bad bacteria and soothes your system. This benefit, combined with #18, make it a must-have when you’re traveling to exotic locales…
18. It Can Treat Diarrhea
Two components found in coriander, linalool and borneol, work to ensure that your liver is functioning optimally and that your bowels are ‘bonding’ (i.e. making your poop solid), thus reducing or eliminating diarrhea.
In many instances diarrhea is caused by bacteria, so coriander is a very effective treatment for that reason too.
19. It is Effective Against Mouth Ulcers, Infections and Halitosis
Due to its antibacterial and antiseptic qualities coriander is excellent for fighting mouth ulcers and killing off bad bacteria that cause infections. It is also extremely useful for treating halitosis (extreme and constant bad breath) for the same reasons and is often used in natural toothpastes. Additionally, coriander has antimicrobial and healing effects that ensure that ulcers heal quickly.
20. It Increases Milk Production
Coriander is reported to be a galactogogue (a substance used to stimulate milk production in breastfeeding moms) and is used in many teas and supplements that are marketed to nursing mothers.
Due to coriander’s strength as a medicinal herb, you’d be best to seek out supplements made specifically for women who are breastfeeding and/or speak to your health care provider about safe ways to use coriander to promote better milk production.
An herbalist with knowledge of lactation can teach you how to easily make an effective infusion with coriander. It’s important to remember that everything you eat or supplement with can make its way into your breastmilk, so safety should be first on your mind.
What’s the best way to get coriander into your body?
Coriander is one of nature’s most powerful plants. Getting enough of its nutrients on a regular basis is going to make long-term health a lot more achievable.
There are three forms of coriander:
- the seed (coriander)
- the leafy herb (cilantro)
- the oil (pressed from the seed)
You can eat it, make it into a paste and put it on your skin or boil it and drink the water as a tea or infusion, but the easiest way to get the most concentrated dose of its powerful health benefits is with coriander seed oil.
Coriander seed oil is made by pressing thousands of coriander seeds, which makes it the fastest way to get your body the most nutrients possible. Also, it’s quite easy to disguise for people who hate the taste of cilantro; because it’s so concentrated, you don’t need to add as much to your food or smoothie.
Another reason that the seed oil is the best way to take coriander is because of industrial farming practices like monoculture and the use of pesticides and herbicides. These practices have severely depleted many crops of their nutrition.
This means that you need to actually eat more cilantro than before to get the same amount of nutrition. Organic coriander seed oil is the easiest and fastest way to get all the nutrition you need.
Click on the link below to learn even more reasons why coriander oil is essential for your health and how you can easily start benefitting from the powerful nutrients in thousands of coriander seeds today.
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