Coriander

Description

The Benefits of Coriander

Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is native to regions spanning from southern Europe and North Africa to southwestern Asia. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the parts most traditionally used in cooking. The leaves have a different taste from the seeds. The fresh leaves are an ingredient in many South Asian foods (such as chutneys and salads), in Chinese dishes, in Mexican cooking, particularly in salsa and guacamole and as a garnish, and in salads in Russia and other CIS countries.
The seeds have a lemony citrus flavour when crushed, due toterpenes linalool and pinene. It is described as warm, nutty, spicy, and orange-flavoured. Coriander seeds are boiled with water and drunk as indigenous medicine for colds, relief of anxiety and insomnia and it also has a significant hypolipidaemic effect, resulting in lowering of levels of total cholesterol and triglycerides, and increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein.