Coriander- Not Just Meant for Cooking

All parts of the Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are commonly used in cooking. Coriander is a very important culinary herb, which is also of great value as a medicinal herb. The whole plant is used in the treatment of ulcers, cough, insomnia, vomiting, dysentery and biliousness. The leaves are used as a tonic, for urinary infection, as a carminative, stimulant, pectoral, for leucoderma, and skin diseases. The fruit (seed) is used in menstrual disorders, as an aphrodisiac, in skin eruptions, for stomach ache, gastric ulcers, vomiting, conjunctivitis, headache and as an anti-pyretic. Seeds are used in diabetes, jaundice and fever (Acharya and Shrivastava 2008).

Indigenous Formulations:

Rheumatism

A water extract of the whole plant is applied externally as a liniment for rheumatic pain.

Acidity

To control acidity, Coriander seed powder, Carum (Trachyspermum ammi) seed powder, and sugar is mixed in equal parts and taken along with water or ghee after meals. The same formulation is given in case of night blindness, too.

Dysentery

In dysentery, mix powder of Coriander seeds, rhizome of Spiral Ginger (Costus speciosus) and Ginger (Zingiber officinale) rhizome in equal proportion. Approx. 4g powder should be taken 3x a day.

Pimples

A pinch of Turmeric (Curcuma longa) powder mixed with a teaspoon of Coriander juice (prepared by crushing leaves in mortar and pestle) should be applied externally as an effective home remedy for pimples and blackheads.

Heartburn

Add two spoons of Coriander seed powder to a little freshly grated or dried powdered Ginger (Zingiber officinale), and boil in two cups of water till it reduces to 1 cup. To this, add little Jaggery. This mixture is given by the tribals of Patalkot in India in cases of heart burn during pregnancy.

Febrifuge

To control fever, prepare a decoction of Neem leaves (Azadirachta indica), Chiretta (Swertia chirata) and Coriander in equal proportion. About 4 ml decoction should be given orally three times a day to the patient.

Malarial Fever

Two gram Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) seed powder and 2 gram Ginger (Zingiber officinale) powder are added to Neem (Azadirachta indica) leaf decoction (10 ml) and given to the patient in order to control malarial fever. This formulation should be repeatedly given 3 times a day for 2 days.

Note: Information provided in the article is for information purposes. As the practices mentioned herewith are not clinically proven, it is therefore advised to take an opinion from family physician before applying any formulation.

Reference:

Acharya, D. and Shrivastava, A. 2008. Indigenous Herbal Medicines: Tribal Formulations and Traditional Herbal Practices. Aavishkar Publishers Distributors, Jaipur. ISBN 978-81-7910-252-7.