Coriander doesn’t make the typical list of herbal medicines such as aloe vera, or ginseng. In fact, it isn’t even generally thought of as highly nutritious. The leaves of the plant are known as cilantro… and it’s very popular in Mexican food. However, the seeds of this plant are called coriander, and it does have some excellent nutritional properties and has been used medicinally for much longer than most people consider.

Coriander has almost a sweet scent to it, and has been used as a seasoning in foods for this reason. These days it is grown primarily in India, Pakistan, and some other regions around the Mediterranean. This region, with the arid soil and beautiful climate is very condusive to farming fruits, vegetables, herbs and spices, and coriander is no exception to this. Coriander leaves, commonly called cilantro, are full of nutrients such as water, fiber, carbs, even protiens and tiny amounts of fats. It also contains minerals and vitamins, including calcium, potassium, riboflaven, iron, and its loaded with vitamin C. So many people eat coriander seeds and leaves for energy and nutrition.

Medicinally, coriander has been used to strenghten the stomach and aid in digestion, as well as help cleanse toxins and excess from the body via urination, and help to reduce a fever. Animal studies have shown it can be one of several important herbs for digestion. It also can act as an expectorant for removing phlegm, and can promote a feeling of coolness to one who is sick with fever. It has recently been studied with regards to lowering cholesterol, and the studies so far are promising, so this is one more medicinal ability of coriander. For these reasons it can be a good natural heart health herb.

The juices of coriander can be added to buttermilk, and then drunk to treat digestive and stomach disorders. Digestion issues and more recently, cholesterol are the two probems coriander is used to treat, but some also use it to aleviate symptoms of hepatitis, typhoid fever, and dysentery. Also, it has heart benefits. Coriander water has been known to lower cholesterol. Coriander water is made by boiling dry coriander seeds, and then drinking the water they are boiled in once it has cooled. Be sure to strain the seeds out first before drinking.

Other possible uses for coriander include reducing menstrual flow, treating diarrhea, and treating acne and dry skin when it is mixed with tumeric. To treat skin problems like acne, a tumeric and coriander paste should be applied once a day to a clean, washed affected area such as the face, and applied right before bed. For these reasons, coriander has been one of many effective herbal remedies in asia for many years

Of course, more study is needed before coriander can be endorsed as a substitute for modern medicine or other, more examined natural remedies for various ailments. But in the mean time, it is an extremely healthy herb that looks to very well have some excellent medicinal properties that have been used by millions of people over the past thousand years.