- Region
- Europe
- Origin
- Europe (southeast), Africa (north), Asia (west)
- Sanskrit
- Dhanyaka
- Other names
- Cilantro
Europe · Herb · № 231
Coriandrum sativum
Herb · Europe
Coriander
Coriandrum sativum
Traditionally attributed effects: aromatic, stimulating, carminative, stomachic, cooling, tonic, diuretic; for flatulence, colic, rheumatism, nerve pain, sore throat, indigestion, vomiting, colds, bile complaints.
Safety notes
Do not take the oil internally yourself. Not with diabetes, low blood pressure or allergy to mugwort, anise, caraway, fennel or dill. Traditional use is no proof of effectiveness; if you are pregnant, breastfeeding, taking medication or have a medical condition, consult a doctor or pharmacist.
Cautions by tradition (3)
- Ayurvedic materia medica: Do not take the oil internally yourself.
- Herbs for viral infections: Not with diabetes, low blood pressure or allergy to mugwort, anise, caraway, fennel or dill.
- Chinese materia medica: Not with rashes from heat in the blood or after the rash has come out.
Preparation
Tea 12–20 ml; powder 4–8 g; with cardamom and caraway as a carminative.
Use in traditions
Coriander seed was found in the tomb of Tutankhamun, and Hippocrates used it as a medicine. In Ayurveda (dhanyaka) it is considered cooling and is given after meals with cumin and fennel; in Unani medicine it is called kishneez. The leaf is an indispensable culinary herb in Mexico, India and Thailand. Sanskrit name: Dhanyaka. In herbal magic associated with healing, love, lust and active vital energy.
Applications
Use by tradition
How different herbal traditions describe this herb. Amounts are traditional guidelines checked for obvious errors; they are not medical advice. For poisonous plants no dosage is given on purpose.
Ayurvedic materia medica
Attributed effects
Aromatic, stimulating, carminative, stomachic, cooling, tonic, diuretic; for flatulence, colic, rheumatism, nerve pain, sore throat, indigestion, vomiting, colds, bile complaints.
Preparation and amount
Tea 12–20 ml; powder 4–8 g; with cardamom and caraway as a carminative.
Caution: Do not take the oil internally yourself.
Herbs for viral infections
Attributed effects
Antiviral (monoterpenes); especially for colds; further for stomach complaints, haemorrhoids, toothache, joint pain, intestinal cramps.
Preparation and amount
Tincture 10–20 drops; tea of ground coriander with 150 ml boiling water before meals; or in food.
Caution: Not with diabetes, low blood pressure or allergy to mugwort, anise, caraway, fennel or dill.
Everyday Ayurveda
Attributed effects
Supports the heart and emotions ('hrdaya'), aids digestion while cooling; for heartburn, reflux, haemorrhoids and headache from heat; against gas, bloating, colic and constipation; chutney against thirst, nausea and burning sensations.
Preparation and amount
Fresh leaves as a garnish and in cilantro chutney; boil seeds in water as a cooling drink in hot weather; 1 tsp cumin powder + 1 tsp coriander powder in water, reduce by half; powder in curries; grow a plant and smell it.
Chinese materia medica
- Nature and taste
- pungent, warm
- Meridians
- lung, stomach
Attributed effects
Coriander (hu sui) promotes sweating and helps bring rashes such as measles to the surface; the tea can also be applied externally for this.
Preparation and amount
Traditional dosage: 3–9 g a day, usually in a decoction. In cooking, coriander actually tempers the heat of spicy dishes.
Combinations
- With jing jie and burdock seed at the start of measles
Caution: Not with rashes from heat in the blood or after the rash has come out.
Folklore and herbal magic
Symbolic meanings from folk use and modern herbal magic. These are handed-down associations, not effects.
Healing, love, lust, active vital energy.
Home, kitchen and folk use
Preparation and amount
Ground and bruised seed in carrot-coriander-orange soup.
- Ways to prepare herbs
- Tea (infusion)DecoctionTinctureCompress, poultice and pastePowder and kitchen