Coriander characteristics

Contents

What is coriander?

Common English noun: Coriander, cilantro, dhania, Chinese parsley

– Spanish: cilantro (leaves), coriandro (fruits)

Scientific noun: Coriandrum sativum L.

Habitat: Native from Asia and Africa, it can be found as a cultivated plant because of its fruits as a species or medicinal plant.

Annual herb of the carrot family – Umbelliferae– up to 60 cm.

Erect, glabrous stems with a strong scent.

Compound leaves, bipinnate or tripinnate; the lower ones with longer stems and with narrower segments than superior ones.

Whitish flowers in umbels, with till 8 rays. Very scented fruits.

A detail of the plant with the flowers and the leaves

Acids:

linoleic, – antiarthritic, hepatoprotective, anticancerigenous, hypocholesterolemic.
oleic – anticancerigenous, hypocholesterolemic., antialopecic.
palmitic – hypocholesterolemic, antioxidant, antialopecic
stearic – hypocholesterolemic (Fruits)
petroselinic
ascorbic – antibacterial, antiulceric, antiatherosclerotic, antihypertensive, antiinflammatory, antioxidant, antiscorbutic, hypocholesterolemic, anticold, antitumoral, vulnerary.(Leaves)

Essential oil, rich in:

Cineole: antibacterial, anti- rheumatic, antiseptic, antiulceric, choleretic
Borneol: antibacterial, antiinflammatory, antispasmodic, hepatoprotective.
Camphene: antioxidant, expectorant
Citronelol: antiseptic
Coriandrol: anticonvulsant
Geraniol: anticancerigenous, expectorant, antiseptic, antimelanomic, antispasmodic..
Limonene: antibacterial, anticancerigenous, antiespasmodic, expectorant.
Linalool: anticancerigenous, antiespasmodic, antihistaminic, hypnotic.
Alpha-pinene: antibacterial, antiinflammatory, expectorant, anticancerigenous.
Beta-pinene: antiinflammatory, antispasmodic
Beta-phelandrene: fungicide

Minerals: Calcium (leaves and seeds) potassium, magnesium, phosphorus, sodium (leaves and fruits) manganese (fruits)

More information on cilantro