Botanical description.The birthplace of this spicy medicinal plant is North Africa and Western Asia. In many areas, it is introduced into the culture to obtain pharmaceutical raw materials: in Russia, Morocco, Egypt, Romania, India, Japan, China, and also in North America. In Germany, little is cultivated; for medical needs, the fruits are imported from abroad. Coriander is an annual herbaceous plant up to 50 cm tall; round bare stem branched at the top. Basal leaves are long-petiolate, undivided or pinnate; the middle ones are mostly doubly pinnate, the upper ones are sessile, finely divided. Umbrellas on long legs, 3-5-beamed, small flowers are white or pinkish. Many people are sensitive to the intrusive smell of unripe fruit, which is uncomfortably similar to the smell of bedbugs. Unlike most other umbrella plants (cumin, anise,
Collection and preparation. Coriander fruits are harvested perfectly ripe. This is very important, because unripe seeds retain an unpleasant odor even after drying. Dry quickly, but with care. High-quality raw materials have a pleasant spicy aroma, somewhat reminiscent of the smell of lily of the valley.
active ingredients. First of all, it must be said about the essential oil, thanks to which the plant is used as a medicine and spice. Mention should also be made of tannins, vitamin C, sitosterol, protein and fatty oil.
Healing action and application. Among the umbrella plants there are many plants that are great for helping with flatulence. These are cumin, fennel, anise; and cumin, perhaps the most effective. Coriander complements it perfectly. A mixture of these four herbs has been found to work particularly well if cumin predominates.
- Collection against gas and feeling of fullness in the abdomen: Cumin chopped 20.0 Anise chopped 10.0 Fennel chopped 10.0 Coriander chopped 10.0 Two teaspoons of the mixture pour 1/4 liter of boiling water, insist under the lid for 10 minutes, then strain. If necessary, drink 1 cup of warm tea. We do not recommend sweetening. It is claimed that this tea successfully relieves spasmodic pains in the stomach and intestines. Based on the features of the composition, this is not excluded.
So, coriander is used to treat decreased appetite, poor digestion, flatulence, diarrhea, mild spasms of the digestive tract, also as a seasoning for baking bread, as greens for fatty dishes. The German Public Health Service calls the scope of coriander diseases of the abdominal cavity – flatulence and mild spastic phenomena in the stomach and intestines.
Use as a condiment.Coriander is an ingredient in curry and other spice blends that prevent gas. They are seasoned with dishes of herbs, cabbage and legumes, vegetable stews, but especially often canned beets, pumpkins and cucumbers. In some areas, coriander is added to the dough when baking bread. Not everyone loves it, but coriander bread is tasty and unusual. People with the most sensitive stomachs can eat coriander bread without suffering from gas. (Fresh coriander grass in our country is widely known as quiche and is used as a vegetable green. – Ed.) Coriander has been used as a seasoning as early as 1000 BC. e., as can be judged from the excavations of Egyptian tombs. He is often mentioned in Roman manuscripts; north of the Alps, it has appeared since the time of Charlemagne (742-814), there is evidence of its use.
Side effects are unknown. Nevertheless, an overdose is undesirable.