Seasoning coriander (cilantro)

On the shelves in specialty stores and grocery markets, you can find a huge variety of spices. Including sold and coriander.

In the south, coriander is called differently - "cilantro". The plant contains vitamins and essential oils. Young leaves of cilantro are very fragrant and tender. Greens as a seasoning are added to meat vegetable dishes, as well as eaten raw. In folk medicine, coriander is also widely used, as in cooking.

Description of coriander

Coriander is an annual plant, up to a meter tall. Its stem is straight, naked, branched at the top. Coriander blooms with small flowers of pale pink or white color, they are collected in umbrellas. The fruit is a double seed.

Useful properties of coriander

Coriander contains more than a dozen types of essential oils, several types of acids, vitamins and minerals, thanks to which it has many useful properties. Cilantro is widely used in traditional medicine. From the seeds and the essential oil make extract, with which and are treated (in combination with other ingredients). Also used decoction, infusion of cilantro.

Coriander helps with the following ailments:

1. Inflammations. Acids contained in coriander have anti-inflammatory properties, as well as anti-arthritic and antirheumatic.
2. Anemia. Coriander helps in treating anemia due to its iron content.
3. Diabetes. Coriander stimulates endocrine glands, so it can lower blood sugar levels.
4. Menstrual disorders. Coriander restores the menstrual cycle soothes pain and eliminates unpleasant symptoms.
5. Edema. Coriander is able to remove excess fluid from the human body. Therefore, it relieves swelling caused by impaired kidney function and anemia.
6. Skin diseases. Antioxidant, antifungal and antimicrobial properties of cilantro help to cope with such diseases as eczema and fungal infections of the skin.
7. Diarrhea. Coriander promote normal digestion, normal functioning of the liver, binds the contents of the intestine.
8. Anorexia. Coriander promotes the secretion of digestive juices by stimulating digestion.
9. Mouth ulcers. The components of coriander essential oils are excellent antiseptics. They have a healing and antimicrobial effect.
10. Eye treatment. Conjunctivitis.Vitamins A and C, phosphorus relieve eye strain, help in the treatment of eye diseases.

In addition to all the listed properties, coriander is sedative, anticarcinogen, antihistamine, anticonvulsant.

Coriander - naturalaphrodisiac. It has long been used to enhance libido.

Contraindications:pregnancy and lactation period. It is also not recommended for people who have suffered a stroke, myocardial infarction and thrombophlebitis.

Growing Coriander

Coriander is a light-loving and cold-resistant plant. On shaded areas, cilantro seeds ripen slowly, the amount of essential oil in them, the yield is reduced.

• Soilswill fit light sandy, quite a bit sour, well fertilized.
• One or two year old seeds are necessary for sowing. Coriander is sown in early spring (in the twentieth of April) immediately in open ground. Shoots do not appear quickly, as the seeds germinate slowly. When there are two leaves on the cilantro, the earth is weeded and loosened. If necessary, seedlings thinned.
• Carefor crops is timely watering, weeding and loosening soil. Watering plays a significant role. In rainy summer, with frequent rains, you can not water the coriander. However, at the slightest drying of green cilantro, with a lack of moisture, the plant is rougher and grows. In drought, coriander is watered abundantly at least once a week.

Sow coriander several times over the summer. Because it is necessary to use coriander herbs for a month - after flowering it is unsuitable for food.