Coriandrum sativum L. Apiaceae (Umbelliferae) (coriander, also known as cilantro, cilantrillo, Arab parsley, Chinese parsley, Mexican parsley, Dhania and Yuen sai), is native to southwestern Asia and regions west to north Africa. The name “coriander” derives from the French coriandre through Latin coriandrum and in turn from Greek John Chadwick notes the Mycenaean Greek form of the word, koriadnon, “has a pattern curiously similar to the name of Minos’ (Minos became a judge of the dead in Hades in Greek mythology) daughter Ariadne,” and this explains how the word might have been corrupted later to koriannon or koriandron.
It is an annual herb commonly used in Middle Eastern, Mediterranean, Indian, Latin American, African and Southeast Asian cuisine.
Coriander leaves are referred to as cilantro (United States and Canada, from the Spanish name for the plant), dhania (Indian subcontinent, and increasingly in Britain), kindza (in Georgia), Chinese parsley or Mexican parsley. All parts of the plant are edible, but the fresh leaves and the dried seeds are the most common parts used in cooking. As heat diminishes their flavor quickly, coriander leaves are often used raw or added to the dish right before serving.
In Indian traditional medicine, coriander is used in the disorders of digestive, respiratory and urinary systems as it has diaphoretic, diuretic, carminative and stimulant activities. The plant is recommended for relief of anxiety and insomnia in Iranian folk medicine,22 and it is a common plant included in the Mexican diet, usually consumed uncooked, the oil being used as an antimicrobial agent and as a natural fragrance. It is also recommended for urethritis, cystitis, urinary tract infection, urticaria, rash, burns, sore throat, vomiting, indigestion, nosebleed, cough, allergies, hay fever, dizziness and amebic dysentery. Locally known as “Maadnouss” in Morocco, coriander has been documented as a traditional treatment for diabetes, indigestion, flatulence, insomnia, renal disorders and loss of appetite, and as a diuretic.
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