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Coriandrum sativum - L.

Coriander

Author	L.	Botanical references	200
Family	Umbelliferae	Genus	Coriandrum
Synonyms
Known Hazards	The plant can have a narcotic effect if it is eaten in very large quantities[201].
Range	S. Europe. Naturalized in Britain[17].
Habitat	Waste places and arable land, often by the sides of rivers[4, 9].
Edibility Rating	4 (1-5)	Medicinal Rating	3 (1-5)

Physical Characteristics

Annual growing to 0.45m by 0.25m.

The plant prefers light (sandy) and medium (loamy) soils and requires well-drained soil. The plant prefers acid, neutral and basic (alkaline) soils and can grow in very alkaline soil. It can grow in semi-shade (light woodland) or no shade. It requires dry or moist soil.

Habitats

Cultivated Beds;

Edible Uses

Edible Parts: Leaves; Seed.

Edible Uses: Condiment.

Leaves - raw or cooked. They are used as a flavouring in salads, soups etc[2, 4, 21, 37, 61] and the fresh leaves are probably the most widely used flavouring herb in the world[268]. The leaves have an aromatic flavour[183]. It is foetid according to another report[4], whilst another says that the fresh leaves have a strong bedbug-like smell[244].. The leaves should not be eaten in large quantities[132]. The fresh leaves contain about 0.012% oxalic acid and 0.172% calcium[240]. Seed - cooked. It is used as a flavouring in many dishes including cakes, bread and curries, it is also widely used to flavour certain alcoholic liquors[2, 4, 5, 21, 27, 37]. The fresh seed has a disagreeable and nauseous smell, but when dried it becomes fragrant, the longer it is kept the more fragrant it becomes[4, 132]. Plants yield about 1¾ tonnes per acre of seed[4]. The root is powdered and used as a condiment[161]. An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavouring[21, 46, 61, 105]

Medicinal Uses

Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. Always seek advice from a professional before using a plant medicinally.

Antihalitosis; Aromatherapy; Aromatic; Carminative; Expectorant; Narcotic; Stimulant; Stomachic.

Coriander is a commonly used domestic remedy, valued especially for its effect on the digestive system, treating flatulence, diarrhoea and colic[9, 244]. It settles spasms in the gut and counters the effects of nervous tension[254]. The seed is aromatic, carminative, expectorant, narcotic, stimulant and stomachic[4, 9, 21, 46, 147, 178, 201, 238]. It is most often used with active purgatives in order to disguise their flavour and combat their tendency to cause gripe[4, 244]. The raw seed is chewed to stimulate the flow of gastric juices and to cure foul breath[240, 268] and will sweeten the breath after garlic has been eaten[254]. Some caution is advised, however, because if used too freely the seeds become narcotic[4]. Externally the seeds have been used as a lotion or have been bruised and used as a poultice to treat rheumatic pains[254, 268]. The essential oil is used in aromatherapy. Its keyword is 'Appetite stimulant'[210].

Other Uses

Essential; Fuel; Fungicide; Insecticide; Oil; Repellent.

An essential oil from the seed is used as a food flavouring, in perfumery, soap making etc[21, 46, 61, 74, 105]. It is also fungicidal and bactericidal[238]. The growing plant repels aphids[14, 20, 201]. A spray made by boiling of one part coriander leaves and one part anise seeds in two parts of water is very effective against red spider mites and woolly aphids[201]. An oil from the seed is used for making soap[74]. The report does not make it clear if the essential oil or the fixed oil is used[K]. The seed contains about 20% fixed oil[240], this has potential for industrial use in Britain, it could become an alternative to oilseed rape though the oil content is a bit on the low side at present (1995). The oil can be split into two basic types, one is used in making soaps etc, whilst the other can be used in making plastics[234]. The dried stems are used as a fuel[74].

Scented Plants

Plant: Fresh Crushed Dried

The entire plant has a foetid smell somewhat like bugs. The seeds however, when dried, give off a very pleasant scent of oranges.

Cultivation details

Prefers a warm dry light soil[4, 27, 37]. Plants grown mainly for their seeds do well in partial shade, but when growing for the seed or essential oil a sunny position is preferred[238]. The plants dislike constant moisture[14] or too much nitrogen[200]. Another report says that coriander grows best when a cool damp spring is followed by a hot dry summer[238]. Coriander tends to run quickly to seed if the plants are too dry at the seedling stage[238]. Plants tolerate a pH in the range 4.9 to 8.3. Coriander is often cultivated, both on a garden scale and commercially, for its edible seed[4, 142], there are some named varieties[183]. The plant is fast-growing, ripening its seed without difficulty in Britain and it seems to be free of pests and diseases[234]. The seeds have been used medicinally and as a food flavouring since ancient times, and were introduced into Britain by the Romans[244]. In the Middle Ages they were added to love potions because of their reputation as aphrodisiacs[244]. The plants flowers are very attractive to pollinating insects[14, 18, 201]. Coriander is in general a good companion plant in the garden, helping to repel aphis and carrot root fly[238]. It grows well with anise, improving the germination rate when the two species are sown together[14, 18, 20, 238], but it grows badly with fennel, where it acts to reduce the seed yield of the fennel[14, 18, 20, 201, 238]. Coriander also grows particularly well with dill and chervil[201].

Propagation

Seed - sow April in situ[1, 37]. The seed is slow to germinate and so on a garden scale it can also be sown in March in a cold frame. Sow a few seeds in each pot and then plant them out when they are growing away strongly in May[4]. The seed can also be sown in situ in the autumn[1]. Autumn sown plants will grow bigger and produce more seed.

Cultivars

No entries have been made for this species as yet.

Links

References

[K] Ken Fern
Notes from observations, tasting etc at Plants For A Future and on field trips.

[1] F. Chittendon. RHS Dictionary of Plants plus Supplement. 1956 Oxford University Press 1951
Comprehensive listing of species and how to grow them. Somewhat outdated, it has been replaces in 1992 by a new dictionary (see [200]).

[2] Hedrick. U. P. Sturtevant's Edible Plants of the World. Dover Publications 1972 ISBN 0-486-20459-6
Lots of entries, quite a lot of information in most entries and references.

[4] Grieve. A Modern Herbal. Penguin 1984 ISBN 0-14-046-440-9
Not so modern (1930's?) but lots of information, mainly temperate plants.

[5] Mabey. R. Food for Free. Collins 1974 ISBN 0-00-219060-5
Edible wild plants found in Britain. Fairly comprehensive, very few pictures and rather optimistic on the desirability of some of the plants.

[9] Launert. E. Edible and Medicinal Plants. Hamlyn 1981 ISBN 0-600-37216-2
Covers plants in Europe. a drawing of each plant, quite a bit of interesting information.

[14] Holtom. J. and Hylton. W. Complete Guide to Herbs. Rodale Press 1979 ISBN 0-87857-262-7
A good herbal.

[17] Clapham, Tootin and Warburg. Flora of the British Isles. Cambridge University Press 1962
A very comprehensive flora, the standard reference book but it has no pictures.

[18] Philbrick H. and Gregg R. B. Companion Plants. Watkins 1979
Details of beneficial and antagonistic relationships between neighbouring plants.

[20] Riotte. L. Companion Planting for Successful Gardening. Garden Way, Vermont, USA. 1978 ISBN 0-88266-064-0
Fairly good.

[21] Lust. J. The Herb Book. Bantam books 1983 ISBN 0-553-23827-2
Lots of information tightly crammed into a fairly small book.

[27] Vilmorin. A. The Vegetable Garden. Ten Speed Press 0 ISBN 0-89815-041-8
A reprint of a nineteenth century classic, giving details of vegetable varieties. Not really that informative though.

[37] Thompson. B. The Gardener's Assistant. Blackie and Son. 1878
Excellent general but extensive guide to gardening practices in the 19th century. A very good section on fruits and vegetables with many little known species.

[46] Uphof. J. C. Th. Dictionary of Economic Plants. Weinheim 1959
An excellent and very comprehensive guide but it only gives very short descriptions of the uses without any details of how to utilize the plants. Not for the casual reader.

[61] Usher. G. A Dictionary of Plants Used by Man. Constable 1974 ISBN 0094579202
Forget the sexist title, this is one of the best books on the subject. Lists a very extensive range of useful plants from around the world with very brief details of the uses. Not for the casual reader.

[74] Komarov. V. L. Flora of the USSR. Israel Program for Scientific Translation 1968
An immense (25 or more large volumes) and not yet completed translation of the Russian flora. Full of information on plant uses and habitats but heavy going for casual readers.

[105] Tanaka. T. Tanaka's Cyclopaedia of Edible Plants of the World. Keigaku Publishing 1976
The most comprehensive guide to edible plants I've come across. Only the briefest entry for each species, though, and some of the entries are more than a little dubious. Not for the casual reader.

[132] Bianchini. F., Corbetta. F. and Pistoia. M. Fruits of the Earth. 0
Lovely pictures, a very readable book.

[142] Brouk. B. Plants Consumed by Man. Academic Press 1975 ISBN 0-12-136450-x
Readable but not very comprehensive.

[147] ? A Barefoot Doctors Manual. Running Press 0 ISBN 0-914294-92-X
A very readable herbal from China, combining some modern methods with traditional chinese methods.

[161] Yanovsky. E. Food Plants of the N. American Indians. Publication no. 237. U.S. Depf of Agriculture. 0
A comprehensive but very terse guide. Not for the casual reader.

[178] Stuart. Rev. G. A. Chinese Materia Medica. Taipei. Southern Materials Centre 0
A translation of an ancient Chinese herbal. Fascinating.

[183] Facciola. S. Cornucopia - A Source Book of Edible Plants. Kampong Publications 1990 ISBN 0-9628087-0-9
Excellent. Contains a very wide range of conventional and unconventional food plants (including tropical) and where they can be obtained (mainly N. American nurseries but also research institutes and a lot of other nurseries from around the world.

[200] Huxley. A. The New RHS Dictionary of Gardening. 1992. MacMillan Press 1992 ISBN 0-333-47494-5
Excellent and very comprehensive, though it contains a number of silly mistakes. Readable yet also very detailed.

[201] Allardice.P. A - Z of Companion Planting. Cassell Publishers Ltd. 1993 ISBN 0-304-34324-2
A well produced and very readable book.

[210] Westwood. C. Aromatherapy - A guide for home use. Amberwood Publishing Ltd 1993 ISBN 0-9517723-0-9
An excellent little pocket guide. Very concise.

[234] - Radio 4 Farming Programme, 25/08/95. - 1995
An article on the potential of Coriandrum sativum as an oil crop.

[238] Bown. D. Encyclopaedia of Herbs and their Uses. Dorling Kindersley, London. 1995 ISBN 0-7513-020-31
A very well presented and informative book on herbs from around the globe. Plenty in it for both the casual reader and the serious student. Just one main quibble is the silly way of having two separate entries for each plant.

[240] Chopra. R. N., Nayar. S. L. and Chopra. I. C. Glossary of Indian Medicinal Plants (Including the Supplement). Council of Scientific and Industrial Research, New Delhi. 1986
Very terse details of medicinal uses of plants with a wide range of references and details of research into the plants chemistry. Not for the casual reader.

[244] Phillips. R. & Foy. N. Herbs Pan Books Ltd. London. 1990 ISBN 0-330-30725-8
Deals with all types of herbs including medicinal, culinary, scented and dye plants. Excellent photographs with quite good information on each plant.

[254] Chevallier. A. The Encyclopedia of Medicinal Plants Dorling Kindersley. London 1996 ISBN 9-780751-303148
An excellent guide to over 500 of the more well known medicinal herbs from around the world.

[268] Stuart. M. (Editor) The Encyclopedia of Herbs and Herbalism Orbis Publishing. London. 1979 ISBN 0-85613-067-2
Excellent herbal with good concise information on over 400 herbs.

Readers Comments

Plants for a Future does not verify the accuracy of reader comments, use at your own risk. In particular Plants For A Future can not take any responsibility for any adverse effects from the use of plants. You should always consult a professional before using plants medicinally.

Eryngium foetidum Culantro/Cilantro Confusion

Sharon Tue Jun 5 15:22:06 2001

I had long thought culantro and cilantro/coriander were the same plant, although I had only grown cilantro/coriander. Recently in a discussion on a gardening list one person thought they were the same, but someone else corrected them and said cilantro/coriander is Coriandrum sativum culantro is Eryngium foetidum

Plants for a future lists both as Coriandrum sativum.

Some information I have found about this is here: http://www-ang.kfunigraz.ac.at/~katzer/engl/generic_frame.html?Eryn_foe.html

Anyone know any more about the issue?

Sharon gordonse@one.net

Eryngium foetidum Culantro/Cilantro Confusion

rajiv Tue Jul 3 10:42:22 2001

Hi, I am also searching for a very unusual variety of coriander which has large flat single leaves and tastes like coriander. I saw it many years ago in northern Indian foot hills. Grateful for information on it. rajivrattna@hotmail.com

Eryngium foetidum Culantro/Cilantro Confusion

Pia Pacheco Tue Sep 4 18:21:39 2001

It is right that Cilantro(Coriandrum sativum) and Culantro coyote/recao/fetweed/mexican coriander/etc (Eryngium foetidum) are not the same especie. Morphologically they are very diferent.However the taste is very close. Eryngium foetidum is native from the Caribbe and Central America, though it is widespread in Asia too. I have a lot of infomation about Eryngium foetidum. You can contact me if you have some questions.

Regards, Pie

Common names: shado beni, chadron benee fitweed, coulante o culantro, recao langer koriander (German); ketumbar java (Malasyan); pak chi farang (Thai); ngo gai (Vietnamese); culantro, racao, recao, cilantro espinoso, cilantro extranjero, cilantro del monte, cilantro de hoja ancha o cilantro mejicano culantro coyote (Spnish); dhania(Hindi) long leaf o spiny coriander.

Coriandrum sativum

Dr. med. veronika Rampold Mon Dec 26 2005

Coriander was extremely simple to grow in my garden. I just threw a handful of coriander seed, from the spice cupboard, on a spot of sunny sandy soil and it grew withoút further care, even resistant to the masses of slugs we GErmans have. After four months seeds were ripe, I let them reseed themselves and next year the amount of ripe seed yielded from the resowing was 400 grammes, from one and a half square meters. Besides, the whole place now is again covered densely by young re-seedlings of third generation... I think the plant will become a weed in my garden, as borage and nigella did. Make it a weed in your gardens and you will always have a most harmless digestive and good spice, usable nearly in same way as Caraway. What I do not understand is that Orientals use the fetid coriander leaves too. Their smell, to me, is very repulsive.

Coriandrum sativum

Anni Dixon Tue Jun 12 2007

Anni Dixon/http://www.gentlehealer.co.uk/helpyourselftohealth The previous notes about coriander have been useful for me. I am growing it this year for the first time, because I have read that it assists the removal of mercury from the body, including the brain, and I have a long term, difficult to treat, condition of mercury poisoning. I am using the leaves and stems, currently in large quantities (a large handful of fresh-thinned coriander each day) as seeds got from the http://www.realseeds.co.uk Real Seeds club, based in Wales, and they germinated quickly and really well, therefore I am thinning them, but not sure whether I really need to do this. I will allow them to seed themselves. By the way, even if writers on this site find the leaves unpalatable, they are eaten in large quantities in Greece and Turkey and other Mediterranean countries, who highly value their nutritional value.

helpyourselftohealth

Coriandrum sativum

Kiranmayee Ph.D., Fri Apr 25 2008

Does Coriandrum have cold tolerant gene? If so, what it that?

Coriandrum sativum

deepa Thu Aug 7 2008

sir, i am very much interested in doing reseaech in coriandrum. pls esnd me the relevant journal which is very useful to me.

Coriandrum sativum

rajesh brc Sun Nov 9 2008

i want to do research in coriandrum can u pls send me some uses and pharmacological acivity i can do pls urgent send to me my mail rajbrc@yahoo.com

Coriandrum sativum

Alicia Zuñiga Tue Feb 10 2009

Me gustaria saber si me pueden propiciar articulos cientificos sobre el cilantro respecto en su produccion con tratamiento de humus liquido de lombriz

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