CORIANDER
A herb from ancient times
CORIANDER
has been used as a medicinal and culinary herb for over
2 000 years. Native to Europe and the Middle East, it is mentioned
in the Ebers papyrus, dating back to about 1500 BC, in Sanskrit
texts and in the Bible, where it is one of the bitter Passover
herbs. The Chinese recorded using it during the Han Dynasty, between
202 BC and AD 9.
All
parts of the plant have a pungent aroma and may be used in cooking.
The broader lower young leaves, called danya, are much loved in
Indian cuisine. In parts of Europe the root is eaten as a tasty
vegetable, and the seed can be used in curries, chutney, soups,
sauces, vinegars and vegetable dishes.
The pretty lacy mauvish-white flowers, so typical of the Umbelliferae
family, can be added to salads, stir fries, fruit salads and stewed
fruit. The Romans combined coriander seeds with cumin and vinegar,
and used it as a preservative for meat, very similar to the blend
of spices we use for making biltong!
MEDICINAL USES
This strongly aromatic annual is an exceptional remedy for colic,
flatulence, digestive upsets, gripes and bloatedness. Apart from
being a superb antispasmodic, it is a wonderful remedy for anxiety
attacks and tension, drunk as a tea. It also cleanses the breath
after eating garlic - merely chew a flower or two or a few seeds
- and helps rheumatic aches and pains, both as a tea and as a
lotion.
Make coriander tea by pouring one cup of boiling water over either
a cup of fresh leaves and flowers or one teaspoon of dried seeds,
leaving it to stand for five minutes and then straining it. Sip
slowly for all the above ailments.
The ancient Chinese made a lotion by boiling one cup fresh coriander
leaves, flowers and twigs in one litre of water for 10 minutes
or, if there is no fresh green plant available, three tablespoons
of seeds in one litre of water for 15 minutes. Strain and pour
into a sterilised bottle. Soak a cloth in the lotion and bind
over an itchy rash, inflamed areas and painful, aching joints
or use as a spritz to cool the inflamed area and to remove the
itch from insect bites.
CULTIVATION
Growing coriander is simple and rewarding, since three or four
crops can be achieved before the first frosts of winter. It needs
full sun and a light, well-drained soil with a good dressing of
compost. It requires a good watering twice a week and thrives
in heat and dryness. Sow the seed directly into the ground where
it is to grow, about 20 cm apart, keeping the soil moist and protected
with a thin layer of dry leaves until the seedlings are strong
enough to withstand the full sun. They grow up to 60 cm in height.
Recipes
for Aubergine and Coriander Flower Lunch Dish and Leek, Kale and
Coriander Flower Soup appear in "Edible and Medicinal Flowers",
which is published and distributed by Random House Struik.
