Liz used a large quantity of chopped fresh coriander in a dish yesterday. Does anyone know whether coriander has any medicinal properties. Personally, I hate the stuff - too aromatic for my liking.

Did she use it in a Mexican dish? or maybe Salsa?
It is very easy to use to much in any cooking but when its right its good!!


Coriander, Coriandrum sativum, Cilantro, Dhania, Dhanyak, Chinese Parsley, Hu Sui.
Spices as a medicinal plant, coriander has been used as an antispasmodic, carminative, and laxative remedies ... Chinese herbal medicine includes the use of coriander for measles.


Coriander is an annual herb native to Mediterranean Europe and western Asia, naturalized in North America, now extensively cultivated in many temperate countries (BHP, 1996; Leung and Foster, 1996; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

The material of commerce comes mostly from Morocco, Bulgaria, Romania, Turkey, India, and the former U.S.S.R. (BHP, 1996; Kapoor, 1990; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

Coriander is also cultivated on a small scale in some German states (Lange and Schippmann, 1997).

Coriander was used in traditional Greek medicine by Hippocrates (ca. 460–377 B.C.E.) and other Greek physicians.

Roman naturalist Pliny the Elder (ca. 23–79 C.E.) first used the genus name Coriandrum, derived from koros, in reference to the fetid smell of the leaves.
It was later introduced to Great Britain by the Romans (Grieve, 1979).

It was first introduced into Chinese medicine around 600 C.E. (Bown, 1995). Galenical preparations of coriander seed have similar uses as a carminative, digestive, or stomachic in traditional Chinese, Indian, and Greco-European medicines.

In Ayurvedic medicine it is usually combined with caraway and cardamom seeds, among others, while in European medicine it is usually combined with caraway, fennel, and anise (Kapoor, 1990; Leung and Foster, 1996; Nadkarni, 1976; Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

Very few, if any, modern clinical studies have been conducted on coriander. The approved modern therapeutic applications for coriander seed are supportable based on its long history of use in well established systems of traditional medicine, pharmacological studies in animals, nutrient composition and dietary value studies, and phytochemical investigations.

In Germany, coriander is used as a medicinal tea and a component of carminative and laxative remedies, in alcoholic distillate and drops dosage forms, often combined with anise, caraway, or fennel (Wichtl and Bisset, 1994).

In the United States, coriander is used as a carminative or digestive component of compounds in confection, infusion, syrup, and tincture dosage forms.

It is sometimes used in laxative compound preparations (e.g., Confectio Sennae) in order to counteract or modify their harsh stomach-upsetting effects (Duke, 1997; Grieve, 1979; Leung and Foster, 1996; NF V, 1926).

She made a vegetable lasagne. The usual pasta sheets with sauce of double cream and lemon juice. She then added stir-fried corgette, carrot strips, french beans, spring onions, chives and fresh coriander leaves. The aromatic coriander taste was somewhat overpowering in my opinion, and the resulting dish was pronounced a failure.

She doesn't have many failures, but this was one of them. Oh yes, I do like to have meat in my meals, being extremely fussy.

We occasionally have "WNM" nights (WOT - NO MEAT !!!!), and Liz laughs every time.

I've had veggie lasagna when Meg makes it every so often, but it doesn't have or I can't detect any Cilantro in it and Liz's recipe is not one I know.
Meat less days? Oh yeah, got'em.

Liz was going to dispose of the recipe today, due to it being a failure. Can't say I'll miss this one.

try a lasagna with an alfredo type sauce and veggies for something different

Thats good too!!

I just had pasta filled with cheese (looks like little hats or purses) with a mushroom pesto sauce, baby peas and romano cheese....quite yummy

Duncan has everything correct above, but here's a few other tidbits from the Spice and Herb Bible:

It is mentioned in the Holy Bible and seeds have been found in the tombs of of Pharaohs. the term Pliny used, koros, means bug or insect, derived either from the insect like smell of the leaves or that the seeds resemble small beetles. The Ebers Papyrus from 1550 BC mentions it as well as Hippocrates in 400 BC and it grew in the Hanging Gardens of Babylon. Love potions were made of it in the Middle Ages and it is mentioned in One Thousand and One Arabian Nights as an aphrodisiac. Today, the essential oil of coriander is used in perfumes, and to flavor sweets, chocolate, meats and seafood as well as to flavor Gin.

From a cook's point of view, it simply does NOT belong in a lasagne, unless you are doing some kind of crazy Southwestern fusion style.

Speaking of pasta dishes, I was reading my Food in History book last night about the origins of pasta. The popular story that Marco Polo brought it back from China is actually unaccurate. The text says he "discovered" it in China, but it really meant that he discovered that they had it too. In fact, macaroni, which was the term used for any pasta in the middle ages, is claimed to date as far back as Etruscan times which would pre-date Chinese noodles by 500 years, but that is speculative from artifacts found in Etruscan tombs that are figured to be pasta makers. Apician cookery books had recipes using lasagne and by the twelth century, it was important enough to have attracted the attention of quality control legislators. Shapes such as ravioli and tortellini are both attested to from the middle of the 13th century, as well as foreign counterparts such as the Chinese won-ton, Russian pel'meni and Tibeten momo.

The Forme of Cury of the 14th century includes a recipe for "Macrows" and even recommends serving it strewn with morsels of butter and with grated cheese on the side.

What is interesting about it is that with such a basic, simple, versatile food, that every country in the world didn't have something similar....or did they?

Actually not long ago, I used that very recipe for an Italian dinner I threw at my home. It actually turned out quite well and everyone enjoyed it. Not so spectacular, but sometimes, simple is best. Even use it on occassion here to serve up with dinner. Freshly grated parmesan really makes the difference too, and a dab of olive oil really does well too.

One thing to keep in mind too, pasta then was similiar as to what we have today, but using a recipe for historical pasta turns out to taste much better!

Yes...at the restuarant, we use a basic recipe of only flour, eggs and olive oil for our pastas. Better than anything you can buy. We get requests sometimes for just pasta with grated Parmigiano Regianno and butter by customers because its so good.

there is nothing like homemade pasta. Dad's side of the family is off the boat Sicilian....my Nona would be up at 5 AM on Sundays making homemade pasta for the regular Sunday gathering. I used to make own up until I got divorced.

Around here, the restraunts wouldn't dream of making thier own pasta...or at least I haven't heard of any. I hardly ever make it myself anymore...too much with the kiddos schedules, can understand the divorce tlhing too. Definately worth looking back into.