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The lovely Cilantro


Coriander (Coriandrum sativum), also known as Cilantro, Chinese parsley or Dhania, is an annual herb...


The fruits have a diameter of 1.5–3 mm...


The dry fruits are known as coriander seeds. Coriander seed is a spice in garam masala and Indian curries...


The leaves are variously referred to as coriander leaves, fresh coriander, Chinese parsley, or cilantro. They are used as a garnish...


Medicinal uses

  • Coriander, like many spices, contains antioxidants, which can delay or prevent the spoilage of food seasoned with this spice. 
  • Chemicals derived from coriander leaves were found to have antibacterial activity against Salmonella choleraesuis.
  • Coriander has been used as a folk medicine for the relief of anxiety and insomnia in Iran.
  •  Coriander seeds are used in traditional Indian medicine as a diuretic by boiling equal amounts of coriander seeds and cumin seeds, then cooling and consuming the resulting liquid.
  •  In holistic and traditional medicine, it is used as a carminative and as a digestive aid. 
  • Coriander has been documented as a traditional treatment for type 2 diabetes. A study on mice found coriander extract had both insulin-releasing and insulin-like activity. 
  • Coriander seeds were found in a study on rats to have a significant hypolipidaemic effect, resulting in lowering of levels of total cholesteroland triglycerides, and increasing levels of high-density lipoprotein. This effect appeared to be caused by increasing synthesis of bile by the liver and increasing the breakdown of cholesterol into other compounds. 
  • The essential oil produced from Coriandrum sativum has been shown to exhibit antimicrobial effects.
Visit the wikipedia page to know more.


47 comments:

  1. thoroughly enjoyed these pics... thank you so much

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  2. Wow! What clarity? So well written too!

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  3. Those tiny little flowers looked so cute.

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  4. luv the flavor of coriander, especially in icecream

    much love...

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  5. I love the cilantro flavor on many dishes. Thanks for posting photos of the flower. I really didn't see cilantro flowers until now.

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  6. Beautiful shots - love the light - and educational, too! :)

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  7. Thanks for all the information on the plant. Lovely photos.

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  8. Fantastic picts and very interesting information

    Cheers, Heidrun

    ---> My weekendflower is here http://happy-hour-with-picts.blogspot.de/2013/08/durch-die-blume.html

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  9. Beautiful and interesting post.

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  10. Happy Friday! My Friday Flash Blog linky party is live @ The Jenny Evolution – a flash mob of blogs where you share your favorite posts of the week. Hope you there -- you may just get highlighted next week!

    Jennifer
    thejennyevolution.com

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  11. I didn't know coriander have beautiful flowers. Glad you decided to share it on Orange you glad it's Friday. Thanks for joining and I hope to see you again next weekend.

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  12. Beautiful flowers, so tiny, dainty and delicate. I like the little details in that first shot. We grew some Cilantro this summer but when it went to seed we threw the plant out. Guess I won't do that next year now that I know that they can be used as spices.

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  13. I never would have dreamed that such an everyday herb could be so beautiful. The first two shots have a wonderful "dreamy" effect.

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  14. Awesome details in the first shot! I don't think I've ever seen a coriander flower before.

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  15. wonderful, the photographs, the information, the entire post!! just remarkable!!

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  16. This post is as helpful and informative as it is beautiful! Gorgeous flower art!

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  17. Bonnie has said just what I was going to say. Beautiful flower, great photography and full of great information.

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  18. I never knew coriander flowered! Neat-o!

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  19. Thank you for sharing this wonderful post, so interesting and your photos are gorgeous! Amazing macro's!

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  20. wow, i didn't know cilantro's flowers are so pretty in macro. great shots, and an informative post. cilantro is my favorite garnish, love the aroma and flavor.

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  21. You do these so well!
    Great presentation!

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  22. I love cilantro and use it in many of my recipes. The blooms on your cilantro is much different than mine... which are purple.

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  23. Very beautiful macro pictures and useful information.
    I love Cilantro!!
    Thank you for sharing,
    Gisela

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  24. A lovely flower with great benefits! Thanks for sharing!
    :-)
    Traci

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  25. Interesting photos

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  26. Interesting, I use coriander leaves and seeds all the time but have never seen the flowers nor fruit :). Thank you for sharing the beautiful photos at our party.

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  27. i use coriander and cilantro often in my cooking - but I just knew that it tastes good, didn't know it had so many benefits. your photos are spectacular. I love it when I take a photo (although mine don't come close to your in quality) and something I didn't see with the naked eye is in the photo - like a bee or a dragonfly. I enjoyed them all. ginger

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  28. Oh fabulous macros of the tiny flowers! Well done!

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  29. I love adding coriander into my cooking for it's fragrance, especially for meat dish. This is the first time I seen a coriander flowers, so pretty.

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  30. Wonderful macros...and thank you for the information!

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  31. Your flaunt today is fantastic!!! I very much enjoyed it. It taught me a lot about a plant I knew not too much about!
    Thank you so much for linking in this week...I appreciate everyone who joins in.
    I am sharing this post on the Tootsie Time facebook page as well....
    Hugs from Wainwright Alberta Canada!
    (¯`v´¯)
    `*.¸.*´Glenda/Tootsie
    ¸.•´¸.•*¨) ¸.•*¨)
    (¸.•´ (¸.•´ .•´ ¸¸.•¨¯`•.

    www.tootsietime.com

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  32. Great pictures, great information. I only know coriander from my spice drawer and would love to grow some in my garden!

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  33. Yet another ancient 'medicine' is found to have several modern applications. Such a shame I hate it so! It's second only to cinnamon in my list of flavours I dislike intensely!

    Beautiful photography though, and I can at least enjoy the lovely flowers.

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  34. Thanks for such useful info! Such pretty flowers too!

    :) Liz @ www.rusticpeach.com

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  35. Beautiful flowers of the coriander! Do you know that the leaves are very commonly used for Mexican food? Hence I was surprised that it was also called Chinese parsley.

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  36. gorgeous is all I can say and the detail. just amazing.

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  37. Neat info, and wonderful pix!
    Thanks for being a faithful visitor to my weekly Wordless Wednesday (on Tuesday) party.
    Since you enjoy visiting photo challenges (and perhaps linkies and blog hops?) - or if you host one of your own - please consider visiting here:
    http://acts17verse28.blogspot.com/2013/07/do-you-love-linky-parties.html
    Be sure to link your recurring hop under the day when it's normally posted.
    Thanks!

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  38. Great close ups!! Boom & Gary of the Vermilon River, Canada.

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  39. fantastic shots of a lovely herb..and seed.

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  40. Lovely delicate shots and interesting information.
    Thank you for sharing on Mandarin Orange Monday. Sorry I am so late...no internet connection all week :(

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  41. How Beautiful! I wish you a great day!

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