India is known as the ‘The home of spices’. There is no other country in the world that produces as many kinds of spices as India. The climate of the country is suitable for almost all spices. Spices constitute an important group of agricultural commodities which are virtually indispensable in the culinary art. In India, spices are important commercial crops from the point of view of both domestic consumption and export. Besides, huge quantities of spices are also being consumed within the country for flavouring foods and are also used in medicine, pharmaceutical, perfumery, cosmetics and several other industries.

                             According to the International Organization For Standardisation (ISO); The term ‘spices and condiments’ applies to such natural plant or vegetable products or mixtures thereof, in whole or ground form, as are used for imparting flavour, aroma and piquancy to and for seasoning of foods”.

                             Coriander (Coriandrum sativum) is an umbelliferous annual plant of the parsley family, native to the eastern Mediterranean region and southern Europe and is found in many other parts of the world. It is valued for the dry ripe fruits, called coriander seeds and also the fresh green leaves called cilantro. The herb is produced in Morocco , Romania , Mexico , Argentina , the People’s Republic of China , Bangladesh , Bulgaria , Canada , Egypt , India , Indonesia , Nigeria , Poland , Syria , the United States , the USSR and Yugoslavia .

Scientific Name: Coriandrum sativam L.
Family Name: Apiaceae
Commercial part: Leaf and seed

Name in international languages

Botany

                                         Coriander is a rigid, strong-smelling annual with pronounced taproot, and slender branching stems up to 60 cm. Reaching a height of 1 meter, the adromonoecious plant flowers in July and August. The plant has ferny, pinnately or ternately decompound leaves and produces compound umbels with small white or pinkish flowers that are attractive to bees. The seed capsules are round red-brown which are aromatic when ripe.

Medicinal and Other use

                                        As a medicinal plant, coriander has been used as an antispasmodic, carminative, stimulant, and stomachic. Coriander has also exhibited hypoglycemic activity. At one time, coriander was used in love potions and considered to be an aphrodisiac. Chinese herbal medicine includes the use of coriander for measles, stomachache, nausea, hernia, and as a tonic. Coriander seed oil has antibacterial properties and is used for treating colic, neuralgia and rheumatism. The oil also counteracts unpleasant odours in pharmaceutical preparations and tobacco. It is used in perfumes, liqueurs and gin. The linalool in coriander oil is known to cause contact dermatitis. Seeds are sometimes used as a flavoring agent to improve taste in other medicinal preparations. The seeds are ground into a paste for application to skin and mouth ulcers.