Coriander is an aromatic herb widely consumed throughout the world. However, not many know about coriander its properties. And it’s a shame because in addition to being ideal for certain foods, the truth is that it has other uses that can come in handy.
But what properties does coriander have? And how would it be grown in a home garden? If you want to learn more about this herb, take a look at what we have prepared for you.
What properties does coriander have?
Coriander is an aromatic herb commonly used in cooking in many cultures for its distinctive flavor and fresh aroma. In fact, this is what she is best known for. But actually, it has many more uses.
Which is it? We talk about each one of them.
nutritious
Not in the sense that you can dress with these herbs, but because among the properties of cilantro it has a large amount of vitamins A, C and K.
In addition, it has important minerals for health, such as calcium, iron and potassium.
Taking into account that not many foods find this combination, it may be interesting to add coriander to dishes that admit it.
anti-inflammatory properties
If you have inflammation in the body, for example, because you have a swollen ankle, tooth pain due to inflammation or many other situations, coriander can help alleviate the problem by reducing inflammation in the body.
antioxidant properties
In case you didn’t know, coriander is a rich source of antioxidants, which means it can help protect the body’s cells against damage caused by free radicals.
It does not mean that you will not age, or recover what you have lost, but at least they will remain at stable values for longer.
antibacterial properties
Based on some studies, coriander has been shown to have antibacterial properties. And that’s important because it would help fight certain harmful bacteria in the body.
In other words, it is like a natural antibiotic that you can take daily in a dressing with food.
digestive benefits
Heavy digestions, problems with stomach acids, bloating, ulcers, etc. The truth is that the digestive system is one of the most important and taking care of it is essential to feel good.
Therefore, coriander can treat many of these ailments.
calming properties
Specifically, cilantro can help you reduce the amount of stress and anxiety you have in your body. This is due to its calming and relaxing properties.
Of course, it does not mean that it will completely eliminate what makes you stressed or anxious, but it will lower the levels and help you have greater control of the situations that generate these states.
Potential to lower cholesterol
Some studies have found that coriander may help lower blood cholesterol, which may help reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease.
analgesic properties
Finally, another of the coriander properties has to do with relieving pain in the body. This is because it is a powerful analgesic, not like other plants, but it is much cheaper (in the short and long term) compared to medicines and other chemical products.
How to grow coriander at home
If all the properties of cilantro have made you want to grow it for use in the kitchen on a daily, almost daily basis, we want to give you a hand so that you know what you have to focus on when growing cilantro.
We assume that it is a fairly easy crop to get, and you will not have too many problems with it. But if you give it the care that we are going to propose below, its development will be much better, as well as production. Do you want to know which aspects are most important?
Location
Cilantro is an easy herb to grow and can be planted in a pot or garden. However, you should make sure that it gets direct sun for several hours a day. So:
If you are going to have it inside the house, choose a window through which direct sun enters at least a few hours a day.
If you are away from home, place it in an area where it gets sun for several hours. Of course, be careful if the sun is very hot because it could burn you.
Substratum
You may not know it, but cilantro grows best in well-drained, nutrient-rich soil. Try to mix nutritious soil with a 50% drainage or so, so that water accumulations that can harm the roots are not created.
Of course, you should know that it will need moist soil constantly, because if it dries up the plant can stop and stop growing.
Sowing
The best way to plant cilantro is from seed. They are easy to get and germinate quickly. Of course, make sure to throw them to a depth of one centimeter.
If you are going to plant them in a pot, try to make it at least 20 centimeters deep. Depending on where you place it, we would recommend that you use a clay, plastic or ceramic one. In the case of the latter, it is colder than the others and resists heat less; The plastic one is cheaper and doesn’t weigh as much as the previous one (or the clay one), but in full sun it gets so hot that it can damage the roots of the plant.
So make sure where you want to put it to choose one pot or another.
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Being a very fast growing plant, it is important to add some fertilizer to it. Choose one that you can mix with the irrigation and thus you will make sure that it penetrates to where it should.
Harvest
The ideal time to harvest coriander is when you see that the leaves are big enough. It is true that at first it may be difficult for you to decide if it is the right time or not, but as soon as you gain experience you will not have any problem.
Once you harvest it, you should know that you can plant seeds again. In fact, coriander is said to be harvested every 2-3 weeks, so you can have it all year long if you want.
As you can see, the properties of coriander make its cultivation much more attractive. And considering that it is a plant that you can harvest in less than a month, it may interest you more. Would you dare to plant coriander at home?
