Cilantro, Just for Garnishing? Get Ready to Know These 14 Health Benefits Of Cilantro!

These outstanding health benefits of cilantro will compel you to make the most of this popular herb whose leaves and seeds do a lot more than just seasoning and adding a flavour!  

Cilantro, a healthy spice crop is a native to the Mediterranean but has its production all over Russia, Central America, France, India, and some European countries.

Wondering what is a cilantro? It is just a Spanish word for coriander! People also call it Chinese or Mexican parsley because of its wide and extensive usage in Mexican cuisines!

While we are busy finding out what the leaves are called, these super effective health benefits of cilantro have made the crop remarkable and have persuaded people to use it more often(1).  

Also Know: Parsley Benefits for Health

Nutritional Value of Coriander

Good news is that Coriander is totally free of fat and cholesterol! Moreover, it is a powerhouse of all the rich minerals and vitamins that are sufficient for us to meet our health and fitness goals.

Here’s a simple table for you to have an easy glance at the overall cilantro nutrition!

Cilantro nutrition – Amounts of vitamins, minerals and other components in ½ cup (10 grams)

Cilantro vitamins	Serving size – 10 grams (1/2 cup)
Vitamin A	550 IU
Vitamin C	2.4 IU
Vitamin K	25 mcg
Vitamin E	0.4 mg
Choline	1.5 mg
Folate	5.5 mg

Cilantro minerals	Serving size – 10 grams (1/2 cup)
Potassium	42.6 mg
Sodium	3.8 mg
Magnesium	2.2 mg
Iron	0.4 mg
Calcium	5.6 mg
Manganese	0.0 mg

Other nutrients	Serving size – 10 grams (1/2 cup)
Carbohydrates	0.4 g
Dietary fiber	0.4 mg
Omeg-6 fatty acids	3.4 mg
Carbohydrates	0.4 g
Proteins	0.4 g
Calories	2 k calories

Cilantro Benefits and Side Effects

Whether it is diabetes, your hardcore attempts to lose weight, ways to get rid of menstrual cramps or any digestive problem that has been driving you nuts, these superficial health benefits of cilantro will pave a quick way of providing solutions to all your health problems.

1. Coriander Health Benefits for Heart

Most of the cardiovascular problems occur due to an increase in the blood pressure or an excessive accumulation of cholesterol in the body.

In some cases, the coronary artery may get damaged which may curb the supply of all the essential nutrients including oxygen and blood.

Consuming cilantro leaves on a daily basis protects your heart from all the associated risks. This is because cilantro contains potassium which regulates blood pressure and prevents the chances of heart strokes.

It can help in dissolving the excess cholesterol and lower the number of triglycerides (which are a kind of fat). Cilantro also contains polyphenols which reduce the risk of coronary artery damage(2).

2. How to Use Cilantro If You are Diabetic?

Being diabetic is not a reason to worry. You are in a safe zone as long as you are not letting your glucose levels to rise further. Being on a medication and taking timely food will help you stay away from any further risk.

Cilantro not only benefits in reducing and controlling the glucose(sugar) levels in the blood but it also controls the production of insulin hormone by the beta cells present in the pancreas, thereby helping in an effective diabetic treatment.

You can slice and dice some fresh cilantro leaves on to your regular main courses and salads if you haven’t been using cilantro too often. You can also make use of crushed coriander powder into soups and side courses to add a special essence.

3. How Cilantro Benefits Weight Loss?

You really need not hit the gym or maintain a strict diet to lose weight. Following this simple remedy early in the morning aids in a healthy weight loss.

Also, you will acquire other potential health benefits of cilantro with one simple yet effective remedy

• • Rinse and soak some fresh coriander leaves overnight.

• • The purpose of soaking is to let the water absorb the essence of the leaves. You need not heat the water or store this in the refrigerator.

• • Separate the water from the leaves, the next day in the morning. You can use the leaves for other garnishing purposes.

• Squeeze a fresh lime into this coriander water to relish the drink fresh and tasty(3).

Knowing how cilantro benefits weight loss is quite interesting because there is not one but many reasons why people use coriander leaves for weight loss.

Health Benefits of Cilantro for Weight Loss

• • Cilantro leaves help in the detoxification of the cells and cure water retention helping you lose weight.

• • Benefits of coriander seeds for weight loss are also related to curbing the food cravings because they help in eliminating any microorganisms that may increase the feelings of cravings. The seeds help in increasing the absorptive power of your gut.

• • Cilantro leaves reduce the amount of cholesterol and triglycerides from your body and further improve the blood circulation throughout your body.

• • Cilantro leaves contain vitamin E which increase the efficiency of pituitary gland thereby improving the overall metabolism of your body.

• • You can get rid of any unhealthy fats deposited in your body if you plan to relish coriander juice early in the morning and this is possible because of the polyphenols present in cilantro leaves.

• • The leaves are totally devoid of fat, cholesterol and more importantly, they contain fewer calories (as negligible as 2 calories in just half a cup. In addition to this, the nutritional value of coriander makes people choose cilantro juice for a healthy weight loss.

• Folic acid present in coriander leaves helps in an effective conversion of carbohydrates into energy rather than turning them into fat.

4. Coriander for Skin Whitening

Not only are health benefits of cilantro effective in improvising your general health, the properties of coriander that is the presence of vitamin C and antioxidants makes your skin smooth and flawless.

You do not need any makeup! All you need is these 3 simple face packs to mend your skin problems and you just need to learn a simple trick behind using coriander for skin whitening.

A. Coriander and Yogurt Face Pack

Ingredients required

Rice powder – 2 tablespoons

Yogurt – 1 tablespoon

Coriander paste – One tablespoon (Prepare coriander paste by grinding some freshly rinsed leaves and adding required amounts of water)

How to apply?

Mix all the ingredients and apply a thin layer all over your face. Let it dry for one hour and rinse it off with lukewarm water.

B. Coriander and Lemon Face Pack

Ingredients required

Lime juice – 2 teaspoons

Coriander paste – 1 tablespoon

How to apply?

Mix the ingredients well and apply a thin layer over your face. Let the face pack dry and rinse it off with lukewarm water.

C. Aloe-Vera and coriander

Ingredients required

Aloe-Vera – One tablespoon

Coriander paste – 1 tablespoon

How to apply?

Mix the ingredients and use a brush to apply a fine layer on the affected area. Let the face pack remain for about one hour and rinse it off with water.

5. Coriander Leaves to Boost Immunity

You can just observe the consumption of coriander in your daily diet and estimate the amount that you have been consuming.

If you have not been using cilantro to garnish your soups, salads or your favourite spicy dishes more often, you can make a habit of drinking a freshly prepared coriander juice twice in a week to improve your resistance power.

Make sure that you do not exceed more than 200 ml per day if you are aiming for a daily consumption.

Coriander leaves contain decent amounts of vitamin C, Vitamin A, and antioxidant properties which can altogether work in boosting your immune system by eliminating bacteria and viruses from your body.

6. Health Benefits of Cilantro on Brain

Researches have proved that consuming cilantro on a regular basis can help in improving brain memory and preventing the onset of Alzheimer’s disease.

This is because cilantro leaves help in safeguarding and protecting an enzyme called acetylcholine whose deficiency causes loss of memory.

Cilantro leaves mitigate the activity of an enzyme called cholinesterase which is majorly responsible for breaking down acetylcholine resulting in a loss of memory which we call as Alzheimer’s disease.

7. Cilantro Eliminates Heavy Metals from Your Body

We can never realize the impact of heavy metals until we start to experience some serious disorders that wreck our general health. The most common heavy metals which could get accumulated in our body are cadmium, mercury or aluminium.  

The most effective way of getting rid of such heavy metals is to consume those foods that can act as chelating agents.

Chelating agents are those which can get attached to the heavy metals in our body and banish them from our body through excretion.

Cilantro is one such effective chelating agent that works towards the elimination of heavy metals from the body.

8. You will Have the Best Night Sleep After Consuming Cilantro

If you cannot sleep right away after closing your eyes, you know the real struggle! Sleep issues are common but most of them cannot have a peaceful sleep even after going through a long tiresome day.

If you can relate to this problem, you can relish a freshly prepared coriander soup or a fresh coriander juice for dinner because cilantro leaves are said to be containing sedative properties which can reduce your anxiety and promote a better sleep.

In fact, studies have proved that cilantro shows the similar effects to that of valium, a drug which works for reducing anxiety and providing a calming effect to nerves.

9. Cilantro Leaves to Treat Urinary Tract Infections

Urinary tract infections are more common in women than in men but men can also suffer from UTI in rare cases. UTI’s can be painful and cause inconvenience because of the bacterial infection that causes inflammation.

The treatment of urethritis sure does require a proper medication prescribed by your doctor but you can opt for proper self-care techniques to make your treatment much better.

Coriander benefits in an effective treatment of UTI since the herb shows potential anti-inflammatory properties.  

Benefits of Coriander Seeds For UTI Treatment

Mix 3 tablespoons of cilantro seeds into a glass of water and boil this for 10-15 minutes after which you can discard the seeds and drink the water.

How Coriander Leaves Benefits For UTI Treatment?

Collect a handful of freshly chopped coriander leaves in a bowl and add 2-3 pieces of chopped ginger to this. Grind the ingredients well and add a few glasses of water to this. Blend this into a fine mixture to prepare cilantro juice.

Drink this twice or thrice in a week to get rid of the pain and inflammation.

10. Health Benefits of Cilantro for Eyesight

Do you only get reminded of carrots whenever you feel an urge to improve your eyesight? You can now include cilantro in your diet for improvising your vision.

Cilantro leaves contain abundant amounts of vitamin A which can prevent the occurrence of macular degeneration or cataracts apart from improving your eyesight.  

You can also use cilantro leaves to cure pink eyes! The remedy is simple. You just have to prepare a puree by mixing coriander leaves with required amounts of water and apply this on your eyelids (eyes closed). Let it stay for 15 minutes and rinse it off with water.

11. How Coriander Seeds Benefits for Thyroid Treatment?

Hypothyroidism is a condition where thyroid hormone which is majorly responsible for regulating your metabolism is produced in lesser quantities. This makes you feel drowsy and lethargic because of the decrease in the metabolic rate.

Cilantro tea helps in enhancing the functioning of the pituitary gland which is the master gland because it produces and regulates all the hormones including thyroid.

Also, coriander seeds benefit for thyroid by eliminating all the heavy metals from your body which may otherwise be absorbed by your thyroid hormone much easily causing much disruption to your internal system.

12. Benefits of Coriander Seeds for Menstruation

The irregular menstrual cycle is common to occur at any phase because of various factors such as lack of iron, PCOS, being overweight, thyroid disorders or fluctuations in hormones.

Cilantro leaves can work wonders for regulating your menstrual cycle because of its emmenagogue properties. (the substances which regulate the menstrual cycle without any irregularities).

Cilantro leaves are also anti-inflammatory in nature which makes them the best remedy for obtaining a relief from menstrual cramps.

Here is how to use cilantro leaves for menstrual cramps:

• Boil a cup of water in a vessel and add coriander leaves to this.
• Let the water absorb the essence of coriander leaves and collect the water in a separate bowl.
• Drink this water to obtain a relief from the painful cramps.

13. How Coriander Leaves Benefits Digestion?

The presence of components such as linalool and borneol make cilantro leaves the best remedy for treating diarrhea.

Also, the leaves help in improving the digestive capacity and regulate a healthy bowel movement. You can get rid of bloating and flatulence by consuming coriander seeds as per the required dosage.

The leaves contain carminative(a substance that relieves you from flatulence) properties which makes coriander the best remedy for treating digestive disorders.

Benefits of Cilantro Tea

If you do not like the bitter taste of cilantro puree or cilantro soup, you can switch to a tasty and flavoursome cilantro tea to enjoy the potential coriander health benefits.

Here is how to prepare a healthy tea using cilantro leaves:

• • Heat a few cups of water in a saucepan (quantity according to the tea you require).

• • Add freshly rinsed and chopped coriander leaves to the boiling water and lets it steep for 5-10 minutes.

• • Segregate the tea from the leaves and discard the leaves.

• Add a tablespoon of honey to this if you desire a sweet essence. You can also squeeze a fresh lime into this to relish it hot, warm, and savory.

Health Benefits of Cilantro Tea:

Health benefit of cilantro tea	How does it work?
Helps in detoxification & removes heavy metals	Coriander acts as a Chelating agent for binding to heavy metals & eliminating them from the body.
Coriander leaves for weight loss	Reduce cholesterol, reduce cravings & reduce triglycerides.
Helps diabetic patients	Increase insulin sensitivity
Cures UTIs	Has anti-inflammatory properties
Cures digestive problems	Essential oil help in curing the digestive problems
Helps you sleep better	Reduces anxiety and promotes a better sleep
Improves your memory	Protects acetylcholine from breaking down
Works for thyroid	Improves metabolism
Regulates your menstrual cycle	contains emmenagogue properties
Provides a clear and glowing skin	Coriander benefits skin because of Vitamin C, antioxidants and beta-carotene.

Side Effects with Overdosage of Cilantro

The above-mentioned health benefits of cilantro can compel you to use the leaves more often in your diet. 200ml of cilantro juice! Ensure that you do not exceed these limits which may otherwise show some drastic negative effects in your health.

You may experience abdominal pain, irritation, and itchiness on the skin, diarrhea, breathing troubles, chest pain, low blood pressure if you exceed the dosage of more than 200ml.

Pregnant women should stay away from the consumption of cilantro as this can have side effects on the newborn as well as the mother.